Chao‐Cheng Kuo

This study investigates the effects of the psychedelic 5-HT2A receptor agonist DOI on neuronal activity, hemodynamics, and neurovascular coupling in mice using wide-field optical imaging.

This study shows that aging reduces motivation in mice by decreasing Bdnf expression in the ventral tegmental area, and that this effect can be replicated by Bdnf knockdown in young mice.

This study shows that maternal separation stress disrupts noradrenergic signaling in the locus coeruleus, leading to altered coping behaviors in adulthood.

This study analyzes LC neuron firing patterns across species and biological factors, revealing diverse activity patterns and subregions enriched for specific factors and disease models.

The paper identifies a novel monosynaptic glutamatergic projection from the ventral tegmental area to the locus coeruleus that enhances aversive processing through synaptic integration during salient stimuli.

The paper develops a pharmacological strategy to selectively target neural circuits in mice, demonstrating antinociception through inhibition of prefrontal cortex-projecting locus coeruleus neurons.

This study identifies mu opioid receptors in the locus coeruleus as critical regulators of pain, showing they gate the LC's role as a pain generator through bidirectional modulation of hyperalgesia.

This paper develops microimmunoelectrodes for electrochemical detection of dynorphin, showing sensitivity in the attomolar range and selectivity over other opioids.