Early life stress (ELS) increases susceptibility to cognitive and socioemotional dysfunction by disrupting the neurobiological systems that regulate these behaviors. Animal models provide a valuable tool for investigating the underlying mechanisms, enabling precise manipulation of stress exposure during development. The limited bedding and nesting (LBN) model, which induces maternal stress by restricting access to bedding and nesting materials in rodents, has been instrumental in advancing our understanding of chronic ELS. While this paradigm has been widely adopted, variations in apparatus designs and subtle differences in methodologies could impact consistency across studies. Here, we provide standardized guidelines for a cost-effective open–source mouse LBN apparatus design, which could further enhance the model's utility while supporting pup survival. We additionally present our findings observed during the duration of the LBN paradigm, which spans from postnatal day (PND) 2 to 10, for both dams and pu...

Lifelong premature ejaculation (LPE) is associated with abnormal brain function, as evidenced by functional MRI (fMRI) studies. This study investigates the stability of brain network architectures in resting-state conditions following perturbation by erotic tasks in individuals with LPE. We assessed the resting-state fMRI in the task-free and task-modulated dataset in the 28 right-hand LPE and 17 age-matched normal controls (NCs). The dynamic functional connectome based on the phase-locking algorithm and ROI-wise gradient mapping was compared. The stability of dynamic functional gradient mapping was measure by linear mixed effects across the two datasets in the LPE and NCs. In both groups, the brain functional gradient exhibited a clear transition from unimodal to transmodal in the principal gradient. Additionally, there was a segregation of primary networks observed in the secondary gradient, either before or after the task. In LPE patients, we observed increased stability in the bilateral dorsal prefront...

Neurons in the paraventricular nucleus of the thalamus (PVT) integrate visceral and limbic inputs and project to multiple brain regions to bias behavior toward aversive or defensive states. This study examines MOR signaling in anterior PVT neurons in brain slices from untreated and morphine-treated animals. Imaging in a MOR-Cre reporter rat revealed extensive expression in aPVT cells, and the application of [Met]5− enkephalin (ME) induced outward currents which were abolished by the MOR-selective antagonist CTAP. A saturating concentration of ME resulted in desensitization that was blocked by compound 101, indicating a phosphorylation-dependent process. The opioid sensitivity of amygdala-, nucleus accumbens-, and prefrontal cortex-projecting neurons was then examined. Neurons that projected to the amygdala were more sensitive to ME than cortical- and accumbal-projecting cells. Following chronic treatment, tolerance to morphine was found in neurons projecting to the amygdala and nucleus accumbens with a tre...

Rod and cone photoreceptor cells selectively contact different compartments of axon-bearing retinal horizontal cells in the mammalian retina. Cones synapse exclusively on the soma whereas rods synapse exclusively on a large axon terminal compartment. The possibility that rod signals can travel down the axon from terminal to soma has been proposed as a means of producing spectrally opponent interactions between rods and cones, but there is conflicting data about whether this actually occurs. The spectral overlap between rods and cones in mouse makes it difficult to stimulate rod and cone pigments separately. We therefore used optogenetic techniques to analyze photoreceptor inputs into horizontal somas by selectively expressing channelrhodopsin in rods and/or cones. Optogenetic stimulation of rods and cones both evoked large fast inward currents in horizontal cell somas. Cone-driven responses were abolished by eliminating synaptic release in a cone-specific knock-out of the exocytotic calcium sensor, synapto...

Animal studies and human tissue experiments have demonstrated that traumatic brain injury (TBI) causes damage to the extracellular matrix (ECM). To test the hypothesis that TBI causes disruption of sulfated glycosaminoglycan (sGAG) in the ECM, we measured levels of sGAG in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), blood, and urine, in patients with severe TBI in the acute postinjury period. Samples of CSF, blood, and urine were obtained within 72 h of injury in patients who received external ventricular drains as part of their treatment of severe TBI. Levels of chondroitin and heparan sGAGs were measured, along with their disaccharide constituents. Demographic information, presence of polytrauma, brain injury load, and distance of radiologically visible parenchymal injury from the ventricle were analyzed for correlation with total subtype sGAG levels. Levels were measured in 14 patients ranging in age from 17 to 90 years. CSF sGAG levels were variable among patients, with higher sGAG levels in plasma compared with CS...

Models of experience-dependent neuroplasticity predict that the acquisition and extensive use of a new skill trigger a nonlinear trajectory of neurostructural modifications, where initial expansion of relevant brain areas subsequently (once the skill is acquired) gives way to volumetric renormalization. Such predictions also apply in the domain of language during learning and/or simultaneous management of two (or more) linguistic systems. In a sample of 69 young adult Russian–English bilinguals, we tested the hypothesis that individual differences in bilingual engagement nonlinearly correlate with normalized volume of the hippocampus—a key learning-related brain region particularly amenable to experience-dependent plasticity. Results revealed an inverted U-shape association between second language engagement and left hippocampal gray matter volume. The present results replicate and expand the findings from aging populations, showing a nonlinear pattern of structural hippocampal plasticity in healthy young ...

Effects of early life stress are found to be dependent on many factors, including sex and genetic background, the age of early exposure, and the age and context within which the long-term impact is examined. This webinar will discuss the resultant high individual variability of early life stress and its impact on coping abilities and cognitive functions later in life.

History of SfN: 50th Anniversary is a limited series podcast highlighting stories from the history of the Society for Neuroscience, recounting groundbreaking moments in the growth of the Society from the perspectives of current, past, and future leaders. Shatz, known for her discovery of the “fire together, wire together” phenomenon, offers insight into her research to understand how circuits change during developmental critical periods. She discusses both the advent of neuroscience as a field and the history of SfN’s annual meeting, including its 25th anniversary meeting.

In this episode of History of SfN: 50th Anniversary, Bernice Grafstein, Vincent and Brooke Astor Distinguished Professor in Neuroscience at Cornell University, Trustee and Vice-President of the Grass Foundation — and the first female president of the Society for Neuroscience — recounts how the formation of the Society for Neuroscience brought together neuroscientists of diverse backgrounds.

In its 50 years, the Society for Neuroscience has become an international society representing the interests of scientists from diverse backgrounds across the globe. In this episode of History of SfN: 50th Anniversary, Mickey Goldberg, David Mahoney Professor of Brain and Behavior at Columbia University, and a past president of the Society for Neuroscience, describes how the Society and meeting have evolved, including through the digitization of abstract submissions. History of SfN: 50th Anniversary is a limited series podcast highlighting stories from the history of the Society for Neuroscience, recounting groundbreaking moments in the growth of the Society from the perspectives of current, past, and future leaders. Alongside his scientific background and time as SfN president, Goldberg also offers a look at his involvement with science outreach and the importance of outreach to building public trust in science.