Posterior amygdala regulates sexual and aggressive behaviors in male mice.

Sexual and aggressive behaviors are fundamental to animal survival and reproduction. The medial preoptic nucleus (MPN) and ventrolateral part of the ventromedial hypothalamus (VMHvl) are essential regions for male sexual and aggressive behaviors, respectively. While key inhibitory inputs to the VMHvl and MPN have been identified, the extrahypothalamic excitatory inputs essential for social behaviors remain elusive.

Fully Implantable Low-Power High Frequency Range Optoelectronic Devices for Dual-Channel Modulation in the Brain.

Wireless optoelectronic devices can deliver light to targeted regions in the brain and modulate discrete circuits in an animal that is awake. Here, we propose a miniaturized fully implantable low-power optoelectronic device that allows for advanced operational modes and the stimulation/inhibition of deep brain circuits in a freely-behaving animal. The combination of low power control logic circuits, including a reed switch and dual-coil wireless power transfer platform, provides powerful capabilities for the dissection of discrete brain circuits in wide spatial coverage for mouse activity.

Cocaine exposure in utero alters synaptic plasticity in the medial prefrontal cortex of postnatal rats.

Cocaine exposure during pregnancy causes abnormality in fetal brain development, leading to cognitive dysfunction of the offspring, but the underlying cellular mechanism remains mostly unclear. In this study, we examined synaptic functions in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) of postnatal rats that were exposed to cocaine in utero, using whole-cell recording from mPFC layer V pyramidal neurons in acute brain slices. Cocaine exposure in utero resulted in a facilitated activity-induced long-term potentiation (LTP) of excitatory synapses on these pyramidal neurons and an elevated neuronal excitability in postnatal rat pups after postnatal day 15 (P15).