The featured researcher this month is Dominique Alfandari. Dom is a Professor of Developmental Biology in the Department of Veterinary and Animal Sciences. His lab studies the mechanisms underlying neural crest cell migration and differentiation. This has implications for facial development and cancer. This summer, he was an author on a paper published in the Journal of Experimental Zoology Part B: Molecular and Developmental Evolution, which reviews findings using the frog, Xenopus, to discover genes involved in congenital hearing loss syndromes such as branchio‐oto‐renal syndrome (BOR). Mutations that lead to this condition cause defects in features of the head and face as well as the kidney.

Here’s what else is new for ‘ ”University of Massachusetts” AND Amherst AND neuroscience’ in PubMed. These publications appeared online in May, June, July, and August. They are just a fraction of the neuroscience research that occurs on campus. You can click on the PubMed ID to find the publication.

1: Wakeford AGP, Nye JA, Morin EL, Mun J, Meyer JS, Goodman M, Howell LL, Sanchez MM. Alterations in adolescent brain serotonin (5HT)_1A, 5HT_2A, and dopamine (D)₂ receptor systems in a nonhuman primate model of early life adversity. Neuropsychopharmacology. 2024 Apr 26. doi: 10.1038/s41386-023-01784-0. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 38671147.

2: Neal SJ, Rajasekaran A, Jusi? N, Taylor L, Read M, Alfandari D, Pignoni F, Moody SA. Using Xenopus to discover new candidate genes involved in BOR and other congenital hearing loss syndromes. J Exp Zool B Mol Dev Evol. 2024 May;342(3):212-240. doi: 10.1002/jez.b.23222. Epub 2023 Oct 13. PMID: 37830236; PMCID: PMC11014897.

3: Burtscher V, Mount J, Huang J, Cowgill J, Chang Y, Bickel K, Chen J, Yuan P, Chanda B. Structural basis for hyperpolarization-dependent opening of human HCN1 channel. Nat Commun. 2024 Jun 18;15(1):5216. doi: 10.1038/s41467-024-49599-x. PMID: 38890331; PMCID: PMC11189445.

4: Tait CC, Olson MN, Nedeljkovic K, Kirchner E, Katz PS. Expression patterns and behavioral effects of conopressin and APGWamide in the nudibranch Berghia stephanieae. Peptides. 2024 May 29;179:171253. doi: 10.1016/j.peptides.2024.171253. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 38821120.

5: Horger MN, Campbell K, Marshall PJ. Electrophysiological responses to digit stimulation in a tactile oddball paradigm. Int J Psychophysiol. 2024 Jul 2:112391. doi: 10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2024.112391. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 38964544.

6: Breiner K, Lansford JE, Skinner AT, Steinberg L, Bornstein MH, Deater-Deckard K, Dodge KA, Rothenberg WA. Cultural values, parenting, and child adjustment in the United States. Int J Psychol. 2024 Jul 2. doi: 10.1002/ijop.13214. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 38952350.

7: Burré J, Edwards RH, Halliday G, Lang AE, Lashuel HA, Melki R, Murayama S, Outeiro TF, Papa SM, Stefanis L, Woerman AL, Surmeier DJ, Kalia LV, Takahashi R; MDS Scientific Issues Committee. Research Priorities on the Role of ?-Synuclein in Parkinson’s Disease Pathogenesis. Mov Disord. 2024 Jun 30. doi: 10.1002/mds.29897. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 38946200.

8: Wakeford AGP, Nye JA, Morin EL, Mun J, Meyer JS, Goodman M, Howell LL, Sanchez MM. Alterations in adolescent brain serotonin (5HT)_1A, 5HT_2A, and dopamine (D)₂ receptor systems in a nonhuman primate model of early life adversity. Neuropsychopharmacology. 2024 Jul;49(8):1227-1235. doi: 10.1038/s41386-023-01784-0. Epub 2024 Apr 26. PMID: 38671147; PMCID: PMC11224234.

9: Borin G, Sato SD, Spencer RMC, Choi JT. Sleep benefits perceptual but not movement-based learning of locomotor sequences. Sci Rep. 2024 Jul 9;14(1):15868. doi: 10.1038/s41598-024-66177-9. PMID: 38982186; PMCID: PMC11233676.

10: Breiner K, Lansford JE, Skinner AT, Steinberg L, Bornstein MH, Deater-Deckard K, Dodge KA, Rothenberg WA. Cultural values, parenting, and child adjustment in the United States. Int J Psychol. 2024 Aug;59(4):588-597. doi: 10.1002/ijop.13214. Epub 2024 Jul 2. PMID: 38952350.

11: Savalia T, Cowell RA, Huber DE. “Leap before you look”: Conditions that suppress explicit, knowledge-based learning during visuomotor adaptation. J Exp Psychol Hum Percept Perform. 2024 Aug;50(8):785-807. doi: 10.1037/xhp0001210. Epub 2024 May 16. PMID: 38753411.

12: Santoro A, Marino M, Vandenberg LN, Szychlinska MA, Lamparelli EP, Scalia F, Rocca ND, D’Auria R, Giovanna Pastorino GM, Porta GD, Operto FF, Viggiano A, Cappello F, Meccariello R. PLASTAMINATION: Outcomes on the Central Nervous System and Reproduction. Curr Neuropharmacol. 2024;22(11):1870-1898. doi: 10.2174/1570159X22666240216085947. PMID: 38549522; PMCID: PMC11284724.

13: Dougan CE, Roberts BL, Crosby AJ, Karatsoreos I, Peyton SR. Short-Term Neural and Glial Response to Mild Traumatic Brain Injury in the Hippocampus. Biophys J. 2024 Jul 31:S0006-3495(24)00517-4. doi: 10.1016/j.bpj.2024.07.040. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 39091025.

14: Nippert KE, Rowland CP, Vazey EM, Moorman DE. Alcohol, flexible behavior, and the prefrontal cortex: Functional changes underlying impaired cognitive flexibility. Neuropharmacology. 2024 Aug 10;260:110114. doi: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2024.110114. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 39134298.

15: Folker A, Peviani KM, Deater-Deckard K, Bickel WK, Steinberg L, Casas B, Kim-Spoon J. Negative Affect, Sensation Seeking, and Adolescent Substance Use Development: The Moderating Role of Executive Function. J Youth Adolesc. 2024 Aug 10. doi: 10.1007/s10964-024-02065-9. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 39126563.

16: Stebbins K, Somaiya RD, Sabbagh U, Khaksar P, Liang Y, Su J, Fox MA. Retinal input is required for the maintenance of neuronal laminae in the ventral lateral geniculate nucleus. eNeuro. 2024 Aug 19:ENEURO.0022-24.2024. doi: 10.1523/ENEURO.0022-24.2024. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 39160068.

17: Horger MN, Campbell K, Marshall PJ. Electrophysiological responses to digit stimulation in a tactile oddball paradigm. Int J Psychophysiol. 2024 Sep;203:112391. doi: 10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2024.112391. Epub 2024 Jul 2. PMID: 38964544.

18: Tait CC, Ramirez MD, Katz PS. Egg-laying hormone expression in identified neurons across developmental stages and reproductive states of the nudibranch Berghia stephanieae. Horm Behav. 2024 Aug;164:105578. doi: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2024.105578. Epub 2024 Jun 25. PMID: 38925074; PMCID: PMC11330727.