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Reposted by Daniel Cardozo Pinto

Malcolm Campbell @malcolmgcampbell.bsky.social · 19d

🚨Our preprint is online!🚨

www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

How do #dopamine neurons perform the key calculations in reinforcement #learning?

Read on to find out more! 🧵

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Daniel Cardozo Pinto @dcardozopinto.bsky.social · 22d

Congrats James!

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Daniel Cardozo Pinto @dcardozopinto.bsky.social · Jul 9

If anyone here is using Doric's new FluoPulse system for fluorescence lifetime photometry, can you please get in touch? Would love to hear about your experience with the product. Thanks!

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Reposted by Daniel Cardozo Pinto

Harvard_MCB @harvardmcb.bsky.social · Jun 30

Daniel Cardozo Pinto: Decoding the Neural Circuitry of Reward Learning 🧠🧪 #AcademicSky #higherEd
www.mcb.harvard.edu/department/n... @dcardozopinto.bsky.social @dulaclab.bsky.social @rachellegaudet.bsky.social @harvardbrainsci.bsky.social @naoshigeuchida.bsky.social @neurovenki.bsky.social

Daniel Cardozo Pinto: Decoding the Neural Circuitry of Reward Learning - Harvard University - Department of Molecular & Cellular Biology

Daniel Cardozo Pinto, soon to be appointed a Harvard Junior Fellow, represents a compelling new voice in systems neuroscience. His research, grounded in a profound curiosity about the […]

www.mcb.harvard.edu

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Reposted by Daniel Cardozo Pinto

Harvard Brain Science Initiative @harvardbrainsci.bsky.social · May 9

www.mcb.harvard.edu/department/n...
@dcardozopinto.bsky.social (postdoc, @naoshigeuchida.bsky.social) and Wendy Valencia Montoya (graduate student, labs of Nick Bellono and Naomi Pierce) named as Harvard Junior Fellows.

MCB’s Daniel Cardozo Pinto and Wendy Valencia Montoya Named 2025 Harvard Junior Fellows - Harvard University - Department of Molecular & Cellular Biology

Harvard has named Daniel Cardozo Pinto and Wendy Valencia Montoya as two of its newest Junior Fellows, joining the prestigious Society of Fellows this year. They will begin […]

www.mcb.harvard.edu

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Daniel Cardozo Pinto @dcardozopinto.bsky.social · Apr 21

@mcherrygarcia.bsky.social
@michaelaguo.bsky.social

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Reposted by Daniel Cardozo Pinto

bioRxiv Neuroscience @biorxiv-neursci.bsky.social · Apr 21

Opponent regulation of striatal output pathways by dopamine and serotonin https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.04.17.649431v1

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Daniel Cardozo Pinto @dcardozopinto.bsky.social · Apr 21

Special thanks Michaela Guo who co-led this project as an undergrad/RA and is now MD-PhD bound! I was lucky to work with her and can't wait to see what she does next.

And thank you to the rest of the team: Wade Morishita, Matt Pomrenze, Neir Eshel, and Rob Malenka

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Daniel Cardozo Pinto @dcardozopinto.bsky.social · Apr 21

We think this provides one putative mechanism to explain longstanding observations of serotonin counteracting dopamine's rewarding effects.

Our work also provides a characterization of the mesolimbic serotonin system that we hope will be resource for the field.

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Daniel Cardozo Pinto @dcardozopinto.bsky.social · Apr 21

Finally we tested whether this also happens in vivo. We used DAT (bup) and SERT (esc) blockers to upregulate dopamine or serotonin and labeled cfos as a proxy for neural activity.

‼️ Enhancing dopamine activity preferentially activated D1-MSNs while enhancing serotonin activated D2-MSNs

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Daniel Cardozo Pinto @dcardozopinto.bsky.social · Apr 21

This suggested that serotonin may differentially modulate D1 and D2 MSN activity in a manner opposite to their regulation by dopamine. To test this, we recorded from genetically identified D1 and D2-MSNs.

⬆️⬇️ Dopamine selectively excited D1-MSNs while serotonin selectively activated D2-MSNs

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Daniel Cardozo Pinto @dcardozopinto.bsky.social · Apr 21

Next we used RNAscope to map the their distribution.

📊 expression varied across subregions and cell-types for every gene examined

❗️ Overall though, D1-MSNs expressed a mix of Gi, Gs, and Gq coupled serotonin receptors while D2-MSNs were enriched for receptors in the Gq coupled 5HT2 family

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Daniel Cardozo Pinto @dcardozopinto.bsky.social · Apr 21

To answer this question, we first determined which serotonin receptors are expressed on striatal MSNs.

🎯 Mining a scRNA-Seq dataset revealed that >90% of MSNs express serotonin receptors, and that this is primarily limited to a subset of ~8 receptor genes

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Daniel Cardozo Pinto @dcardozopinto.bsky.social · Apr 21

📚 It's known that dopamine drives reinforcement via differential modulation of D1 and D2 MSNs, and last year we showed serotonin counteracts dopamine's reinforcing effects.

This inspired us to ask:

❓How does serotonin affect striatal neuron activity?

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Daniel Cardozo Pinto @dcardozopinto.bsky.social · Apr 21

New preprint! 🧠

"Opponent regulation of striatal output pathways by dopamine and serotonin"

Here, we mapped serotonin receptor expression in the striatum and showed serotonin modulates MSNs in a manner ~opposite to their canonical regulation by dopamine.

Co-led with Michaela Guo. 1/n

🧵 ⬇️

bioRxiv Neuroscience @biorxiv-neursci.bsky.social · Apr 21

Opponent regulation of striatal output pathways by dopamine and serotonin https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.04.17.649431v1

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Daniel Cardozo Pinto @dcardozopinto.bsky.social · Apr 13

Thank so much! Hope you're doing well!!

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Daniel Cardozo Pinto @dcardozopinto.bsky.social · Apr 13

Thank you!!

Daniel Cardozo Pinto @dcardozopinto.bsky.social · Apr 10

Thrilled to share that I've been elected to the Harvard Society of Fellows!

I will collaborate with Nao Uchida on a new direction investigating neural mechanisms of addiction. It's such a privilege to pursue curiosity driven science in this environment - very excited and so, so grateful.

Harvard_MCB @harvardmcb.bsky.social · Apr 10

MCB’s Daniel Cardozo Pinto and Wendy Valencia Montoya Named 2025 Harvard Junior Fellows
www.mcb.harvard.edu/department/n... @dcardozopinto.bsky.social @naoshigeuchida.bsky.social @rachellegaudet.bsky.social @dulaclab.bsky.social @harvardoeb.bsky.social

MCB’s Daniel Cardozo Pinto and Wendy Valencia Montoya Named 2025 Harvard Junior Fellows - Harvard University - Department of Molecular & Cellular Biology

Harvard has named Daniel Cardozo Pinto and Wendy Valencia Montoya as two of its newest Junior Fellows, joining the prestigious Society of Fellows this year. They will begin […]

www.mcb.harvard.edu

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Reposted by Daniel Cardozo Pinto

Petra Mocellin @petramoce.bsky.social · Mar 27

The latest work from the Lammel lab is out today!

Discover how changes in neurotensin signaling from the NAc Lat to the VTA lead to food devaluation in a mouse model of obesity 🧀🐭

www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Changes in neurotensin signalling drive hedonic devaluation in obesity - Nature

In mice, prolonged consumption of a high-fat diet decreases interest in calorie-rich foods as a result of reduced neurotensin expression and signalling, which uncouples hedonic feeding behaviour linke...

www.nature.com

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Daniel Cardozo Pinto @dcardozopinto.bsky.social · Feb 20

Thank you!

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Daniel Cardozo Pinto @dcardozopinto.bsky.social · Feb 12

Thanks to @avaskham.bsky.social at @thetransmitter.bsky.social for this coverage of our recent work!

The Transmitter @thetransmitter.bsky.social · Feb 12

Mice learn best when the opponent opposing forces of dopamine and serotonin work together, a new study shows, helping to resolve long-standing questions about the neuromodulators’ relationship.

By @avaskham.bsky.social

www.thetransmitter.org/learning/dop...

Dopamine ‘gas pedal’ and serotonin ‘brake’ team up to accelerate learning

Mice learn fastest and most reliably when they experience an increase in dopamine paired with an inhibition of serotonin, a new study shows.

www.thetransmitter.org

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Daniel Cardozo Pinto @dcardozopinto.bsky.social · Jan 2

Thank you!

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Daniel Cardozo Pinto @dcardozopinto.bsky.social · Dec 21

Grateful for this spotlight from @PsyPost News, check out their coverage of our recent @Nature paper below! 🧠

PsyPost @psypost.bsky.social · Dec 21

Stanford researchers found that dopamine and serotonin work in opposition, like an accelerator and brake, to balance reward learning and decision-making, requiring both systems to function together for effective learning and behavioral… #Neuroscience #Dopamine #Serotonin #BrainResearch #Psychology

Scientists reveal dopamine and serotonin’s opposing roles in fascinating neuroscience breakthrough

Stanford researchers found that dopamine and serotonin work in opposition, like an accelerator and brake, to balance reward learning and decision-making, requiring both systems to function together for effective learning and behavioral flexibility.

www.psypost.org

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Reposted by Daniel Cardozo Pinto

Science News @scinews.bsky.social · Dec 9

The study demonstrates for the first time exactly how dopamine and serotonin work together -- or more precisely, in opposition -- to shape our learning behavior. #Nature

Read more
www.nature.com/articles/s41...

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Daniel Cardozo Pinto @dcardozopinto.bsky.social · Nov 27

Thank you!