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Kurt Fraser

@kurtfraser.bsky.social
2.6K followers 652 following 1.4K posts

Brain scientist, tall human, dog owner in the twin cities

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Reposted by Kurt Fraser
NBC News @nbcnews.com · 23h
A surprising new study finds that people who sleep near their dogs don’t experience disrupted sleep. If anything, the University of Toronto researchers discovered, we humans are the ones disturbing our dogs’ sleep.
nbcnews.to
The secret to a good night’s rest? Let sleeping dogs lie ... next to you
You’re more likely to disrupt your dog’s sleep than they are yours, new study suggests.
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bioRxiv Neuroscience @biorxiv-neursci.bsky.social · 19h
The basolateral amygdala dopamine system shapes dynamic drug seeking states www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/20…
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Logan @bulklogan.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
Wendy Carlos in front of a synthesizer with 50 bazillion wires and knobs
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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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Ian Petrie @icpetrie.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
Tremendous photograph by the Inquirer's Jessica Griffin of a worried golden lab regarding Orifice the Awebot, a furry pink plush robot with a shock of blonde hair as it rolls down the street in Old City
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Ian Petrie @icpetrie.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
The hero we need in Philly today
inquirer.com
Orifice the Awebot is Philly’s ‘magical’ response to Uber Eats robots
"She’s part of our bringing delight and surprise and letting it ripple through the city."
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Ben Saunders @bensaunders.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
For those interested in a neuroscience PhD - the University of Minnesota Graduate Program in Neuroscience www.neuroscience.umn.edu is hosting a virtual open house event on Oct. 26th. Learn about the program and meet students and faculty! Register here: forms.gle/CXRLvz2EGPwG...
Flyer for the graduate program in neuroscience at the university of minnesota, to announce a virtual open house event on October 26th. Register at https://forms.gle/CXRLvz2EGPwGSL7J7
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Phil Corlett @philcorlett.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
New from Sarah Fan and our predictive coding team: prediction errors are bottom up in people with delusions (and top-down in psychics): osf.io/preprints/ps...
osf.io
OSF
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bioRxiv Neuroscience @biorxiv-neursci.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Chronic semaglutide treatment attenuates cue-induced reinstatement of cocaine-seeking and cocaine-induced stereotypy in male and female rats www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/20…
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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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Rachel Donka @racheldonka.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
🚨New paper alert: Excited to share our journey to contrast how multiple dopamine sensors respond to acute morphine treatment. We first compared changes in dopamine transients in rats prepared with VTA DA GCaMP6f, NAcLS dLight1.3b or GRABDA2h 1/5
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Zoe McElligott @nanopharmnc.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
Our new investigation examining how #SBI-553 a biased modulator of NTSR1 alters motivated feeding and NST potentiation of inhibitory transmission in the extended amygdala is now online! www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
sciencedirect.com
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Reposted by Kurt Fraser
Mark Baxter 🏳️‍🌈🧂 @markgbaxter.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
If you work with international personnel, you may want to comment on this proposed rule change that would put visa holders out of status immediately (instead of after a 60 day grace period) when their employment ends keepthe60days.com
keepthe60days.com
Keep the 60 Days: H-1B, E-3, L-1, O-1 & TN grace period
DHS proposes ending the 60-day grace period after a layoff for H-1B, E-3, L-1, O-1 and TN visa holders. Comment on USCIS-2026-0364 before November 10, 2026.
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Kurt Fraser @kurtfraser.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
24 days of Levi
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Margo Le @margole.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
New preprint! 🧠🐭🔬 Reward-predictive cues can bias action selection, but can they also influence the *rules* we use to complete a sequence of actions? sPRInT through this thread to find out! www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
biorxiv.org
Reward Memories Bias Instrumental Rule Selection via the Orbitofrontal-to-Secondary Motor cortex Pathway
Reward-predictive cues can influence decision-making and promote the pursuit of specific outcomes. This influence is classically studied using specific Pavlovian-to-instrumental transfer (sPIT), in wh...
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JP @jpbrammer.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
sometimes I get bored and cancel myself on Threads by saying whatever the fuck
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Pop Crave @popcrave.com · 20/09/2026
15 years ago today, Carly Rae Jepsen released “Call Me Maybe.”
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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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Kurt Fraser @kurtfraser.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
Sacre bleu
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Kurt Fraser @kurtfraser.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
The highlight tho is a sign said McValeur Menu and now I’m laughing
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Kurt Fraser @kurtfraser.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
What in French Canadian hell is this Lyft and Uber situation
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Kurt Fraser @kurtfraser.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
Bonjour hi montreal
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Natale R. Sciolino, PhD @sciolinolab.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
Our paper has been accepted at Cell Reports (@cp-cellreports.bsky.social). Huge thanks to Will Fan, who spearheaded this work, and to Paula To for her contributions. See the graphical abstract below, and thread for the story behind the figures: doi.org/10.1016/j.ce...
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Jeremiah Cohen @jeremiahycohen.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
Happy to share the version of record of our locus coeruleus paper here: www.nature.com/articles/s41... Prior thread on some of our discoveries in this study: bsky.app/profile/jere...
nature.com
Topographic structure and function of locus coeruleus noradrenaline neurons - Nature
Dorsal and ventral noradrenergic neurons in the locus coeruleus form topographic subpopulations whose projection patterns and activity encode choice switching, reward-prediction errors and disregard o...
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Stephanie Staszko @sstaszko.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
New preprint alert! 🚨 🧠 My postdoctoral work in Al Kaye’s lab has focused on understanding how animals navigate and learn from threats in their environment. To study this, I developed a virtual visual cliff height threat task, inspired by Boone et al. 2021. www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
biorxiv.org
An adaptive noradrenergic-prefrontal circuit for innate avoidance of heights
Innate preferences determine how animals interact with the environment, but how experience refines the neural processes underlying those intrinsic motivations is not well understood. Here we develop a...
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bioRxiv Neuroscience @biorxiv-neursci.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
Pavlovian conditioned approach with different reward magnitudes reveals opposing effects of acute and chronic semaglutide treatment www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/20…
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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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Kurt Fraser @kurtfraser.bsky.social · 13/09/2026
Even with R they find ways to reproduce the One True Bar
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Mar Hicks @histoftech.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
when you work at the BPAF but you’re beginning to realize there’s not going to be a successful IPO
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Kurt Fraser @kurtfraser.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
marshmallow test my ass
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Reposted by Kurt Fraser
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences @pnas.org · 11/09/2026
The 2026 Lasker~Bloomberg Public Service Award honors Michael J. Fox for advancing Parkinson’s research through his foundation. Randy Schekman reflects on his impact in a PNAS Perspective: ow.ly/TLef50ZMCu5 #LaskerLaureate Albert and Mary Lasker Foundation
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Kurt Fraser @kurtfraser.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
Fantastic!
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Sabine Krabbe @sabinekrabbe.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
Amygdala dopamine is often studied in response to external rewards or threats. But what happens during self-initiated exploration? Our new preprint suggests a broader role: a state-dependent salience signal linking exploration and associative learning. 👉 www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
biorxiv.org
Basolateral amygdala dopamine signals behavioural salience across exploration and learning
Animals must balance exploration with threat avoidance, yet how neuromodulatory signals shape information-seeking states remains unclear. Using fibre photometry recordings in the basolateral amygdala ...
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Melissa Herman @melissaherman.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
So excited to share our latest lab pub led by superstar grad student Sarah Mott. Interested in social competition/dominance? Check out this new work that explores hierarchy in BOTH females and males with bonus sharing/cooperation and featuring the Lateral Habenula🧠 www.nature.com/articles/s41...
nature.com
Complex social dominance behavior using a novel platform test is associated with lateral habenula activation in male and female mice - Neuropsychopharmacology
Neuropsychopharmacology - Complex social dominance behavior using a novel platform test is associated with lateral habenula activation in male and female mice
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Kurt Fraser @kurtfraser.bsky.social · 05/09/2026
I may have been convinced to give it another go after The Great Aspen Airport Closure of 2019 @melissaherman.bsky.social
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Kurt Fraser @kurtfraser.bsky.social · 05/09/2026
Summer break is just starting right? We have all summer still right?
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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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bioRxiv Neuroscience @biorxiv-neursci.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
Reward Memories Bias Instrumental Rule Selection via the Orbitofrontal-to-Secondary Motor cortex Pathway www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/20…
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Kurt Fraser @kurtfraser.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
The Creation of Dog
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Kurt Fraser @kurtfraser.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
And is the dog also on the pillow omg
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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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Kurt Fraser @kurtfraser.bsky.social · 29/08/2026
4 years of Levi!
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Jean-Paul Noel @jpnoel.bsky.social · 29/08/2026
First Noel Lab Pre-print! If you are into "peri-personal space" and feel like we need more single cell recordings, this one is for you! www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
biorxiv.org
An egocentric map prioritizing peri-personal space in the mouse rostro-lateral visual area
All physical interactions between an organism and its environment occur within the space immediately adjacent to and surrounding its body, its peripersonal space (PPS). This space has been extensively...
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Ashley Kopec @ashleykopec.bsky.social · 29/08/2026
Hey folks! If you haven’t seen this, take a look and consider submitting comments. RFIs help shape the resulting policies, so if you are in favor or opposed, it is valuable to speak up. Would also ask your PO what they think, as they would be most impacted by this… grants.nih.gov/grants/guide...
grants.nih.gov
NOT-OD-26-088: Request for Information (RFI) on Proposed Changes to Reporting Outcomes from NIH Peer Review
NIH Funding Opportunities and Notices in the NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts: Request for Information (RFI) on Proposed Changes to Reporting Outcomes from NIH Peer Review NOT-OD-26-088. NIH
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Kurt Fraser @kurtfraser.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
#skinny4pavlovian
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Kurt Fraser @kurtfraser.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
If you wanna drop a fast 15 pounds I really recommend getting a gum graft
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Michael Totty @mictott.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
Incredibly proud to share our newest work where we developed a multiscale spatial transcriptomic atlas of the human amygdala using three complementary technologies! 1/12 🧵 www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
biorxiv.org
Multiscale spatial transcriptomics resolves the cellular and molecular architecture of the human amygdala
The amygdala is a central hub for emotional learning that is dysregulated across numerous psychiatric disorders, yet its molecular architecture in humans remains poorly defined. We here present a spat...
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christine liu / two photon art @christineliu.art · 27/08/2026
Are you a neuroscientist that also makes art? I wanna get to know you and spotlight your art at this session at #SfN26! Show me your art, whether it’s related to your science or not! 🧠🧪
The Artist in the Neuroscience Lab
Chair: Michele Banks
Artologica
Panelists: Michele Banks; Geinene Carson;
Kimberly Fiock, PhD; Christine Liu, PhD
Date & Time: Sunday, November 15, 1:30-3 p.m.
Location: WCC Room 152
Theme: Theme K - History, Education, and Society
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