Decades of research suggest that the mesocortical dopamine system exerts powerful control
over mPFC physiology and function. Indeed, dopamine signaling in the medial prefrontal …

Empathic function is essential for the well-being of social species. Empathy loss is
associated with various brain disorders and represents arguably the most distressing feature …

Animal models of psychiatric disorders have been highly effective in advancing the field,
identifying circuits related to pathophysiology, and identifying novel therapeutic targets. In …

Excitatory inputs drive burst firing of locus coeruleus (LC) noradrenaline (NA) neurons in
response to a variety of stimuli. Though a small number of glutamatergic LC afferents have …

Abstract Although Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is increasing in diagnostic prevalence,
treatment options are inadequate largely due to limited understanding of ASD's underlying …

Background High-level alcohol consumption causes neuroplastic changes in the brain that
promote pathological drinking behavior. Some of these changes have been characterized in …

Decision-making involves multiple cognitive processes requiring different aspects of
information about the situation at hand. The rodent medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) has …

Despite being an intensive area of research, the function of the anterior cingulate cortex
(ACC) remains somewhat of a mystery. Human imaging studies implicate the ACC in various …

Cortical processing depends on finely tuned excitatory and inhibitory connections in
neuronal microcircuits. Reduced inhibition by somatostatin-expressing interneurons is a key …

Interest in the therapeutic potential of serotonergic psychedelic compounds including
psilocybin has surged in recent years. While human clinical research suggests psilocybin …