News

Neurons receive synaptic inputs all along their dendrites. Dendrites can produce electrical spikes, independent of the cell body. What are these excitations for? Park, Wong-Campos, and Cohen mapped the voltage throughout the dendrites of neurons and found that dendritic excitations were mostly triggered by specific patterns of spiking at the cell body – suggesting that the dendritic excitations play an important role in regulating synaptic plasticity.

Haritosh Patel and colleagues explore how nature’s blueprint for smell can inspire next-generation gas sensors. By applying principles from biological olfaction—such as active sniffing, adaptive sensing, and neural-inspired processing—this work presents a new perspective for more sensitive, selective, and robust electronic noses with applications in healthcare, environmental monitoring, and beyond.

Jakob Hartmann and Kerry Ressler share new work uncovering how SKA2, a protein regulating stress-related signaling, interacts with the glucocorticoid receptor to maintain balance in the brain’s stress response. By highlighting altered SKA2 expression in bipolar disorder, this work offers new insights into the molecular underpinnings of stress-related psychiatric conditions and potential pathways for therapeutic intervention.

When faced with an unfamiliar threat, animals must make split-second decisions: should they flee to avoid potential harm or push forward in pursuit of a reward? New research from Nao Uchida and colleagues, first author Iku Tsutsui-Kimura, shows how the mouse brain dynamically regulates avoidance behaviors by balancing competing neural signals.

A new study from Catherine Dulac and colleagues, first author Harris Kaplan explores how one small brain region called the preoptic area (POA) of the hypothalamus changes through early life in mice. Though tiny, the POA is a known hub for neurons that govern basic needs like thirst and hunger, as well as neurons that regulate social behavior.

Round up of awards and honors earned by the HBI community.