Sign in

Andrea Locarno

@andreloc.bsky.social
11 followers 19 following 10 posts
PostsRepliesMedia
Andrea Locarno @andreloc.bsky.social · 03/08/2026
1/3 New preprint from the CB Lab: Is the brain's control over prolactin ready at birth or built afterward? We tracked TIDA dopamine neurons, the tonic brake on prolactin, across the first 3 postnatal weeks in mice. Preprint 👇 doi.org/10.64898/20...
biorxiv.org
Stable Network Homeostasis during Multi-Level Postnatal Maturation of the Mouse Tuberoinfundibular Dopamine–Prolactin Axis
The hypothalamus orchestrates endocrine function via specialized neuronal populations that interface with the pituitary gland. While postnatal circuit refinement is a hallmark of most neural systems, its contribution to hypothalamic neuroendocrine networks remains elusive. Among these populations, tuberoin-fundibular dopamine (TIDA) neurons of the arcuate nucleus are the primary source of tonic inhibition of prolactin (Prl), a hormone essential for reproduction, parental physiology, and behavior. While Prl levels surge during early mouse postnatal life, it remains unclear whether the TIDA system is fully developed at birth or undergoes functional maturation. Here, we combined immunofluorescence, slice electrophysiology, and Ca2+ imaging to determine the development of TIDA neurons in mice during the first three postnatal weeks. Expression of dopaminergic markers was sparse at birth but rose substantially after the first week, followed by the onset of median eminence innervation by TID
110
Reposted by Andrea Locarno
bioRxiv Neuroscience @biorxiv-neursci.bsky.social · 17/04/2026
Cortical Layer 6b Persistent Subplate Neurons Reciprocally Connect Sensorimotor Areas and Inversely Reflect Somatosensory Engagement www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/20…
042
Andrea Locarno @andreloc.bsky.social · 24/03/2026
Excited to share our new paper out in @CellReports! During my time in Raffaella Tonini lab ( @neuromodlab.bsky.social ) at @iitalk.bsky.social, we uncovered how the brain's prefrontal cortex and locus coeruleus form a reciprocal loop, and how the endocannabinoid system controls it. 🧵
141