The brain is a marvel of complexity, orchestrating every aspect of our lives. Researchers striving to decode its functions have revealed that biochemical changes in the brain correspond to a diverse range of behaviors. Natale Sciolino, an assistant professor in the Department of Physiology and Neurobiology (PNB) in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, has dedicated her career to studying neural circuits — networks of interconnected neurons that regulate various functions — and their profound influence on motivated behaviors, including anxiety and feeding. Her work focuses on the connections between the brain, behavior, and the environment.

As described by Dr. Natale Sciolino, Will Fan, and Christopher Engborg: This image shows the anatomy of the adult mouse locus coeruleus (LC). The LC is a cluster of norepinephrine-synthesizing cells that help us attend to important sensory information. To monitor LC activity during tasting in behaving mice, a viral genetic strategy was used to express a calcium indicator (green) and a red fluorescent protein (magenta) in the LC and changes in fluorescence were recorded using fiber photometry.

Read the full article:

Locus Ceruleus Dynamics Are Suppressed during Licking and Enhanced Postlicking Independent of Taste Novelty
Will Fan, Christopher B. Engborg, and Natale R. Sciolino