Dave Root

Dave Root

@neuronroot.bsky.social

Neuroscientist at CU Boulder. he/him. Mostly amplify other neuroscientists. www.root-lab.org

1.7K followers1.3K following91 posts

Dave Root reposted

Talia Lerner
@talialerner.bsky.social

A sophisticated anatomical study of dopamine neuron projection patterns and their coordination with striatal neuron subtypes and corticostriatal projection patterns. Beautiful work and congrats to @rajawatramani.bsky.social and team!

bioRxiv Neuroscience@biorxiv-neursci.bsky.social

Coordinated spatial organization of basal ganglia structures revealed by dopamine subtype projectome mapping https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.10.21.760539v1

Dave Root reposted

Drew Schreiner
@schreinerdrew.bsky.social
The Transmitter @thetransmitter.bsky.social

Crows have brains “in the fast lane,” according to Andreas Nieder, who showed in a new study that they make perceptual decisions twice as fast as primates. #neuroskyence By @sarahthau.bsky.social www.thetransmitter.org/behavior/cro...

thetransmitter.orgCrows have brains ‘in the fast lane’The birds accurately complete decision-making tasks twice as fast as primates, although their endbrains look considerably different.

Dave Root reposted

Malu Murugan
@malu-murugan.bsky.social

Many decades ago Olds and Milner found lateral septum stimulation to be extremely reinforcing. In our latest preprint we explore why. Check it out and let us know what you think www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...

biorxiv.orgProjection populations form a dorsoventral gradient of reward representations in the lateral septumSeveral decades ago, the septal region was identified as the most dependable location of intracranial self-stimulation (ICSS) in the brain, but the neural substrates that mediate septal self-stimulation are still unknown. One part of the septal region, the lateral septum (LS), contributes to a number of motivated behaviors and may promote reward-seeking. However, the LS contains different anatomical subregions, complicating the characterization of its reward representations. We examine the responses of LS neurons along its dorsoventral axis using cellular resolution calcium imaging during an operant assay. We find that a greater proportion of neurons are excited in response to sucrose reward in the dorsal LS, while a greater proportion are inhibited in response to sucrose reward in the ventral LS. Additionally, we identify two distinct LS projection populations, one to the nucleus accumbens (NAc) and another to the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST), which are located in the dorsal and ventral regions of the LS, respectively. These two projection populations also have opposing reward responses and their corresponding optogenetic manipulation supports ICSS. These findings demonstrate how LS projection populations contribute to its functional heterogeneity, especially as it pertains to reward-seeking behavior. ### Competing Interest Statement The authors have declared no competing interest. National Institutes of Health, https://ror.org/01cwqze88, R01MH130755, F31MH133373 Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, https://ror.org/052csg198

Dave Root reposted

Dan Brierley
@drdanbrierley.bsky.social

Really excited to share our work to reverse-engineer how semaglutide reduces food intake. This was a heroic effort driven by @laurenjonesucl.bsky.social, and a great example of team science, with hugely valuable contributions from the whole lab inc our amazing undergrad and masters students 🧠📈

Lauren Jones@laurenjonesucl.bsky.social

New preprint🎉 How does semaglutide reduce eating? Surprisingly, while AP GLP-1Rs are recruited by sema, NTS GLP-1Rs are not. We find an AP GLP-1R→NTS pathway drives sema-induced satiation, nausea & lower food motivation, all separable from satiety 👇 doi.org/10.64898/202...

doi.orgAn area postrema GLP-1R to NTS pathway dissociates semaglutide-induced satiation, nausea and reduced food motivation from satietyThe GLP-1-based anti-obesity drug semaglutide lowers bodyweight primarily by increasing satiation and satiety, whilst also reducing motivation to consume high calorie foods, and commonly causing nausea. The brainstem dorsal vagal complex (DVC) has been identified as a key mediator of these phenotypic components of semaglutide's anorectic effect. However, which DVC neuron populations are recruited to mediate these components and whether they are dissociable, are translationally important but unresolved questions. We addressed these in mice using metabolic and behavioural phenotyping to resolve the distinct anorectic components elicited by the acute administration of semaglutide. We combined this phenotyping approach with activity-dependent genetic labelling to identify semaglutide-recruited neuron populations ('Sema-TRAP') and chemogenetic manipulation to interrogate their contribution to these effects. Semaglutide potentiated satiation and satiety, caused behavioural proxies of nausea, and suppressed motivation to consume high-fat, high-sugar Western diet, in a largely sex-independent manner. It activated a substantial proportion of GLP-1R-expressing neurons in the brainstem area postrema (AP), but surprisingly most semaglutide-activated neurons in the nucleus tractus solitarius (NTS) did not express GLP-1R. Chemogenetic reactivation of Sema-TRAP neurons in the NTS alone was sufficient to recapitulate the effects of semaglutide on satiation, nausea, motivation for Western diet, and bodyweight. Knockdown of GLP-1R expression in the AP prior to Sema-TRAPing prevented the recruitment of Sema-TRAP NTS neurons which elicited these effects on satiation, nausea and motivation. AP GLP-1R knockdown also abolished semaglutide's effect on satiation and motivation, while effects on satiety and bodyweight were preserved. These data demonstrate that semaglutide suppresses eating via distinct behavioural mechanisms, at least some of which are mediated by dissociable circuits. GLP-1R populations outside the DVC, or distinct subpopulations within the non-GLP-1R NTS neurons recruited downstream of GLP-1RAP, may therefore represent therapeutic targets to tune GLP-1-based obesity drugs towards a better-tolerated effect profile. ### Competing Interest Statement A.E.A. is now an employee and shareholder at AstraZeneca. The other authors declare no conflicts of interest. Wellcome Trust, 223279/Z/21/Z British Society for Neuroendocrinology, https://ror.org/0428xjm46, Project Support Grant

Dave Root reposted

Zoe McElligott
@nanopharmnc.bsky.social

FINAL REMINDER OF 2026: Winter Brain Enthusiasts, today is your final deadline for poster submissions for #WCBR2026! The time to act is now! Get those abstracts submitted! (plz repost)

Dave Root reposted

Colm Atkins, PhD
@atkinscolm.bsky.social

Come be my colleague in Cell Biology & Neuroscience at Rutgers-New Brunswick! Assistant Professor (TT) search is open in the broad area of Immunology. jobs.rutgers.edu/postings/282...

jobs.rutgers.eduAssistant Professor – Tenure-Track FacultyThe Department of Cell Biology and Neuroscience (CBN) at Rutgers University invites applications for a tenure-track Assistant Professor position to develop an innovative research program in the area o...

Dave Root reposted

Stephanie L. Grella, PhD
@sgrella.bsky.social

Our paper is out! link.springer.com/article/10.1...

link.springer.comChemogenetic inhibition of the ventrolateral orbitofrontal cortex disrupts novelty-guided updating of spatial memories and alters hippocampal engram reactivation - PsychopharmacologyRationale Adaptive behavior requires revising memories when outcomes deviate from expectations. The orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) is implicated in representing outcome expectancies, but its role in memor...

Dave Root reposted

Matt Wanat
@mattjwanat.bsky.social

Faculty job opening in Neurodevelopment / Neuroregeneration at UT - San Antonio Please spread the word! www.nature.com/naturecareer...

nature.comAssistant Professor - College of Sciences, Neuroscience, Developmental and Regenerative Biology - San Antonio, Texas job with University of Texas at San Antonio | 12865564The University of Texas at San Antonio College invites applications for a tenure-track appointment at the Assistant Professor level

Dave Root reposted

Hassan Salem
@hassansalem.bsky.social

Beetles secrete jelly to embed & sustain symbionts with impossibly tiny genomes🪲 But what is this jelly made of? And how does it help maintain a partnership that has lasted over 62 million years? Thrilled to share our latest, out now in @natcomms.nature.com! www.nature.com/articles/s41...

nature.comYellow protein co-opted to sustain obligate symbiosis in leaf beetles - Nature CommunicationsInsects have evolved diverse strategies to protect their genome-reduced symbionts during vertical transmission. Here, authors show that tortoise beetles have co-opted a Yellow protein to form spheres ...
John Innes Centre@johninnescentre.bsky.social

NEWS - Beetles build with a yellow pigment gene 🪲 More than 80 years ago, scientists discovered that differences in yellow pigmentation were critical to courtship success and failure for fruit flies. 🧵

Dave Root reposted

Nobel Prize
@nobelprize.org

Congratulations to our first Nobel Prize laureate of 2026 🎉 Early this morning Karl Deisseroth found out he was awarded this year's Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. He seems very happy with the news!

Dave Root reposted

Bita Moghaddam
@bita137.bsky.social

Please check out my futuristic opinion piece in @jamapsychiatry.com "specific treatments for schizophrenia that are tailored to target symptoms at different developmental stages are no longer the stuff of science fiction, but instead are realistic future goals" jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...

jamanetwork.comUpdating Treatment Goals for SchizophreniaThis article discusses research providing renewed reasons to revisit the utility of glutamatergic drugs for treating schizophrenia.

Dave Root reposted

Jeremiah Cohen
@jeremiahycohen.bsky.social

Happy to share the version of record of our locus coeruleus paper here: www.nature.com/articles/s41... Prior thread on some of our discoveries in this study: bsky.app/profile/jere...

nature.comTopographic structure and function of locus coeruleus noradrenaline neurons - NatureDorsal and ventral noradrenergic neurons in the locus coeruleus form topographic subpopulations whose projection patterns and activity encode choice switching, reward-prediction errors and disregard o...
Jeremiah Cohen@jeremiahycohen.bsky.social

Delighted to share our discoveries about one of the brain's neurotransmitter systems: www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6... Together with colleagues at the @alleninstitute.org, we have learned a lot about a tiny cluster of neurons in the brainstem locus coeruleus (LC) that releases norepinephrine (NE). 1

biorxiv.orgbiorxiv.org

Dave Root reposted

Luke Sjulson
@lukesjulson.bsky.social

Congrats to Renata Batista-Brito, Geoffrey, and Jacob on this monster paper! It’s an amazing piece of work, and I’m thrilled I got the chance to contribute to it

Anthony Ramnauth@philoneurosci.bsky.social

New publication from @lukesjulson.bsky.social lab and collaborators! #Neocortical long-range #inhibition promotes #cortical #synchrony and #sleep doi.org/10.1038/s415...

doi.orgNeocortical long-range inhibition promotes cortical synchrony and sleep - NatureIn mice, a sparse population of sleep-active long-range inhibitory neurons in the neocortex promote widespread cortical synchronization and sleep, revealing a cortical mechanism that co...

Dave Root reposted

David Moorman
@davidmoorman.bsky.social

Our 🧠lab is hiring a new RA to help study neural changes associated with chronic alcohol, start date ASAP. Ideal for recent college graduates looking for research experience. Please send me any recommendations or have them reach out to me, and please forward/share with your colleagues – thanks!

Dave Root reposted

Ignacio Saez, PhD
@ignaciosaezphd.bsky.social

📣 We're hiring! The Saez Lab at Mount Sinai is seeking a postdoctoral researcher with experience in intracranial recordings, electrophysiology, BCIs, mood disorders, and/or computational modeling, to explore the neural basis of human cognition. 🗓️ Apply by September 30, 2026. Please share widely!

Dave Root reposted

Joao Barbosa
@jbarbosa.org

Looking for a (neuroscience) PI position in France? You still have time to do it this year, but you need to act fast. If you have no idea how to do it, start by reading this! l1nk.dev/hk1mx6e 1/

Dave Root reposted

Ron Keiflin
@ronkeiflin.bsky.social

New lab preprint! OFC—>M2 in rule selection. Project led by the amazing @margole.bsky.social

Margo Le@margole.bsky.social

New preprint! 🧠🐭🔬 Reward-predictive cues can bias action selection, but can they also influence the *rules* we use to complete a sequence of actions? sPRInT through this thread to find out! www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...

biorxiv.orgReward Memories Bias Instrumental Rule Selection via the Orbitofrontal-to-Secondary Motor cortex PathwayReward-predictive cues can influence decision-making and promote the pursuit of specific outcomes. This influence is classically studied using specific Pavlovian-to-instrumental transfer (sPIT), in wh...

Dave Root reposted

Dr. Becca
@docbecca.bsky.social

My lab is ALSO recruiting a new postdoc to work on an exciting NIH-funded project. Start date ideally by early 2027. Please share with any recent or soon-to-defend neuro/psych PhDs with experience in rodent labs. northeastern.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com/careers/job/...

northeastern.wd1.myworkdayjobs.comPostdoctoral Research AssociateAbout the Opportunity Job Summary The Shansky Lab is seeking a full-time postdoc to conduct National Institutes of Health (NIH)-funded behavioral neuroscience research investigating sex differences in...

Dave Root reposted

Jason Shepherd
@jasonsynaptic.bsky.social

My department is hiring! Come join a vibrant and thriving neuroscience group. New faculty are exceptionally well supported and we offer a very collaborative/collegial environment. employment.utah.edu/salt-lake-ci...

employment.utah.eduemployment.utah.eduFounded in 1850, The University of Utah is the flagship institution of higher learning in Utah, and offers over 100 undergraduate and more than 90 graduate degree programs to over 30,000 students. University of Utah Jobs

Dave Root reposted

Dr. Becca
@docbecca.bsky.social

My behavioral neuroscience lab at Northeastern is looking to recruit two new research techs! Job description and link to apply is here: northeastern.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com/careers/job/...

northeastern.wd1.myworkdayjobs.comLaboratory Technician - The Shansky LabAbout the Opportunity Job Summary The Shansky Lab is seeking a full-time technician to conduct National Institutes of Health (NIH)-funded behavioral neuroscience research. The position includes lab ma...