Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Zoltan Molnar @zoltan-molnar.bsky.social · 2d

Development and function of cortical networks
September 29, 2025
Mainz, Campus of the JGU Mainz, BFZ, Duesbergweg 6, Germany
www.unimedizin-mainz.de/phys.../vera...
This scientific symposium was organised to honor the scientific contributions and achievements of Prof. Heiko J. Luhmann Dr. Luhmann

1

Zoltan Molnar @zoltan-molnar.bsky.social · 6d

Jenkinson Developmental Biology Symposium, at the MSTC, on 12 Dec 25.
Registration is now open: please note that registration is mandatory but free of charge. Registration will close on 28 Nov.

1 3

Zoltan Molnar @zoltan-molnar.bsky.social · 7d

Today I gave the opening lecture of the MSc in Neuroscience Course at the brand new Life and Mind Building (LaMB) on History of Neuroscience at Oxford. This was a historic event itself; the very first teaching session in the new building. #Oxneuro #neuroscience

10

Zoltan Molnar @zoltan-molnar.bsky.social · 11d

T14 isn’t just a fragment — it’s a signalling peptide shaping brain development & activity. Its dysregulation may help explain Alzheimer’s according to Susan Greenfield. The team is celebrating the publication 👉 doi.org/10.3390/ijms...
Widespread changes in T14 after manipulations of activity.

2

Zoltan Molnar @zoltan-molnar.bsky.social · 11d

CORTICAL EVOLUTION - 15-17th June 2026 - Bilbao Spain
Organizers: Verónica Martínez Cerdeño, Fernando García Moreno, Elena Vecino, and Stephen Noctor
Early registration until 1st May 2026
ventricular.org/corticalevol...
@veronicamartinez.bsky.social @phylobrain.bsky.social

2 14

Zoltan Molnar @zoltan-molnar.bsky.social · 11d

Official group photo taken by Professor Kristine Krug

Zoltan Molnar @zoltan-molnar.bsky.social · 17d

Information Processing in Thalamus and Cortex
Cardiff University, School of Biosciences
19th-20th Sep 2025.
Organised by Kevin Fox in honour of Vincenzo Crunelli & Frank Sengpiel @Cardiff University Biosciences

1 4

Zoltan Molnar @zoltan-molnar.bsky.social · 20d

The search for the mechanisms cortical regulation of sleep continues. Latest collaborative work suggests that part of the answer lies in the cortex.
By switching cortical neurons on and off, we could change how much sleep animals got — and even the quality of that sleep. doi.org/10.1101/2025...

Vlad Vyazovskiy @vyazovskiy.bsky.social · 22d

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

Bidirectional modulation of sleep and wakefulness via prefrontal cortical chemogenetics

The drive to sleep is inescapable but its biological substrate remains largely elusive. Until recently, the search for sleep centres in the mammalian brain focussed on subcortical neurons that promote...

www.biorxiv.org

4 14

Zoltan Molnar @zoltan-molnar.bsky.social · Sep 8

New collaborative research from the Szele Laboratory identifies Galectin-3 as a key regulator of neural development, establishing its contribution to brain growth.
For more details: www.dpag.ox.ac.uk/.../new-rese....
To read the paper: www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

5

Zoltan Molnar @zoltan-molnar.bsky.social · Jul 24

Congratulations to Florina Szabó who defended her DPhil. Thanks to the examiners Prof Nicoletta Kessaris (UCL) and Prof Simon Butt (@interneuron.bsky.social); to Anatomical Society and to Dr Anna Hoerder-Suabedissen for co-supervising. One chapter is already published: doi.org/10.1111/joa....

5

Zoltan Molnar @zoltan-molnar.bsky.social · Jul 21

We say thanks to @stjohnsox.bsky.social & @oxforddpag.bsky.social, and Molnar Lab (www.dpag.ox.ac.uk/research/mol...) who helped during the Summer Meeting of the Anatomical Society. Thanks to our sponsors who supported our meeting. Read more on DPAG news: www.dpag.ox.ac.uk/news/anatomi...

Zoltan Molnar @zoltan-molnar.bsky.social · Jul 15

Excellent day at the Anatomical Society Summer Meeting at ST John's College, Oxford today. anatsoc.org.uk/meetings/our...
@ArtedelCuerpoH1, @SaraBandiera2, @anat_soc, @AnatSocSummer25, @AnatSocOxford

1 2

Zoltan Molnar @zoltan-molnar.bsky.social · Jul 3

Why wait until the damage is done?
Our new paper highlights how many brain and mental health disorders begin before birth — yet most funding still targets late-life neurodegeneration.
It’s time to invest in prevention.
🔗 doi.org/10.1159/0005...

Possible long-term effects of environmental and genetic factors on an individual’s life.
Background: Healthcare costs are rising at an exponential rate. Given the constraints of limited resources, it is essential to make informed decisions about priorities to ensure the best possible health outcomes globally. The history of medicine illustrates how these priorities have shifted over time – from early focus on infectious diseases to later emphasis on noncommunicable conditions such as metabolic disorders. Today, neurodegenerative diseases and aging brain are the forefront of medical research, as these conditions profoundly affect individuals, families, and society. Summary: One in three people will experience a mental health disorder in their lifetime, yet it is not widely recognized that many of these conditions may have origins in pre-birth experiences and early life influences. Disruptions in progenitor proliferation, neuronal and glial migration, and differentiation during prenatal development can contribute to lifelong neurodevelopmental abnormalities. Despite the fundamental importance of brain development, most of the neuroscience funding is allocated to studying neurodegeneration, such as dementia and Parkinson’s disease, while early life influences remain underexplored. Crucially, the impact of developmental factors begins even before conception. Environmental risks extend beyond direct maternal exposures during pregnancy; they include cumulative parental exposure to teratogenic agents affecting both male and female gametes, as well as early life environmental exposures affecting newborns, infants, and children. These influences are complex yet highly relevant to long-term health outcomes. Key Messages: We urge greater recognition of the developmental origins of disease and advocate for increased investment in preventive strategies. These include lifestyle modifications, dietary improvements, targeted supplementation, regular exercise, and minimizing exposu…

5

Zoltan Molnar @zoltan-molnar.bsky.social · Jun 24

My STEP inTO OxMed talk "INTRODUCTION TO BRAIN DEVELOPMENT" is for 14-17 year old secondary school/ sixth form students this Friday.

3

Zoltan Molnar @zoltan-molnar.bsky.social · May 29

Gala dinner of @corticodevelopment.bsky.social with some of winners of the poster prizes and with the students asking the best questions.

7

Zoltan Molnar @zoltan-molnar.bsky.social · May 25

@corticodevelopment.bsky.social The conference centre shall host the lectures, coffee shall be next to the pool and the gala dinner shall be at Stella di Mare restaurant at the beach.

10

Zoltan Molnar @zoltan-molnar.bsky.social · May 25

@corticodevelopment.bsky.social Casa del Massaro shall host the opening dinner, student and postdoc introduction and networking session.

4

Zoltan Molnar @zoltan-molnar.bsky.social · May 25

@corticodevelopment.bsky.social Looking forward to the start of the meeting tonight!

5

Zoltan Molnar @zoltan-molnar.bsky.social · May 10

Collaborative work between the Mann and Molnár Groups at @OxfordDPAG have studied a small group of specialized brain cells to investigate how they play a powerful role in keeping us alert and helping our brains process sensory information (doi.org/10.3389/fnan...).

Frontiers | Chronic silencing of Drd1a-Cre+ neurons impairs dopaminergic-driven cortical activation

doi.org

1

Zoltan Molnar @zoltan-molnar.bsky.social · May 9

Succinct, yet comprehensive summary of our paper doi.org/10.1038/s413... in scienmag.com
See: scienmag.com/orexin-sensi...
Possible functions of a subpopulation of neurons within lower part of layer 6 of the cerebral cortex that exhibits sensitivity to orexin.

3

Zoltan Molnar @zoltan-molnar.bsky.social · May 6

Role of subplate neurons in the development and evolution of the mammalian neocortex
3 June 2025, 16:00
Sherrington Library, Sherrington Building DPAG
Professor Chiaki Ohtaka-Maruyama from Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Medical Science, Tokyo, Japan
talks.ox.ac.uk/talks/id/067...

1

Zoltan Molnar @zoltan-molnar.bsky.social · Apr 29

A collaborative study from Molnár, Mann, Bannerman and Lak labs has uncovered a population of brain cells that could play a critical role in how we experience stress and anxiety. (Messore, Narayan Therpurakal et al., 2025 - doi.org/10.1038/s413...), www.dpag.ox.ac.uk/news/molnar-...

An orexin-sensitive subpopulation of layer 6 neurons regulates cortical excitability and anxiety behaviour - Translational Psychiatry

Translational Psychiatry - An orexin-sensitive subpopulation of layer 6 neurons regulates cortical excitability and anxiety behaviour

doi.org

1 1

Zoltan Molnar @zoltan-molnar.bsky.social · Apr 24

Researchers at the University of Oxford have developed a low-cost open-source home-cage monitoring system which measures the food intake and feeding behaviour of laboratory mice. doi.org/10.12688/wel....
www.dpag.ox.ac.uk/.../the-snac....

2

Zoltan Molnar @zoltan-molnar.bsky.social · Mar 27

Florina Szabó makes the cover of the @journalofanatomy.bsky.social. The paper is on the bidirectional interaction between deep-layer pyramidal cells and GABAergic neurons, describing the impact of interrupting pyramidal neuron activity on inhibitory network formation. doi.org/10.1111/joa....

9

Zoltan Molnar @zoltan-molnar.bsky.social · Feb 22

Black Sea Neurogenesis 2025 - Varna, Bulgaria, 05-07 June 2025
www.mu-varna.bg/EN/AboutUs/P...

1 2 6