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Alicia Izquierdo

@aliciaizquierdo.bsky.social
2.8K followers 320 following 351 posts

Professor of Behavioral Neuroscience at UCLA. Family-loving, vinyl-listening Angeleno 🫶🏼 she/her izquierdolab.com Posts are my own and do not reflect my employer.

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Alicia Izquierdo @aliciaizquierdo.bsky.social · 10/10/2026
Can we also have a series of articles on the limitations of organoids? Or have I missed them?
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Andrew Hardaway @andrewhardaway.bsky.social · 10/10/2026
Nonhuman primate research is desperately needed. Still.
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IBRO journals @ibrojournals.bsky.social · 08/10/2026
🧠 What is shaping the future of neuroscience in India? In #50Neuroscience Reflection #38, Prof. Kavita Babu IBRO-APRC member, highlights advances from pain & itch research to open tools for studying behavior. 🔗 Read the piece: ow.ly/8Bhu50ZVi0J Elsevier Life Sciences Journals
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Jon Simons @jonsimons.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
Brenda Milner.
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Ben Saunders @bensaunders.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
Very excited to share our new preprint. We identify the basolateral amygdala dopamine system as an important interface between dynamic shifts in the environment and decisions to engage in vigorous drug use. Really challenging studies led brilliantly by Dr. Megan Brickner.
biorxiv.org
The basolateral amygdala dopamine system shapes dynamic drug seeking states
Drug-associated sensory cues and contexts exert powerful influence over drug seeking motivation, but in vivo brain mechanisms governing this process remain unclear. Here, we recorded and manipulated d...
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Mark Histed @markhisted.org · 05/10/2026
Oh I shd add: Deisseroth’s work was (say it w me!) supported with public funding through federal science agencies incl NIH, NSF, and DARPA. And I daresay few political deciders in 2004 would have been excited to put algal proteins in HEK cells or neurons. Scientists knew, though.
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Alicia Izquierdo @aliciaizquierdo.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
Newly-accepted paper from Sara Burke's lab: A 🐀 touchscreen task is sensitive to perceptual difficulty and captures performance declines with greater feature overlap, but does not detect age-related memory deficits 🤔@touchscreencog.bsky.social academic.oup.com/oons/article...
academic.oup.com
An Operant-based Touchscreen Morph Discrimination Task Does Not Detect Age-related Mnemonic Similarity Deficits in Rats
Abstract. The Mnemonic Similarity Task (MST) is sensitive to age-related cognitive decline in humans and has been adapted for rodents using 3D objects, whe
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David Ho @davidho.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
I don’t think everyone realizes how bad things are for US science: For the fiscal year that just ended, the Trump regime withheld $1.4 billion from the National Science Foundation’s research budget, which is about 1/5 of its primary research budget.
nytimes.com
National Science Foundation Diverted $1.4 Billion in Science Funds Mandated by Congress (Gift Article)
The move, affecting about one-fifth of the National Science Foundation’s primary research budget, is the latest sign of how the White House is asserting more control over grants.
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Erin J. Wamsley 🧠📈😴 @wamsleylab.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
The fiscal year is over. The dying Social, Behavioral, and Economic division of NSF ended up awarding 90 total grants this year, as opposed to ~700-800 in recent past years. Source: grantwitness.org/nsf/analyses...
The graph shows the cumulative number of awards made by month across this fiscal year, as compared to the last 6 fiscal years. The line for this year is total flat until June, but then finally gets up to 91 by October. In prior years the increase starts building earlier and ends on average in the 700-800 range (with variability, last year was only between 400-500).
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Denise J. Cai, Ph.D. @denisejcai.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
NEW: The anterior hypothalamic nucleus acts like a volume knob for stress, scaling the brain’s response to threatening events 🧠 Read the Cai Lab's latest paper, led by @zachtpennington.bsky.social, in @nature.com 🎉 www.nature.com/articles/s41... More: bsky.app/profile/did:...
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RLDM @rldmparis2027.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
📣 Save the date! RLDM 2027, the Multi-disciplinary Conference on Reinforcement Learning and Decision Making, is coming to Paris, July 6-9, 2027 🎉 Stay tuned for submission deadlines and more updates on our website rldm.org 👀
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Jenna Norton @jenna-m-norton.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
A great overview of how the Trump admin cultivated fear inside NIH to force compliance, even with harmful, unethical & unlawful orders. Also covers origins of the Bethesda Declaration community. From my friend & co-organizer Dr. Wen-Ying Sylvia Chou. www.psychologicalscience.org/publications...
psychologicalscience.org
NIH Employees Lived in A Culture of Fear, So They Started Keeping Receipts
Sylvia Chou, former NIH program director, says “nobody’s OK” after massive disruptions to funding policies and infrastructure.
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Ron Keiflin @ronkeiflin.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
New lab preprint! OFC—>M2 in rule selection. Project led by the amazing @margole.bsky.social
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Alicia Izquierdo @aliciaizquierdo.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
📣 Assistant Professor of Teaching in Neuroscience at UCLA! ☀️ 🧠 Apply before Nov 9th recruit.apo.ucla.edu/JPF11315
recruit.apo.ucla.edu
Assistant Professor of Teaching in Neuroscience in the UCLA Department of Psychology and Undergraduate Neuroscience Interdepartmental Program
University of California, Los Angeles is hiring. Apply now!
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Alicia Izquierdo @aliciaizquierdo.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
If anyone has an “official” NIH link for the details, please share…
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Vaughn Cooper @vscooper.micropopbio.org · 25/09/2026
FYI to everyone submitting this October NIH cycle You need to re-certify your ScienCV AFTER Sept 26 (tomorrow) for your application or it may not be accepted. Great timing!
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Tim Verstynen @tdverstynen.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
One has to wonder if the NIH requiring a change in biosketch formats and releasing the new template just a week before one of their major submission deadlines is a feature or a bug?
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Sandra Romero Pinto @sromeropinto.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Happy to have this finally out! TL;DR: The evolution of beliefs over time can be formulated as a dynamical system, and OFC neural activity appears to implement this system with its own dynamics. These emerge without explicit supervision—when animals learn to predict value in simple Pavlovian tasks
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Martin Zettersten @mzettersten.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Our department at UC San Diego is hiring a new tenure-track Assistant Professor. Open area, research addressing foundational issues in cogsci using modern computational methods. I love my department, and you will too. Apply!! apol-recruit.ucsd.edu/JPF04633 #cogscisci #cogsci #DevPsyc #PsychSciSky
apol-recruit.ucsd.edu
Assistant Professor in Cognitive Science
University of California, San Diego is hiring. Apply now!
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André F. de Sousa @desousa1.bsky.social · 28/04/2026
It is finally out! Excited to share the main work from my postdoc in the Silva Lab at UCLA. We investigated how memories are organized in the brain (rdcu.be/ffPmX).
rdcu.be
The prefrontal cortex controls memory organization in the hippocampus
Nature Neuroscience - Related memories are sometimes encoded in overlapping neurons. The authors show that the prefrontal cortex controls this type of memory organization in the hippocampus through...
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Keith Trujillo @neurochicano.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
For those who didn’t know Dr. London, here’s a tribute highlighting her impact on the field: www.semel.ucla.edu/in-memoriam-...
semel.ucla.edu
In Memoriam: Edythe D. London, PhD - Semel Institute
Message from Drs. Helena Hansen, Michael Gitlin, Christopher S. Colwell, Ziva D. Cooper, Dara Ghahremani, Catherine Cahill, Christopher J. Evans, and Gina Poe It is with profound sadness that we annou...
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Alicia Izquierdo @aliciaizquierdo.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
Dr. Eydie London was a force for good, a dear colleague, and a pioneering neuroscientist. She leaves an indelible mark in our hearts and minds. @jdavidjentsch.bsky.social started a collection to establish an ✨ACNP Travel Award✨ in her honor. Please consider donating via Venmo @ elondontravelaward
Smiling people against a beautiful downtown LA night skyline.
Left to right: Alicia Izquierdo, Ben Santos-Jentsch, Lara Ray, Eydie London, and David Jentsch.
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Tom Kash @superkash.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
new paper out, led by @jobeneuro.bsky.social , exploring 5HT dynamics in cingulate and central amygdala, and how a history of alcohol consumption changes them! www.nature.com/articles/s41...
nature.com
Selective dysregulation of serotonin dynamics in the anterior cingulate cortex and central amygdala following binge alcohol consumption - Neuropsychopharmacology
Neuropsychopharmacology - Selective dysregulation of serotonin dynamics in the anterior cingulate cortex and central amygdala following binge alcohol consumption
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Stan Floresco @dr-stan.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
I am truly humbled, and elated for this recognition, and grateful to my mentors, colleagues, trainees and family who've supported me on this journey
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Alicia Izquierdo @aliciaizquierdo.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
Updated lab website with the amazing people I get to work with and some exciting projects underway izquierdolab.com
izquierdolab.com
Izquierdo Lab — Alicia Izquierdo, UCLA Department of Psychology
The Izquierdo Lab at UCLA studies the brain mechanisms of flexible reward learning and value-based decision making, with a focus on frontocortical circuits.
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Drew Schreiner @schreinerdrew.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
I’m on the faculty job market this fall! 🐦🧠 I’m an NIH K99/R00 awardee studying how the brain learns complex skills, using birdsong to connect molecules, synapses, circuits, behavior & computation. Know of a search where I might fit? Please send it my way & share!
drewschreiner.github.io
Drew Schreiner, Ph.D. | Neuroscience of Learning
I use birdsong to understand how the brain learns complex skills across molecules, synapses, circuits, behavior, and computation. On the 2026–27 faculty job market.
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Brian Wiltgen @wiltgenlab.bsky.social · 21/08/2026
Come work with the fantastic faculty at UC Davis! Great place to live and do science 🧪 recruit.ucdavis.edu/JPF07812
recruit.ucdavis.edu
Assistant Professor of Psychology - Biological Bases of Behavior
University of California, Davis is hiring. Apply now!
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Ashley Juavinett, PhD @ashleyjuavinett.bsky.social · 06/09/2026
If there are any PhD hopefuls on here, I wanted to share a few thoughts on your timeline for the upcoming admissions cycle, with apps due starting mid-November. What should you be doing right now? ✔️ Generating a list of schools ✔️ Reaching out to possible recommenders 🧵!
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Vinny Costa @vincentcostaphd.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
For real…Emory is awesome and Atlanta neuroscience community just keeps growing at all levels.
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Samantha Butler @samanthabutler.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
Please spread the news - the Department of Neurobiology at UCLA is hiring. This is an open rank search for all and any amazing neuroscientists! Please apply here by Nov 15th, first review end of October : recruit.apo.ucla.edu/JPF11296
recruit.apo.ucla.edu
Open-rank tenure-track faculty position
University of California, Los Angeles is hiring. Apply now!
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Kenneth Amaya, PhD @kenam15.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
Attention all central amygdala aficionados and habit learning lovers: Sharing the latest work from my time at Dartmouth where we examined CeA activity during habit formation, now out at JNeuro www.jneurosci.org/content/earl...
jneurosci.org
Habit learning shapes activity dynamics in the central nucleus of the amygdala
A habit develops as a motivated behavior that is strengthened by extended experience and feedback. While the performance component of a habit is relatively well studied, being linked to action-related...
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annecollins.bsky.social @annecollins.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
Check out our new Trends In Cognitive Science paper on mechanisms of cognitive flexibility - a broad collaborative piece with Florian Bähner, Ali Hummos, Sarah Oh, Kai Sandbrink, and Andreas Meyer-Lindenberg www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
sciencedirect.com
Neurocomputational mechanisms underlying cognitive flexibility: a translational perspective
Cognitive flexibility allows us to adjust behavior when environmental rules change and to recombine prior knowledge in novel situations. However, the …
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Torben Ott @torbenottlab.org · 02/09/2026
6/ Now on BioRxiv: Psilocybin collapses visual change detection and drives cortical dynamics toward a state of surprise. t.co/Y8A4Su3rph #Psychedelics #Neuroscience #PsychedelicScience
t.co
https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.08.21.745777v1
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violetkimble.bsky.social @violetkimble.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
Really grateful to see this work highlighted! Thank you, Alicia, and blackinneuro.bsky.social for creating space to showcase this work. Excited to contribute to the “Picture a ‘Black in Neuro’ Scientist” special collection in Oxford Open Neuroscience. 🧠
blackinneuro.bsky.social
Black In Neuro (@blackinneuro.bsky.social)
A grassroots movement turned non-profit organization with a mission to diversify the neurosciences by building a community that celebrates and empowers Black scholars and professionals in neuroscience...
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Eliza Bliss-Moreau @eblissmoreau.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
My dept/area is hiring! We're open to animal species/model and research area. UCD is an amazing place to do nonhuman animal work - major 🐒 center, a band new rodent vivarium in the Psych building, and capacity to house all sorts of other animals! recruit.ucdavis.edu/JPF07812
recruit.ucdavis.edu
Assistant Professor of Psychology - Biological Bases of Behavior
University of California, Davis is hiring. Apply now!
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Eliza Bliss-Moreau @eblissmoreau.bsky.social · 29/08/2026
We're currently hiring a new director for the renowned UC Davis Center for Mind and Brain. The director will be appointed as a Professor in our psychology department: recruit.ucdavis.edu/JPF07814
recruit.ucdavis.edu
Director of the Center for Mind and Brain & Professor of Psychology
University of California, Davis is hiring. Apply now!
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Alicia Izquierdo @aliciaizquierdo.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
I thought I was at the GRC Frontal Cortex for a minute with this slide! But seriously, some beautiful work on receptor correlations within and beyond cingulate cortex by Lucija Rapan from Nicola Palomero-Gallagher’s lab #MCC2026 in Helsinki
Speaker in front of slide showing different cytoarchitectonic divisions in monkey brain
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Bita Moghaddam @bita137.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
It used to be that hot and extraordinary new data would get published in high profile journals in a timely/quick manner - I am not sure when it all changed and why now it is a "requirement" for young folks to publish there to get academic jobs but the current system is really bad for science
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Dr. Implorable @drimplorable.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
Want to keep her memory alive? Do a lot of kind things, for a lot of people, no matter who they are. And do it with a happy and humble heart.
Mural portrait of Dolly Parton
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Jorge Morales @jorgemorales.me · 26/08/2026
The NSF GRFP solicitation is out. Aspiring Psychology PhD students, the deadline is October 20. www.nsf.gov/funding/oppo...
nsf.gov
NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP)
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Zoe McElligott @nanopharmnc.bsky.social · 24/08/2026
Gearing up for #WCBR2027! (Please repost!) Helpful links for submission (panels due 9/15/26, posters 10/13/26) and travel fellowships (Due 9/15/26): winterbrain.org/science-of-t... winterbrain.org/travel-fello...
Why Reserachers Choose Winter Brain, From the mouths of attendees: "Great quality science, small meeting, great location" "It was the perfect size for a meeting, with a great  networking opportunity" "The quality of the science and the networking combined with opportunity for snowboarding is very appealing"Find Your Way to Share Your Science
We are now accepting Panel, Perspective, Short Course, and Poster proposals for the 59th Winter Conference on Brain Research in Breckenridge, Colorado, January 30 – February 4, 2027.  Winter Brain seeks proposals from across different neuroscience disciplines and in different formats.

Build the Conversation: Panels
Panels have a cohesive scientific theme. Presentations that approach a theme from different experimental angles or have clinically translational themes are highly encouraged. 

Panel Proposal Deadline: September 15, 2026.
Challenge the Conversation: Perspectives
Perspectives are intended to bring people in a field together to discuss and debate ideas and findings. Brief slide presentations (1–5 slides per panelist) and audience participation should be encouraged by panelists.
Perspective Proposal Deadline: September 15, 2026.

Share Your Expertise: Short Courses
Short Courses introduce a topic/technique to non-experts, addressing its foundations, strengths, and limitations, with ample time for questions. Opportunities for hands-on participation are encouraged.
Short Course Proposal Deadline: September 15, 2026.

Put Your Research in the Spotlight: Posters
Share your latest research and connect directly with scientists in the Winter Brain Community through a Poster presentation.
Poster Proposal Deadline: October 13, 2026.Supporting the Next Generation of Neuroscience - Travel Fellows

The Travel Fellowships page provides information on how to apply for these junior investigator awards. The application deadline is September 15, 2026, for both Panel and Poster Travel Fellowships. In addition to Travel Fellowships, awards for best posters by junior investigators will be presented at the closing banquet. You can indicate your eligibility for a poster award when submitting your poster abstract.
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Chen @xenopuselegans.bsky.social · 22/08/2026
For those who might be interested, @hhmi-science.bsky.social is hiring a program manager to support science students at community colleges through transfer and bachelor's degree completion in the life sciences.
hhmi.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com
Program Manager
Primary Work Address: 4000 Jones Bridge Road, Chevy Chase, MD, 20815 Current HHMI Employees, click here to apply via your Workday account. HHMI is focused on supporting and moving science forward in a...
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Uma Karmarkar @umakarma.bsky.social · 21/08/2026
Hey, it's the marketing version of a recent academic post. Let me use that as a template. So [a company] used AI to write their [ad]. Not my thing, but these days, whatever. The 🤯 of it all happens for me because this implies NONE of the [team] then *read the [ad] that was written*?!
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Kurt Fraser @kurtfraser.bsky.social · 19/08/2026
The Department of Psychology at University of Minnesota seeks an Assistant Professor working on computational approaches related to cognition and/or perception (broadly). This would be in my area of the department and I’m happy to answer any questions. Posting : hr.myu.umn.edu/psc/hrprd/EM...
google.com
Careers
Tenure-Track Assistant Professor, Computational Approaches to Perception and/or CognitionDepartment of PsychologyUniversity of Minnesota, College of Liberal ArtsThe Department of Psychology at the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities announces a search for an outstanding scholar to fill a tenure-track assistant professor position focused on computational approaches to perception and/or cognition. This full-time position in the Department’s Cognitive and Brain Sciences (CAB) Training Program will begin in Fall 2027.Applications are invited from researchers who would extend or complement our historic strengths in combining experimental and computational approaches to perception and cognition. Examples of desired research topics include, but are not limited to, computational approaches in human and/or non-human animal models to study perceptual function and sensory loss, learning, motivation, emotion, and/or higher cognition. While we expect the primary appointment to be in our CAB area, there is  potential for cross-affiliation with other departmental areas.The appointment will be 100%-time over the nine-month academic year (late-August to late-May) and will be made at the rank of tenure-track assistant professor, depending on qualifications and experience and consistent with collegiate and University policy. Salary and start-up packages are competitive. The successful applicant should have and is expected to maintain a strong research program, advise graduate students from a variety of different backgrounds, and teach undergraduate and graduate courses, including core courses within the graduate training program. A strong record of teaching and mentorship is desired. The individual will also be expected to contribute to the service needs of the department, college, university, and profession.A successful candidate's application will demonstrate scholarly distinction, a record of publications, teaching commitment and, if applicable to the research program and the candidate’s career stage, evidence of success in securing and/or pursuing extramural funding.Applicants are invited to review the Workload Principles and Guidelines for Regular Faculty in the College of Liberal Arts, as well as the Standards for Promotion and Tenure in the Department of Psychology.
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Jess Cardin @jess-cardin.bsky.social · 18/08/2026
Yale Neuroscience 🧠 @yaleneuro.bsky.social is hiring this year! We have 2 searches, one cell/molecular/systems neuro (apply.interfolio.com/190736) and one computational neuro (apply.interfolio.com/190740). Got questions about the searches, the department, or the process? Please ask, happy to chat!
apply.interfolio.com
Apply - Interfolio {{$ctrl.$state.data.pageTitle}} - Apply - Interfolio
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Alicia Izquierdo @aliciaizquierdo.bsky.social · 18/08/2026
How perfectly old school✨ to administer a battery of behavioral tests and find converging evidence! Complementary roles for dorsal and ventral CA1 in flexible behavior, with a deep dive into perseveration www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
science.org
Complementary roles of dorsal and ventral hippocampus in the flexible adaptation of goal-directed behavior
vCA1 drives flexible adaptation to new rules by detecting perseverative error signals, while dCA1 stabilizes learned information.
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Bita Moghaddam @bita137.bsky.social · 16/08/2026
I disagree with the absolutism of this advice and invite more senior academics to not be judgemental on issues like this when evaluating CVs of more junior folks. Manuscript "in prep" means data collection/analyses is done but writing, which could take many weeks with multiple authors, is ongoing
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Alicia Izquierdo @aliciaizquierdo.bsky.social · 14/08/2026
Thanks @rudebecklab.bsky.social and @realdiehllab.bsky.social for chairing a fantastic GRC Frontal Cortex! Lasting impact and inspiration 🫶🏼
Holderness NH scene with clouds under bright sun
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Nicola Grissom @nicolagrissom.bsky.social · 14/08/2026
Perhaps you're having FOMO over missing GRC Frontal Cortex this year. Understandable, regrettable BUT BE NOT AFRAID because you're going to GRC Frontal Cortex 2028!! with your chairs @drbediya.bsky.social and @kacummings.bsky.social and your new vice chairs @markgbaxter.bsky.social and...MOI 🧠💅💖
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Alicia Izquierdo @aliciaizquierdo.bsky.social · 14/08/2026
Accepted article for the “Picture a ‘Black in Neuro’ Scientist” special collection in Oxford Open Neuroscience! @violetkimble.bsky.social writes how social withdrawal in addictions is a hormonally sensitive and structurally embedded process academic.oup.com/oons/article...
academic.oup.com
Estradiol and social withdrawal in addiction: a sex-specific neuroendocrine perspective
Abstract. Addiction models have traditionally emphasized drug rewards while often underestimating the role of social processes in relapse vulnerability. Co
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