Topic: experience-dependent behavioral states

The value of being able to adapt lies in the potential of an animal to navigate and thrive in an ever-changing environment. In order to survive, animals need to encode experiences molecularly and modulate their behavior to adverse or favorable conditions. Neuropeptides are a well-known, diverse class of molecular messengers that regulate neuronal activity synaptically and non-synaptically to modulate behavior. Neuropeptides and their receptors constitute a widespread signaling network, but how these networks are functionally organized and modulate behavior remains largely unexplored. The nemat