iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Ding Liu @dingliu.bsky.social · 03/10/2025

My Own Lab at Westlake University is OPEN! We are recruiting cool people at all levels NOW! By tinkering behaviors and neural circuits in distinct animal species (mouse, sugar glider, etc), we are exploring new ways of doing social neuroscience in vivo, in silico and at home!

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Harris Kaplan @harriskaplan.bsky.social · 05/03/2025

The dataset is massive: 200,000 cells and ~150 cell types, ~25% of which have known behavioral annotations thanks to previous work by many labs, such as @dulaclab.bsky.social work on parenting or social drive (recently published by @dingliu.bsky.social). Maybe you can spot your favorite cell type!

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Catherine Dulac @dulaclab.bsky.social · 05/03/2025

Delighted to share our new work just out today, led by terrific postdoc in the lab @harriskaplan.bsky.social: the development of instinct at the single cell level. Thread to follow shortly www.nature.com/articles/s41...

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Ding Liu @dingliu.bsky.social · 28/02/2025

Thank you so much, Ishmail! Really appreciated the mice and support you provided! Let’s keep in “touch”!

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Ding Liu @dingliu.bsky.social · 27/02/2025

Hey Yoh! Long time no see. Thank you!

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Ding Liu @dingliu.bsky.social · 27/02/2025

And the colleagues from the Dulac lab: @mostafizurrahman.bsky.social @Autumn Johnson @Zuri A. Sullivan @Nicolai Pena @Mustafa Talay @blogeman.bsky.social @Samantha Finkbeiner @Lechen Qian @Athena Capo-Battaglia (7/7)

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Ding Liu @dingliu.bsky.social · 27/02/2025

Thank all the collaborators and lab members for their contribution and superb teamwork: @naoshigeuchida.bsky.social @Mitsuko Watabe-Uchida, @Ryunosuke Amo @Iku Tsutsui-Kimura @David Ginty @ssebastianchoi.bsky.social @ishmailsaboor.bsky.social (6/7)

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Ding Liu @dingliu.bsky.social · 27/02/2025

We also found that touch is a key sensory modality for mice to perceive social environment, with lack of touch sensation leading to the emergence of social need, and its presence providing social satiety. (5/7)

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Ding Liu @dingliu.bsky.social · 27/02/2025

Via projections to oxytocin neurons, lateral habenula and arcuate nucleus, Isolation neurons coordinate the enhanced social drive, aversive emotion and inhibition of eating during short-term social isolation. The projections from Reunion neurons to VTA led to dopamine release during reunion. (4/7)

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Ding Liu @dingliu.bsky.social · 27/02/2025

We further identified two molecularly defined interconnected neuronal populations in the hypothalamus, one activated by social isolation, the other by social reunion, together mediating a dynamic balance between “social need” and “social satiety” states. (3/7)

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Ding Liu @dingliu.bsky.social · 27/02/2025

First, we characterized a "social rebound" behavior triggered by social isolation, which suggests a homeostatic regulation of social need. Intriguingly, different mouse strains showed distinct social rebound intensity after isolation, indicating a genetic basis for social need. (2/7)

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Ding Liu @dingliu.bsky.social · 27/02/2025

In our new paper @dulaclab.bsky.social, we investigated a fundamental question in social neuroscience: the origin of "sociality" (the need of being together) at the levels of behavior, neuron type, neural circuit and sensory modulation. (Detailed digest below) (1/7) www.nature.com/articles/s41...

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Ding Liu @dingliu.bsky.social · 27/02/2025

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Ding Liu @dingliu.bsky.social · 26/02/2025

Our paper @dulaclab.bsky.social on social homeostasis is online today! We characterized “social rebound” behavior after social isolation in multiple mouse strains and revealed its neural basis. Intriguingly, soft touch plays a key role in satisfying social need! www.nature.com/articles/s41...

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Catherine Dulac @dulaclab.bsky.social · 26/02/2025

Nice story on fabulous new work from @dingliu.bsky.social in my lab, just out today!...

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