Uwe Maskos

This study shows that the interpeduncular nucleus (IPN) regulates nicotine reward by modulating VTA neuron activity through β4-containing nAChRs.

This study investigates how genetic dysfunction in the nicotinic receptor alpha5 subunit affects neuronal and synaptic properties in rat and human cortical layer 6 neurons.

The paper shows nicotine inhibits amygdala-projecting dopamine neurons via a VTA-NAc feedback loop, leading to anxiety.

This study shows that overexpression of CHRFAM7A in human iPSC-derived interneurons reduces surface α7-nAChR and alters ROS response to Aβ1-42.

The paper solves cryo-EM structures of human α7 nicotinic receptor nanobody complexes, revealing E3's mechanism of inducing active or desensitized conformations through a N-linked sugar moiety.

This paper describes the generation of nanobodies that act as silent and positive allosteric modulators of the α7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor, with distinct functional properties.

This study shows that iPSC-derived neural progenitors and glutamatergic neurons are not permissive to SARS-CoV-2 infection unless ACE2 is overexpressed.

The paper investigates how inhibitory neurons shape preparatory signals in the mouse frontal cortex during motor planning, finding distinct roles for parvalbumin and somatostatin interneurons.

This study identifies distinct dopamine circuits in the ventral tegmental area that mediate nicotine's reinforcing and anxiogenic effects through opposing responses in neurons projecting to the nucleus accumbens and amygdala.

The paper identifies a mechanism by which VGLUT1 increases synaptic vesicle clustering, reducing superpool size and spontaneous release frequency through interactions with endophilinA1 and intersectin1.

This study shows that somatic nicotinic acetylcholine receptors in VTA dopamine neurons modulate firing properties and reward-related behaviors through optical manipulation.

The paper models how genetic modifications and nicotine affect neural activity states in the prefrontal cortex, linking them to schizophrenia-related hypofrontality.

This study shows that phasic dopamine activity, modulated by acetylcholine receptors, predicts exploratory behavior and uncertainty-seeking in mice during decision-making tasks.