Psychedelic 5-HT2A receptor agonism alters neurovascular coupling and differentially affects neuronal and hemodynamic measures of brain function - Nature Neuroscience Padawer-Curry et al. show that the hallucinogenic 5-HT2A receptor agonist DOI alters neurovascular coupling in mice, with implications for the interpretation of human fMRI studies of psychedelics.

Psychedelic 5-HT2A receptor agonism alters neurovascular coupling and differentially affects neuronal and hemodynamic measures of mouse and human brain function

@adamqbauer.bsky.social
@jordacular.bsky.social
@realjoshsiegel.bsky.social
@oliverk28.bsky.social

www.nature.com/articles/s41...

The neural bases of social pain: Evidence for shared representations with physical pain Experiences of social rejection or loss have been described as some of the most ‘painful’ experiences that we, as humans, face and perhaps for good reason. Because of our prolonged period of immaturit...

Also reminds me of this social/physical pain work pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC...

Transcriptomic diversity of amygdalar subdivisions across humans and nonhuman primates Specialized cell types and links to psychiatric disorders are revealed by genetic mapping of primate amygdala neurons.

A spatially resolved transcriptomic atlas of the primate amygdala (human, macaque, and baboon) now out in Science Advances (www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...). The amygdala contains 32 types of neurons with many neuron types specific to particular subdivisions.

Lots of updates from the preprint!

Amygdala–liver signalling orchestrates glycaemic responses to stress - Nature Studies in mice show that acute stress activates hyperglycaemia via activation of a medial amygdala–ventral hypothalamic circuit that controls glucose metabolic responses in the liver, independently of adrenal and pancreatic hormones.

Nature research paper: Amygdala–liver signalling orchestrates glycaemic responses to stress

go.nature.com/4m2rH8t

2/2 For more insula fun, I really like Fermin et al. 2022 (doi.org/10.1098/rsos...) and this review (med.stanford.edu/content/dam/...)

Thanks for bringing up the insula, a fascinating interoceptive emotion hub that deserves more attention. In the brief report, I was focused primarily on seeing joy in the amygdala, a region I’ve been long fascinated with. But the same imaging principle absolutely applies to the insula. 1/2

Frontiers | Imaging joy with generalized slice dithered enhanced resolution and SWAT reconstruction: 3T high spatial–temporal resolution fMRI To facilitate high spatial–temporal resolution fMRI (≦1mm3) at more broadly available field strengths (3T) and to better understand the neural underpinnings ...

Love to see the Joy! Curious if you’ll see juicy left amygdala (BLA especially) as well during those moments. www.frontiersin.org/journals/neu...

Frontiers | Imaging joy with generalized slice dithered enhanced resolution and SWAT reconstruction: 3T high spatial–temporal resolution fMRI To facilitate high spatial–temporal resolution fMRI (≦1mm3) at more broadly available field strengths (3T) and to better understand the neural underpinnings ...

Congrats! Welcome to the endlessly interesting and complicated world of emotion research. Just came out w a little Joy study to contribute to the lit. May the next decade bring more brain research to help patients www.frontiersin.org/journals/neu...

#emotion #fMRI #mesoscale #affectivescience #Joy

Frontiers | Imaging joy with generalized slice dithered enhanced resolution and SWAT reconstruction: 3T high spatial–temporal resolution fMRI To facilitate high spatial–temporal resolution fMRI (≦1mm3) at more broadly available field strengths (3T) and to better understand the neural underpinnings ...

www.frontiersin.org/journals/neu... Bringing Joy to the neuroimaging world: our paper is out today demonstrating proof of concept novel spin-echo based fMRI technique gSlider-SWAT for imaging whole brain at 1mm³ 3T, including amygdala and OFC. Looking forward to continued innovations in the field!

How the brain spies on the gut: with help from newfound immune cells The body’s pathogen fighters can act as surveillance forces that ferry information from the gut and fat deposits to the brain.

Pathogen fighters can act as surveillance forces that ferry information from the gut and fat deposits to the brain

https://go.nature.com/4kip5mR

An epithelial cell videoed through a microscope. #CellBiology

A heart muscle cell (cardiac myocyte) photographed through a microscope. Actin filaments are shown. #CellBiology

Congratulations 🎉

Wonderful work!

My med school textbook says stimulants like Ritalin treat hyperactivity by “stimulating” the brain’s attention and cognitive control systems. We studied children taking stimulants in the ABCD Study, and the largest differences were actually in arousal and reward networks! Check out our preprint!

Very important point raised by @petersalib.bsky.social and Simon Goldstein regarding AI risk and alignment:

www.ai-frontiers.org/articles/tod...

The efficacy of elevating anandamide via inhibition of fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH) combined with internet-delivered cognitive behavioral therapy in the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorde... Neuropsychopharmacology - The efficacy of elevating anandamide via inhibition of fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH) combined with internet-delivered cognitive behavioral therapy in the treatment of...

Its a long weekend here in Canada, which seems appropriate to mourn our recent @npp-journal.bsky.social paper, in which we find that FAAH inhibition does NOT improve symptoms in PTSD🙁

A heroic effort w/ @cannabrain.bsky.social @connorhaggarty.bsky.social @ryanntansey.bsky.social & many more 🧵⬇️

The leading edge of a crawling cell videoed through a microscope. Watch the actin cytoskeleton in motion as it drives membrane protrusion and cell movement. It’s like watching the cell think with its feet. #CellBiology

Prefrontal encoding of an internal model for emotional inference - Nature Neurons in the rodent dorsomedial prefrontal cortex encode a flexible internal model of emotion by linking directly experienced and inferred associations with aversive experiences.

Nature research paper: Prefrontal encoding of an internal model for emotional inference

https://go.nature.com/4j1zQbK

Music on the brain Whether punk rock or Puccini, everyone has music that they love. Why is music so compelling? And what’s going on in your brain when you’re jamming to your favorite song?

Whether it's punk rock or Puccini, everyone has music that they love. Why is music so compelling? And what’s going on in your brain when you’re jamming to your favorite song?

Lisa Wooldridge explores your brain on music: pennneuroknow.com/2025/05/13/m...

#neuroskyence #PsychSciSky #SciComm 🧪

Sequential decreases in basolateral amygdala response to threat predict failure to recover from PTSD - Neuropsychopharmacology Neuropsychopharmacology - Sequential decreases in basolateral amygdala response to threat predict failure to recover from PTSD

#ThisWeekInNPP
🧠 Six months post-trauma, reduced reactivity and connectivity in the basolateral amygdala (BLA) predicted greater PTSD severity.
📉 This challenges the idea of fixed amygdala hyperreactivity, suggesting dynamic BLA changes may shape PTSD development.
🔗 www.nature.com/articles/s41...

A large MRI machine sits against a red background in a graphic labeled ‘1970s – MRI’. Text explains that the first MRI scan was done in 1977 using technology developed through decades of NSF-funded research in nuclear magnetic resonance, biophysics, biochemistry, and computer engineering.

(4/11)
The first MRI scan in 1977 changed medicine forever—but it didn’t come out of nowhere. It was built on years of NSF-funded breakthroughs in nuclear magnetic resonance, biophysics, biochemistry, and computer engineering.

www.nsf.gov/impacts/mri

Reduced Brain Responsiveness to Emotional Stimuli With Escitalopram But Not Psilocybin Therapy for Depression | American Journal of Psychiatry Objective: Psilocybin is an emerging intervention for depression that may be at least as effective as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), but effects of the two treatments on the neural c...

🚨🚨New psychedelics paper out today! 🚨🚨

"Reduced Brain Responsiveness to Emotional Stimuli With Escitalopram But Not Psilocybin Therapy for Depression."

psychiatryonline.org/doi/10.1176/...
🧵⬇️

Autonomic physiological coupling of the global fMRI signal Nature Neuroscience - The brain and body are necessarily connected. Here the authors show that brain blood flow and electrical activity are coupled with systemic physiological changes in the body.

First post on an exciting new manuscript online today @natneuro.nature.com - in collab with @lucinauddin.bsky.social and Catie Chang. We take a fresh look at the physiological dynamics associated with the global signal 🧠 ...

www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Read here:
rdcu.be/ek01F

Congratulations 🎉

AI research assistants, intrinsic values, and the science we want - AI & SOCIETY AI & SOCIETY -

You might find this interesting link.springer.com/article/10.1...

👏

Serotonin and neurotensin inputs in the vCA1 dictate opposing social valence - Nature Aversive and rewarding social experiences are linked to conspecific identity through converging dorsal raphe 5-HT and paraventricular nucleus of the thalamus neurotensin signals in the vCA1 that instruct opposing valence, representing a synaptic switch for flexible social valence computation.

Nature research paper: Serotonin and neurotensin inputs in the vCA1 dictate opposing social valence.

https://go.nature.com/3EWC2TL

Psychedelics reduce fear by targeting immune cells that modulate brain cells Immune cells boost stress-linked fear responses by communicating with brain cells. One way that psychedelics lessen such fear is by modulating this interaction.

Immune cells boost stress-linked fear responses by communicating with brain cells.

Psychedelics can modulate this interaction, lessening such fear

https://go.nature.com/4ixzclU