Sam A. Golden

A community benchmark enables high-resolution, cross-lab quantification of mouse social behavior

The paper introduces a benchmark dataset and tool for cross-lab quantification of mouse social behavior, achieving high-resolution and reproducible classification.

Social agency buffers pain sensitivity during a critical window following spared nerve injury

This study shows that voluntary social engagement after nerve injury reduces pain sensitivity, but only within a specific time window.

An oral fentanyl self-administration model reveals dissociable escalation and relapse phenotypes in outbred vs inbred mice

This paper develops an oral fentanyl self-administration model in mice to study escalation and relapse phenotypes, finding genetic background influences on these behaviors.

Activity-dependent capture reveals brain-wide signatures of isoflurane anesthesia-induced unconsciousness

The paper identifies brain-wide neural circuits activated by isoflurane anesthesia and shows chemogenetic manipulation of these circuits reproduces key aspects of unconsciousness.

Subcortical recruitment dissociates isoflurane emergence from distinct wakeful states in mice

The paper maps whole-brain neural activity during emergence from isoflurane anesthesia in mice and finds selective subcortical activation rather than global cortical reactivation.

Hierarchical and Spatial Mapping of Whole-Brain c-Fos Activity Reveals Distinct Opioid and Withdrawal Neuronal Ensembles

The paper maps whole-brain c-Fos activity to identify distinct neuronal ensembles associated with morphine administration and withdrawal, revealing their spatial and molecular characteristics.

A diverse population of pericoerulear neurons controls arousal and exploratory behaviors

The paper identifies diverse GABAergic neurons in the locus coeruleus (LC) dendritic field that modulate arousal and behaviors through transcriptional, spatial, and functional diversity.

Anesthesia unconsciousness recruits dynamic parabrachial activity within a distributed brain-wide ensemble

This study identifies a brain-wide neural ensemble involved in anesthesia-induced unconsciousness, with the lateral parabrachial nucleus as a central hub.

Post-ejaculatory Inhibition of Female Sexual Drive via Heterogeneous Neuronal Ensembles in the Medial Preoptic Area

The paper shows that male ejaculation reduces female sexual motivation by activating specific inhibitory neurons in the medial preoptic area of mice.

Distinct dynamics and intrinsic properties in ventral tegmental area populations mediate reward association and motivation

The paper identifies distinct functional roles of VTA dopamine subpopulations in reward association and motivation using electrophysiology and optogenetics in mice.

An arginine-rich nuclear localization signal (ArgiNLS) strategy for streamlined image segmentation of single-cells

The paper introduces ArgiNLS, a nuclear localization signal that improves image segmentation of single-cells by restricting fluorescent proteins to the nucleus, enhancing machine learning-based segmentation.

Opioid-driven disruption of the septal complex reveals a role for neurotensin- expressing neurons in withdrawal

The paper identifies Neurotensin-expressing neurons in the lateral septum as critical for opioid withdrawal by showing their activation and role in regulating withdrawal behaviors.

Individual differences in volitional social motivation in male and female mice following social stress.

The paper introduces an operant social stress procedure to study stress-induced changes in social motivation in male and female mice, finding sex-specific behavioral responses and introducing a social index score to quantify individual differences.

Incubation of palatable food craving is associated with brain-wide neuronal activation in mice

The paper establishes a mouse model of incubation of palatable food craving and identifies brain-wide activation patterns using whole-brain activity mapping.

SMART: An open source extension of WholeBrain for iDISCO+ LSFM intact mouse brain registration and segmentation

SMART is an open-source R package that extends WholeBrain for registering and segmenting intact mouse brain images to the Allen Brain Institute CCF, with a modified iDISCO+ protocol for Fos labeling.

Dynamic Sex Differences in Reactive and Appetitive Aggression

The paper investigates sex differences in reactive and appetitive aggression in mice using behavioral tests, revealing distinct patterns between males and females.

Orexin signaling in GABAergic lateral habenula neurons modulates aggressive behavior

This study shows orexin signaling in GABAergic lateral habenula neurons promotes aggression and conditioned place preference, suggesting a potential therapeutic target for reducing aggressive behaviors.