Background: Operator Syndrome (OS) describes the unique constellation of symptoms observed in special operations forces (SOF) following a) chronic and repetitive exposure to high-tempo tasks that are physically demanding and involve extreme threats to physical safety, b) are compounded by potentially traumatic events, and/or c) traumatic brain injury (TBI). This study sought to empirically test […]
Harnessing artificial intelligence to automate environmental predictions
Non-linear and heterogeneous processes have long challenged our ability to predict environmental systems. Here, we present a semi-autonomous and artificial intelligence (AI)-guided framework that iterates between predictive modeling and targeted in situ sampling to rapidly improve environmental predictions. We demonstrate our workflow by predicting oxygen consumption rates from streambed sediments across the contiguous United States […]
Next-generation enhancer AAVs for selective interspecies targeting of midbrain dopaminergic neurons
To enable genetic access without genetically engineered animals, we developed and benchmarked enhancer-AAVs for selectively targeting dopamine (DA) neurons across mice and marmosets. 12 DA enhancer candidates were nominated through integrated single-nucleus RNA-seq/ATAC-seq analysis of marmoset ventral midbrain tissue. We identified two leads (cjDAE8, cjDAE4) by systemic AAV delivery and dual-color fluorescence screening in mice. […]
A unified model of short- and long-term plasticity: Effects on network connectivity and information capacity
Activity-dependent synaptic plasticity is a fundamental learning mechanism that shapes connectivity and activity of neural circuits. Existing computational models of Spike-Time-Dependent Plasticity (STDP) model long-term synaptic changes with varying degree of biological details. A common approach is to neglect the influence of short-term dynamics on long-term plasticity, which may represent an oversimplification for certain neuron […]
Distributed Population Coding and Memory Consolidation in the Cerebellar Cortex and Dentate Nucleus
The cerebellum contributes to associative learning, yet how cortical and nuclear populations interact during memory formation remains unclear. We recorded single neurons from Purkinje cells (PCs) in Crus I/II and from the dentate nucleus (DN) in monkeys learning a visuomotor association. Both populations encoded the association in a temporally distributed manner spanning stimulus onset to […]
Basolateral Amygdala Projections to the Prelimbic Cortex Suppress the Motivational Value of Reward-Associated Cues
Reward-associated cues drive reward-seeking behaviours, with different cue types taking on distinct associative meanings. In instrumental settings, discriminative stimuli (DSs) signal when a response will produce reward, while conditioned stimuli (CSs) are paired with reward delivery after responding. Basolateral amygdala (BLA) projections are known to mediate CS-guided reward seeking, but their role in DS-guided behaviour […]
Computational mechanisms for temporal integration in the anterior claustrum
The claustrum, with its extensive reciprocal connections to nearly all cortical regions, has long been hypothesized as a key hub for integrating diverse cognitive, sensory and motor information. However, despite its anatomical connectivity, whether and how it functionally integrates different inputs to generate coherent representations has remained unclear. Here, we developed a recurrent neural network […]
Fronto-Hippocampal Synchronization in Rapid Spatial Learning in Humans
Achieving goals in real-life situations – from fetching a glass of water to landing a dream job – often requires planning based on experience and executing a sequence of actions. Neurophysiological research in animal models has indicated that the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) mediates relationships between memory, actions, and outcomes and the hippocampus and other medial […]
Plateau potentials are instructive signals for behavioral timescale synaptic plasticity in the neocortex
Learning occurs via the adjustment of synaptic weights across a variety of timescales. The mechanisms supporting these processes, from single-shot to iterative learning, are unclear. The prevailing model in the neocortex, spike-timing dependent plasticity (STDP), requires many pairings of precisely coordinated activity. This is difficult to reconcile with single-shot learning in behaving animals. In hippocampus, […]