Tethered and battery-powered devices that interface with neural tissues can restrict natural
motions and prevent social interactions in animal models, thereby limiting the utility of these …

Dopamine is a critical modulator of both learning and motivation. This presents a problem:
how can target cells know whether increased dopamine is a signal to learn or to move? It is …

Adeno-associated viruses (AAVs) are commonly used for in vivo gene transfer.
Nevertheless, AAVs that provide efficient transduction across specific organs or cell …

Anxiety disorders are complex diseases, and often co-occur with depression. It is as yet
unclear if a common neural circuit controls anxiety-related behaviors in both anxiety-alone …

Ventral tegmental area (VTA) dopamine (DA) neurons play a central role in mediating
motivated behaviors, but the circuitry through which they signal positive and negative …

Modern optogenetics can be tuned to evoke activity that corresponds to naturally occurring
local or global activity in timing, magnitude or individual-cell patterning. This outcome has …

The reward generated by social interactions is critical for promoting prosocial behaviors.
Here we present evidence that oxytocin (OXT) release in the ventral tegmental area (VTA), a …

Environmental cues, through Pavlovian learning, become conditioned stimuli that guide
animals toward the acquisition of rewards (for example, food) that are necessary for survival …

The ability to associate temporally segregated information and assign positive or negative
valence to environmental cues is paramount for survival. Studies have shown that different …

Bidirectional interfacing with the nervous system enables neuroscience research, diagnosis,
and therapy. This two-way communication allows us to monitor the state of the brain and its …