Postdoctoral Research Position University of California, Los Angeles is hiring. Apply now!

🚨 Please RT!
We’re recruiting a motivated postdoc to dissect the neurocircuits of affective pain.
Expertise in behavioral models of pain/SUDs, stereotaxy, microscopy, opto/chemogenetics, or fiber photometry encouraged.
Apply 👉 recruit.apo.ucla.edu/JPF10647

#Neuroscience #Postdoc

Mouse study links chronic pain to disrupted sleep patterns Researchers at Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine have developed the first mouse model to replicate the disrupted sleep patterns seen in people with chronic pain.

We published this study a couple of months back but has now been featured by @washumedicine.bsky.social. In this study in collaboration with Bill Carlezon and Domi Burek at McLean we assessed how pain impacts sleep architecture.
source.washu.edu/2025/09/mous...

New study from the lab on alcohol/pain and taste aversion.

Inflammatory pain in mice induces light cycle-dependent effects on sleep architecture - Neuropsychopharmacology Neuropsychopharmacology - Inflammatory pain in mice induces light cycle-dependent effects on sleep architecture

Our new paper on the effects of pain on sleep architecture in collaboration with Bill Carlezon and Erik Musiek is now out at @npp-journal.bsky.social. Work conducted by Domi Burek and Nisa Ibrahim.
www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Estrogen curbs fentanyl intake by suppressing brain’s reward response A new study in Neuron suggests that men may be biologically more vulnerable to misusing opioids like fentanyl in response to pain. The findings point to estrogen’s ability to suppress brain reward cir...

www.psypost.org/estrogen-cur...

Congrats!

Female Sex Hormones Reduced Fentanyl Use in Rats Exploring how sex differences regulate dopamine responses could inform novel interventions to prevent or treat substance use disorders.

So honored to have our work highlighted in The Scientist
www.the-scientist.com/female-sex-h...

Amazing preview written by @docbecca.bsky.social on our latest manuscript on the sex dependent effects of pain on fentanyl intake at @cp-neuron.bsky.social

Thanks, we really appreciate it!

Thanks!

Congrats!

Congrats!!

Opioid overdose treatment bypasses brain, eases side effects It may not be necessary to get drugs into the brain to block the lethal effects of a fentanyl overdose...

Our research on alternative treatments for fentanyl overdoses using peripheral restricted opioid antagonists is highlighted in this podcast by Cambridge University. This work was conducted by the outstanding postdoc Dr Brian Ruyle
www.thenakedscientists.com/articles/int...

Higher opioid deaths among men may be due to sex hormones, new fentanyl study finds - New York Post

Female sex hormone protects against opioid misuse, rat study finds | WashU Medicine Male – but not female – rats in chronic pain self-administer increasing amounts of fentanyl, which is prevented with estrogen treatment

Some media coverage of our study on the sex-dependent effects of pain on facilitated opioid intake:
medicine.washu.edu/news/female-...

Estradiol protects against pain-facilitated fentanyl use via suppression of opioid-evoked dopamine activity in males Higginbotham et al. show that inflammatory pain increases opioid-evoked dopamine neuron activity to promote fentanyl use selectively in males. Ovarian hormones offer females protection, but estradiol’...

New work from the lab published at @cp-neuron.bsky.social. In this study we dissect the role of hormonal regulation in pain-induced enhanced opioid intake in males.
Work conducted by the super talented @jessinbotham

www.cell.com/neuron/fullt...

Congrats, amazing work!

JMC lab decoration

I agree... next step if to see if this works in humans. Thanks.

Researchers identify new therapeutic strategy for fentanyl overdose Blocking peripheral opioid receptors with naloxone methiodide sufficiently prevents and reverses fentanyl-induced cardiorespiratory depression without causing the aversive effects of naloxone in roden...

Our new work on the use of peripheral restricted antagonists to prevent and rescue fentanyl induced respiratory depression without unwanted side effects such as aversive behavior is out now! Great work by lead author @brian_ruyle
elifesciences.org/for-the-pres...

WashU Neuroprep Outstanding training to ready scholars for graduate careers in neuroscience

Our Neuroprep postbacc program at WashU is now accepting applications. This program offers 2 years of research intensive experience in neuroscience laboratories at WashU to help potential neuroscience graduate student applicants. Please apply now!
neuroprep.wustl.edu

Heading to my first #ACNP2024 ! Will be sharing the stage with @jmoronconcepcion.bsky.social and @marieeikemo.bsky.social on Sunday 4-4:50pm to discuss Mechanisms Supporting Sex Differences in Opioid Use and Pain: From Preclinical to Clinical Studies.

Moron-Concepcion Lab A website by WashU Sites

The JMC at WashU aims to dissect the intersection between pain and opioid use disorders to find better therapeutic approaches.
moronconcepcionlab.wustl.edu

We’re hiring tenure-track faculty focused on Systems & #ComputationalNeuroscience at the Friedman Brain Institute at Mount Sinai!

We're starting to review applications so submit yours ASAP! 👇