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Albit Caban

@albitc.bsky.social

54 followers 81 following 11 posts

Post-doc in the DeNardo Lab at UCLA. HHMI Gilliam fellow.

Posts Replies Media

Albit Caban @albitc.bsky.social · 17/07/2026

Finally, through circuit-specific optogenetic inhibition, we found that VTA projections to the PL are required for the Timing behavioral strategy during conflict, identifying an upstream circuit that supports behavioral flexibility.

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Albit Caban @albitc.bsky.social · 17/07/2026

Using single-cell calcium imaging, we found that prelimbic neurons organize into dynamic functional networks representing reward and avoidance memories. During successful conflict resolution, these networks briefly re-emerged at key choice points before each behavioral decision.

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Albit Caban @albitc.bsky.social · 17/07/2026

Using activity-dependent labeling and chemogenetics, we selectively manipulated reward and avoidance engrams in the PL. Silencing either population impaired flexible behavior during conflict, while leaving reward seeking and avoidance intact when tested independently.

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Albit Caban @albitc.bsky.social · 17/07/2026

This interesting behavior inspired us to leverage whole-brain cfos expression and graph theory to find which brain regions are critical for the expression of a “Timing strategy”. We narrowed it down to a few key regions of which we chose the prelimbic cortex (PL) to focus in on.

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Albit Caban @albitc.bsky.social · 17/07/2026

Interestingly, most mice learned to balance both behavioral drives, by obtaining reward early during the 30s trial and avoiding the shock nearing the end, escaping to a safe platform. We called this behavioral strategy “Timing”.

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Albit Caban @albitc.bsky.social · 17/07/2026

We had mice go through an approach-avoidance conflict task. Mice learned that a 30s light signaled reward, while a 30s tone predicted an avoidable shock during the final 3s. During conflict, both cues appeared together, requiring animals to balance competing motivations.

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