reward system

Remembering immunity: Neuronal representation of immune responses

Accumulating data indicate that the brain can affect immunity, as evidenced, for example, by the effects of stress, stroke, and reward system activity on the peripheral immune system. However, our understanding of this neuroimmune interaction is still limited. Importantly, we do not know how the brain evaluates and represents the state of the immune system. In this talk, I will present our latest study from our lab, designed to test the existence of immune-related information in the brain and determine its relevance to immune regulation. We hypothesized that the InsCtx, specifically the posterior InsCtx (as a primary cortical site of interoception in the brain), is especially suited to contain such a representation of the immune system. Using activity-dependent cell labeling in mice (FosTRAP), we captured neuronal ensembles in the InsCtx that were active under two different inflammatory conditions (dextran sulfate sodium [DSS]-induced colitis and zymosan-induced peritonitis). Chemogenetic reactivation of these neuronal ensembles was sufficient to broadly retrieve the inflammatory state under which these neurons were captured. Moreover, using retrograde neuronal tracing, we found an anatomical efferent pathway linking these InsCtx neurons to the inflamed peripheral sites. Taken together, we show that the brain can store and retrieve specific immune responses, extending the classical concept of immunological memory to neuronal representations of inflammatory information.

Reward system function and dysfunction in Autism Spectrum Disorders

On places and borders in the brain

While various forms of cells have been found in relation to the hippocampus cognitive map and navigation system, how these cells are formed and what is read from them is still a mystery. In the current lecture I will talk about several projects which tackle these issues. First, I will show how the formation of border cells in the coginitive map is related to a coordinate transformation, second I will discuss the interaction between the reward system (VTA) and the hippocampus. Finally I will describe a project using place cells as a proxy for associative memory for assessing deficits in Alzheimer’s disease.

In-Love with Addiction Neuroscience

In this talk series, addiction neuroscientists from across the world share their personal stories/experiences on the beauty of addiction neuroscience and how/why they have decided to invest their scientific life in this field. We hope that this talk series would encourage and support a new generation of young and passionate addiction neuroscientists in different countries to revolutionize the field of addiction medicine.

Expression of c-Fos in the vCA1, dCA2, chemosensory amygdala and reward system of female mice induced by male pheromonal signals

Impact of the gut microbiota on nicotine effects and glia within the reward system in mice

Oxytocin and vasopressin neurons in the antero-lateral preoptic (ALPO) region modulate the reward system