Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Reposted by Jordan McCall

Allen Institute @alleninstitute.org · 13d

How do you measure brain arousal? In a new study, #ShanahanFellow Ryan Raut uses dynamical systems theory to offer a fresh lens on how physical signs (like pupil dilation), behavior, and brain-wide activity are coordinated.

🧠📈 www.nature.com/articles/s41...

1 3 22

Jordan McCall @jordacular.bsky.social · 14d

Do you know @sarahross1.bsky.social?

1 1

Reposted by Jordan McCall

Neuropsychopharmacology @npp-journal.bsky.social · 21d

A comprehensive new 🔁 Rreview 🔁 from Dr. Peña explores postnatal maturation of the 🧠 epigenome, the relationship between the epigenome & postnatal sensitive periods & plasticity, and the impact of early-life stress on epigenetic development

Epigenetic regulation of brain development, plasticity, and response to early-life stress

Neuropsychopharmacology - Epigenetic regulation of brain development, plasticity, and response to early-life stress

www.nature.com

3 2

Jordan McCall @jordacular.bsky.social · 25d

شكرا لك يا أخي

1

Jordan McCall @jordacular.bsky.social · 25d

Happy to chat about trials and tribulations if you would like!

1 1

Jordan McCall @jordacular.bsky.social · 25d

Always more to understand! Thank you!

1

Jordan McCall @jordacular.bsky.social · 26d

Thank you David!

Jordan McCall @jordacular.bsky.social · 26d

Happy to share our recent work attempting to better understand the impact of early life maternal separation on locus coeruleus function. Super proud of first author (the now Dr.) Chayla Vazquez. She brought this idea when she joined in… March 2020… and she carried it through these rough few years!

Neuropsychopharmacology @npp-journal.bsky.social · 29d

#ThisWeekInNPP

Early life stress profoundly impacts the 🧠 & can result in negative affective behaviors well into adulthood

Here, maternal separation stress produced dysregulated noradrenergic activity in the locus coeruleus (LC) across the lifespan, disrupting LC regulation of coping strategies

Maternal separation disrupts noradrenergic control of adult coping behaviors - Neuropsychopharmacology

Neuropsychopharmacology - Maternal separation disrupts noradrenergic control of adult coping behaviors

www.nature.com

4 9 21

Jordan McCall @jordacular.bsky.social · Aug 5

Some good news. Big congrats to @drbhooma.bsky.social, she is going to do amazing things with this new funding! 🎉

Bhooma Aravamuthan MD DPhil FAAN @drbhooma.bsky.social · Aug 4

Excited and proud to report I just received the NoA for an R01 from NINDS investigating cortical targets for treating #dystonia following #preterm birth. Grateful for co-Is Rafael Galindo @washuneurology.bsky.social, @jordacular.bsky.social, and Ream Al-Hasani. Grateful also to my great lab... 1/x

5

Jordan McCall @jordacular.bsky.social · May 10

Some good news on a Friday for once, introducing Dr. Chayla Vazquez!

7

Reposted by Jordan McCall

Dr. Michael D. L. Johnson @copperbae.bsky.social · May 1

Well, maybe the children will have to live with two cures instead of 30 cures.

4 22 72

Reposted by Jordan McCall

Joey Fishkin @fishkin.bsky.social · Apr 27

University leaders need to understand: they are holding INCREDIBLY good cards.

It is so rare in today's polarized era to have the support of 70+ percent of the public against the Trump admiministration on anything. Universities have that—AND winning legal arguments.

Graphic of Washington Post poll from April 18-22, 2025, showing "Majorities of Americans oppose various Trump proposals"

highlighting two lines in particular:
"Increasing the Federal Government's role in how private universities operate" - 28 percent support, 70 percent oppose
"Reducing federal funding for medical research" - 21 percent support, 77 percent oppose

48 1.4K 4.5K

Reposted by Jordan McCall

Randall Munroe @xkcd.com · Apr 25

PhD Timeline xkcd.com/3081

600 21K 60K

Jordan McCall @jordacular.bsky.social · Apr 22

I totally agree with your main point, but is "cite" vs. "not cite" the most valuable approach? Seems like citation with sufficient context is better than no citation in many cases? (i.e., [Paper] suggested [finding], but this work had [major limitation] so [idea/mechanism/topic] not understood yet.)

1 1

Reposted by Jordan McCall

Amelia Eisch 🧪🧠👩‍🔬 🐁 @eisch.bsky.social · Apr 11

Bad news for all of us: champion for inclusion & excellence @ NIH/NINDS Dr. Michelle Jones-London is leaving NINDS.💔
She helped launch the career of countless cutting-edge neuroscientists & set the standard for training. Great news of course for where ever she goes next. 🧪🧠@jeremymberg.bsky.social

5 22 47

Jordan McCall @jordacular.bsky.social · Mar 31

Leaving behind a generation of biomedical researchers will not MAG nor H.

Scott Delaney @scott-delaney.bsky.social · Mar 31

The latest NIH grant chaos:

NIH apparently sent stop-work orders to all *97* MARC and U-RISE programs in the country.

These programs support underrepresented undergrads interested in health research careers.

MARC dates to 1977. Over 48 years, the programs have supported thousands of students.

Scott Delaney @scott-delaney.bsky.social · Mar 28

New this evening (3/28): Major update in NIH grant termination numbers.

❌ 695 NIH grants now terminated (up from 429)
❌ 232 on HIV/AIDS
❌ 44 on cancer
❌ 28 on Alzheimer's
❌ 123 on Covid*

*And this doesn't count cancelled non-NIH Covid grants.

HUGE THANKS to @noamross.net for pushing the updates!

1

Reposted by Jordan McCall

Tomás de la Rosa @delarosat.bsky.social · Nov 5

🚨 New paper out!
👉A #systematicreview and #metaanalysis on the impact of neuropathic #pain models on anxiety- and depressive-like behaviors in rodents.
#CIBER_SAM #univcadiz #INiBICA_IIS

#OpenAccess Read more here ⬇️
doi.org/10.1016/j.bp...

1 3 8

Reposted by Jordan McCall

Serge Ahmed @sergeahmed.bsky.social · Mar 25

Science Under Threat in the United States

The NIH is a sound investment for the US taxpayer

By my colleague Nicholas W Gilpin from Louisiana who has written this piece in his personal capacity due to the current institutional situation.

elifesciences.org/articles/106...

Science Under Threat in the United States: The NIH is a sound investment for the US taxpayer

Research funded by the National Institutes of Health is essential for improving the health of Americans and developing new drugs and treatments for a wide range of diseases.

elifesciences.org

7 11

Reposted by Jordan McCall

Tami Lieberman @contaminatedsci.bsky.social · Mar 13

It feels like the resumption of study section posting on the federal registrar, while continuing to block advisory council, was an attempt to quell the news cycle while still keeping funds frozen.

8 17

Jordan McCall @jordacular.bsky.social · Mar 11

These terminations are a disgusting abuse of power that threatens the future of American science. 💔

Jeremy Berg @jeremymberg.bsky.social · Mar 11

I have confirmation from several sources now that all T32s, many F30s and F31s, and most or all Center awards (P30, P50) have been terminated at Columbia.

This is quite damaging to research and to individuals.

This is pure terrorism and cannot be legal. But litigation will take time...

2

Reposted by Jordan McCall

jmoronconcepcion.bsky.social @jmoronconcepcion.bsky.social · Mar 10

New work from the lab published at @cp-neuron.bsky.social. In this study we dissect the role of hormonal regulation in pain-induced enhanced opioid intake in males.
Work conducted by the super talented @jessinbotham

www.cell.com/neuron/fullt...

Estradiol protects against pain-facilitated fentanyl use via suppression of opioid-evoked dopamine activity in males

Higginbotham et al. show that inflammatory pain increases opioid-evoked dopamine neuron activity to promote fentanyl use selectively in males. Ovarian hormones offer females protection, but estradiol’...

www.cell.com

1 10 24

Jordan McCall @jordacular.bsky.social · Mar 7

And from the other side of Forest Park!

1 2

Jordan McCall @jordacular.bsky.social · Mar 6

We are currently working on the experiments to address this idea, more to come!

1 1

Jordan McCall @jordacular.bsky.social · Mar 6

Thanks to @danai-lama.bsky.social for covering our preprint. I missed this when she posted it and now this place seems mostly for doomscrolling, so it’s nice to have our science highlighted to at least momentarily disrupt the gloom 💙

Danai Riga @danai-lama.bsky.social · Jan 2

Starting *Week 1* with this gem from the @jordacular.bsky.social lab, describing a novel glutamatergic pathway from the VTA to the LC that is involved in avoidance behaviors. 2/

pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC...

Monosynaptic ventral tegmental area glutamate projections to the locus coeruleus enhance aversive processing

Distinct excitatory synaptic inputs to the locus coeruleus (LC) modulate behavioral flexibility. Here we identify a novel monosynaptic glutamatergic input to the LC from the ventral tegmental area (VT...

pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

5

Jordan McCall @jordacular.bsky.social · Mar 6

More of this please.

Jeremy Berg @jeremymberg.bsky.social · Mar 6

Compelling pushback from @jmgrohneuro.bsky.social and the Board of Scientific Counselors at the National Institute on Mental Health (NIMH) regarding termination of tenure-track investigators driven by DOGE.

1/2

3