Hikaru Ito

This study shows that knocking out Rtl8a and Rtl8b in mice leads to reduced social behavior, increased apathy, and obesity, likely due to decreased GABRB2 expression in the brain.

This study identifies neural mechanisms for uninstructed orofacial movements during reward-based learning in mice, showing distinct roles of dopamine and motor cortex circuits.

This study shows that Rtl8a and Rtl8b double knockout mice develop late-onset obesity and neurodevelopmental defects, indicating these retrovirus-derived genes are important for brain function.