Neuroscientist at Stockholm University. 🧠. Our lab studies the neural network basis of innate behaviours, and structure-function relationships in oscillating brain circuits. All views my own. ”Of physiology from top to toe I sing”/W. Whitman.

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

The prefrontal cortex (PFC) and locus coeruleus (LC) form a bidirectional circuit essential for cognitive control and arousal. LC-derived norepinephri…