Larry S. Zweifel

A cholinergic eligibility trace facilitates amygdala plasticity in flavour avoidance learning

This study shows that cholinergic input from the parabrachial nucleus to the central amygdala supports conditioned flavour avoidance learning by enabling long-timescale plasticity.

Genetic Identification of Dopamine Neurons Required for Circadian Food Anticipatory Activity in Mice

The paper identifies a specific dopamine neuron population in mice required for anticipatory locomotion during food anticipation, showing genetic dissociation of behavioral components.

Opponent regulation of striatal output pathways by dopamine and serotonin

The paper shows dopamine and serotonin regulate striatal output pathways through distinct neuronal populations, achieving opponent effects.

A dorsal hippocampus-prodynorphinergic dorsolateral septum-to-lateral hypothalamus circuit mediates contextual gating of feeding

The paper identifies a circuit involving DLS Pdyn neurons that links contextual cues to feeding regulation through inhibition of LHA GABAergic neurons.

GABA-glutamate corelease is a mechanism for state-dependent neurotransmission

The paper investigates how GABA-glutamate corelease in ventral tegmental area neurons affects neurotransmission in the lateral habenula, showing state-dependent excitatory or inhibitory effects and implications for motivation.

Rescuing cognitive deficits in alcohol-dependent mice by targeting physiological adaptations in prefrontal cortex KV7 channels

This study shows that targeting KV7 channels in the prefrontal cortex of alcohol-dependent mice can rescue cognitive deficits and reduce alcohol intake.

Behavioral Decoding Reveals Cortical Endocannabinoid Potentiation during Δ9-THC Impairment

The paper investigates how THC impairs mouse behavior by altering mPFC excitatory/inhibitory balance through endocannabinoid release.

A neuropeptide-specific signaling pathway for state-dependent regulation of the mesolimbic dopamine system

This study identifies TRPC6 channels as mediators of neuropeptide-induced calcium signaling in VTA-DA neurons, showing state-dependent regulation of reward valuation and consummatory behavior.

Melanocortin-responsive Kiss1 neurons of the arcuate nucleus drive energy expenditure through glutamatergic signaling to the dorsomedial hypothalamus.

The paper identifies arcuate nucleus Kiss1 neurons as regulators of energy expenditure through glutamatergic signaling to the dorsomedial hypothalamus in male mice.

CRF release from a unique subpopulation of accumbal neurons constrains action-outcome acquisition in reward learning

The paper identifies a subpopulation of NAc neurons releasing CRF that influences reward learning by constraining action-outcome acquisition and enabling flexibility.

Esr1-Dependent Signaling and Transcriptional Maturation in the Medial Preoptic Area of the Hypothalamus Shapes the Development of Mating Behavior during Adolescence

Single cell RNA sequencing reveals how adolescent sex hormones sculpt hypothalamic cell types required for mating behavior.

Corticotropin-Releasing Factor in the Nucleus Accumbens Does Not Drive High Levels of Cocaine Consumption

This study investigates the role of CRF-R1 in the Nucleus Accumbens in cocaine consumption and finds that inhibiting or deleting CRF-R1 does not reduce cocaine escalation.

Valence and Salience Encoding in the Central Amygdala

The paper uses single cell calcium imaging in mice to show that most CeA neurons encode valence of unconditioned stimuli, with a smaller subset encoding salience.

Endocannabinoids facilitate transitory reward engagement through retrograde gain control

This study investigates the role of endocannabinoids in reward-seeking behavior through thalamo-striatal circuits using in vivo and machine learning methods.

Estradiol elicits distinct firing patterns in arcuate nucleus kisspeptin neurons of females through altering ion channel conductances

The paper shows estradiol changes ion channel activity in kisspeptin neurons, altering their firing patterns and affecting GnRH release through glutamatergic signaling.

A Brain Reward Circuit Inhibited By Next-Generation Weight Loss Drugs

This paper shows small-molecule GLP1RAs modulate reward processing via a specific neural circuit in the central amygdala, affecting dopamine release and hedonic feeding.

Reduction of Grin2a in adolescent rat dopamine neurons confers a phenotype relevant to psychosis

This study shows that reducing Grin2a in adolescent rat dopamine neurons leads to psychosis-like behaviors and dopamine signaling abnormalities relevant to schizophrenia.

A neural circuit basis for reward-induced suppression of fear generalization

This study shows that recalling a positive reward-associated stimulus can suppress fear generalization in mice, involving dopamine and central amygdala mechanisms.

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.

Dynorphin modulates motivation through a pallido-amygdala cholinergic circuit

This study shows dynorphin modulates motivation via a pallido-amygdala cholinergic circuit by both disinhibiting and autoinhibiting cholinergic transmission 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.

Opto-seq reveals input-specific immediate early gene induction in ventral tegmental area cell types

The paper uses optogenetic stimulation and single-nucleus RNA sequencing to identify input-specific activation patterns of VTA neuronal subpopulations and their immediate early gene programs.

Dopamine D2 receptors in the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis modulate alcohol-related behaviors.

This study investigates the role of dopamine D2 receptors in the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST) in modulating alcohol-related behaviors in male and female mice, finding sex-specific effects on alcohol consumption and pain sensitivity.

Kappa Opioid Receptors in Mesolimbic Terminals Mediate Escalation of Cocaine Consumption

This study shows that KOR on VTA neurons, not NAcC neurons, prevents cocaine escalation by blocking the transition to SUD-like behavior.

Mesoaccumbal glutamate neurons drive reward via glutamate release, but aversion via dopamine co-release

This study shows that VTA glutamate neurons can drive reward through glutamate release and aversion through dopamine co-release using optogenetic manipulation.

Temporal scaling of dopamine neuron firing and dopamine release by distinct ion channels shape behavior

This study shows that Kv4.3 and BKCa1.1 ion channels regulate dopamine neuron firing and release on different time scales, influencing distinct phases of reinforced behavior in mice.

A circuit mechanism for the coordinated actions of opposing neuropeptide and neurotransmitter signals

The paper demonstrates how stimulatory neuropeptide and inhibitory neurotransmitter signals work together in a neural circuit to enhance dopamine neuron activation and optimize behavioral reinforcement.

A Genetic Variant of Fatty Acid Amide Hydrolase (FAAH) Exacerbates Hormone- Mediated Orexigenic Feeding in Mice

This study shows that the FAAH C385A polymorphism exacerbates hormone-mediated feeding in mice under specific environmental conditions, affecting metabolic outcomes.

Cocaine Seeking And Taking Are Oppositely Regulated By Dopamine

The paper shows that cocaine seeking and taking are oppositely regulated by dopamine in rats, with cue-evoked dopamine changes linked to relapse and escalated consumption.

Netrin-1 regulates the balance of glutamatergic connectivity in the adult ventral tegmental area

This study shows that netrin-1 maintains excitatory connectivity in the adult ventral tegmental area, with imbalances affecting behavior.