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Reposted by Malu Murugan

bioRxiv Neuroscience @biorxiv-neursci.bsky.social · 1d

Non-overlapping social and food reward representations in the basolateral amygdala https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.10.06.680770v1

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Malu Murugan @malu-murugan.bsky.social · 17h

Finally, interestingly, she found that neurons that showed increased activity in response to reward were more sensitive to reward omissions in comparison to neurons that decreased their activity in response to reward - showing functional heterogeneity in bla neurons activity

Malu Murugan @malu-murugan.bsky.social · 17h

She also found that bla neurons are sensitive to changes in the internal state of the animal.

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Malu Murugan @malu-murugan.bsky.social · 17h

Jari also found that, in contrast to the mpfc, food rewards are more strongly represented relative to social rewards in the bla.

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Malu Murugan @malu-murugan.bsky.social · 17h

Taking advantage of a two choice social -food operant assay, Jari found that largely being overlapping populations of bla neurons represent social and food rewards.

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Malu Murugan @malu-murugan.bsky.social · 17h

Excited to share our latest preprint led by @jarildy.bsky.social looking at social and non social reward representations. www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1.... with help from @hyma2194.bsky.social and @jennisisaac.bsky.social.

Non-overlapping social and food reward representations in the basolateral amygdala

The ability to consider and appraise positively valenced stimuli in the environment, such as food and social interaction, to guide appropriate action is important for survival of most animals. Several...

www.biorxiv.org

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Malu Murugan @malu-murugan.bsky.social · 2d

Really interesting! Look forward to reading it. Congratulations

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Malu Murugan @malu-murugan.bsky.social · 6d

Congratulations!

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Malu Murugan @malu-murugan.bsky.social · 8d

Hi Colin, the language is intentionally broad, we are open to experimental neuroscientists ranging the entire spectrum, including human subject research.

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Malu Murugan @malu-murugan.bsky.social · 8d

Beautiful work! Congratulations to you all

Malu Murugan @malu-murugan.bsky.social · 8d

Interesting findings! Congratulations Katie and team!

Malu Murugan @malu-murugan.bsky.social · 8d

Come be my colleague! Lots of exciting science, fantastic students and supportive colleagues. Emory University Biology Department tenure-track assistant professor position in neuroscience. share.google/945Jko4W1MTA.... Please feel free to retweet and share widely.

Emory University Biology Department tenure-track assistant professor position in neuroscience - Atlanta, Georgia job with [email protected] | 675335

Candidate uses experimental approaches to examine any aspect of neural function, including molecular, cellular, systems, or developmental neuroscience

share.google

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Malu Murugan @malu-murugan.bsky.social · Sep 8

Thanks Tom!

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Malu Murugan @malu-murugan.bsky.social · Sep 8

Accepted manuscript version of this paper up on J.Neuro. @sfnjournals.bsky.social . Beautiful work led by @jennisisaac.bsky.social and @soniakarkare.bsky.social with help from @hyma2194.bsky.social characterizing various LS projection populations and their inputs. www.jneurosci.org/content/earl...

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Malu Murugan @malu-murugan.bsky.social · Jun 16

Beautiful story on the lateral septum!

Dionnet L Bhatti Mazo @victoryofflight.bsky.social · Jun 16

Our new preprint: 𝐅𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞-𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐟𝐢𝐜 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭 𝐜𝐨𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐧 𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐬𝐞𝐩𝐭𝐮𝐦 𝐠𝐮𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐬 𝐝𝐞𝐟𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧.

We describe how the LS guides defensive responses by forming critical computations built from functionally and molecularly distinct cells and their afferent inputs.

www.researchsquare.com/article/rs-6...

Feature-specific threat coding in lateral septum guides defensive action

The ability to rapidly detect and evaluate potential threats is essential for survival and requires the integration of sensory information, with internal state and prior experience. The lateral septum...

www.researchsquare.com

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Malu Murugan @malu-murugan.bsky.social · Jun 16

Beautiful work Dionnet! So excited to see this out!

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Malu Murugan @malu-murugan.bsky.social · Jun 10

Lab t-shirts are here finally. Thanks to fab undergrad Paul Kim for designing them.

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Malu Murugan @malu-murugan.bsky.social · Jun 5

A ventral hippocampal-lateral septum pathway regulates social novelty preference. Version of record - now available on @elife.bsky.social check it out doi.org/10.7554/eLif...

A ventral hippocampal-lateral septum pathway regulates social novelty preference

Projection-specific optogenetic and chemogenetic experiments reveal a hippocampal-lateral septal pathway that potentially acts via the ventral tegmental area to regulate social novelty preference beha...

doi.org

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Malu Murugan @malu-murugan.bsky.social · Jun 4

Very cool! Excited to read it

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Reposted by Malu Murugan

Simons Foundation @simonsfoundation.org · May 22

The Telly Awards has named our short film on the life and impact of our co-founder Jim Simons as a People’s Telly Gold Winner in the general non-broadcast category. Read more: www.simonsfoundation.org/2025/05/20/f... #science #philanthropy

Foundation’s Film About Jim Simons Named People’s Gold Winner at Telly Awards

The Simons Foundation’s short film on the life and impact of Jim Simons is a People’s Telly Gold Winner.

www.simonsfoundation.org

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Reposted by Malu Murugan

Sepiedeh Keshavarzi @sepikeshavarzi.bsky.social · May 13

We’re hiring a postdoc with slice patch-clamp expertise to study head direction circuits and plasticity during spatial learning. Ideal for a neurophysiologist excited to combine ex vivo and in vivo approaches. Come join us in beautiful Cambridge! 🐭🧭🧠
📝 Apply by 9 June: www.jobs.cam.ac.uk/job/51282/

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Malu Murugan @malu-murugan.bsky.social · May 5

Congratulations on a masterful defense @jennisisaac.bsky.social So incredibly grateful to have had the opportunity to mentor you. Can't wait to see all the insanely cool stuff you do. Keep an eye out for Jenni's work on the lateral septum soon

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Malu Murugan @malu-murugan.bsky.social · Apr 30

Thanks Raaj. Hope all is well with you.

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Malu Murugan @malu-murugan.bsky.social · Apr 30

Heartbreaking. So impossibly hard on the trainees. 😞

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Malu Murugan @malu-murugan.bsky.social · Apr 29

Let us know what you think.

bioRxiv Neuroscience @biorxiv-neursci.bsky.social · Apr 29

Organization of brainwide inputs to discrete lateral septum projection populations https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.04.23.650257v1