In vivo fluorescence recording techniques have produced landmark discoveries in
neuroscience, providing insight into how single cell and circuit-level computations mediate …

The nucleus accumbens (NAc) plays an important role in motivation and reward processing.
Recent studies suggest that different NAc subnuclei differentially contribute to reward …

Chronic pain causes both physical suffering and comorbid mental symptoms such as
anhedonia. However, the neural circuits and molecular mechanisms underlying these …

Animals respond to changes in the environment which affect their internal state by adapting
their behaviors. Social isolation is a form of passive environmental stressor that alters animal …

Music is powerful in conveying emotions and triggering affective brain mechanisms.
Affective brain responses in previous studies were however rather inconsistent, potentially …

Context-induced retrieval of drug withdrawal memory is one of the important reasons for
drug relapses. Previous studies have shown that different projection neurons in different …

Dysfunction in the mesocortical pathway, connecting the ventral tegmental area (VTA) to the
prefrontal cortex, has been implicated in chronic pain. While extensive research has focused …

Ketamine (KET) and isoflurane (ISO) are two widely used general anesthetics, yet their
distinct and shared neurophysiological mechanisms remain elusive. In this study, we …

Neural circuits that control aversion are essential for motivational regulation and survival in
animals. The nucleus accumbens (NAc) plays an important role in predicting aversive …

Orchestrating complex behaviors, such as approaching and consuming food, is critical for
survival. In addition to hypothalamus neuronal circuits, the nucleus accumbens (NAc) also …