Malu Murugan @malu-murugan.bsky.social · 17/11/2025You are too kind Nicole! So good running into you! 010
Malu Murugan @malu-murugan.bsky.social · 03/11/2025Thanks to my incredible mentors @ilanawitten.bsky.social and Rich Mooney, who have shaped me and my science. And thanks to my colleagues at Emory, who are simply the best! 150
Malu Murugan @malu-murugan.bsky.social · 03/11/2025I'm incredibly honored to receive the Janett Rosenberg Trubatch Career Development Award from @sfn.org SFN was the first research conference I ever attended and presented at. I feel truly humbled! Thanks to my fab research team who make me look good! 8323
Malu Murugan @malu-murugan.bsky.social · 01/11/2025@hyma2194.bsky.social @soniakarkare.bsky.social @cemsevinc.bsky.social @jarildy.bsky.social 000
Malu Murugan @malu-murugan.bsky.social · 28/10/2025Thanks David! We are really excited about this one. 000
Reposted by Malu MuruganGordon Berman @gordonberman.bsky.social · 28/10/2025Really fantastic work led by Ben Dykstra! 011
Malu Murugan @malu-murugan.bsky.social · 28/10/2025The data suggest distinct roles for iCA1 and iCA3 in how they represent social novelty information. 000
Malu Murugan @malu-murugan.bsky.social · 28/10/2025Finally, by tracking the same neurons across sessions, Ben found that, while spatial information remains stable across days - social information rapidly remaps in both hippocampal subfields. 100
Malu Murugan @malu-murugan.bsky.social · 28/10/2025Ben found that iCA3 neurons are more strongly modulated by social stimuli and encode relative social novelty relative to iCA1 neurons. In contrast, iCA1 neurons were more strongly modulated by spatial information.. 100
Malu Murugan @malu-murugan.bsky.social · 28/10/2025So Ben developed a novel linear presentation assay which allows him to present multiple social targets at the same location using an automated programmable conveyor belt. 100
Malu Murugan @malu-murugan.bsky.social · 28/10/2025Ben found that both in the iCA1 and iCA3, social information is strongly multiplexed with spatial information. Making the traditional social discrimination assays hard to interpret. 100
Malu Murugan @malu-murugan.bsky.social · 28/10/2025Our newest preprint! Work led by Ben Dykstra (co-mentored by @gordonberman.bsky.social). Some of the first recordings from the iCA3 region during social behaviors. Ben found that iCA3 neurons more strongly represent social recognition information relative to iCA1 . www.biorxiv.org/cgi/content/...biorxiv.org 2116
Reposted by Malu MuruganArjen Boender @ajboender.bsky.social · 22/10/2025Very happy to share an expansion to the comparative gene editing toolkit: AAVs to reduce dopamine receptor levels that are functional in many rodent species. Fun collaboration with @malu-murugan.bsky.social, Elliott Albers and Frank Meye.biorxiv.orgComparative gene editing reduces dopamine receptor levels across rodent speciesTranslational challenges in neuroscience originate from species-specific differences that limit the generalizability of experimental findings. Comparative approaches can help distinguish conserved fro... 292
Malu Murugan @malu-murugan.bsky.social · 22/10/2025Yeah I was thinking that. It totally would be worth trying in the finches. 010
Malu Murugan @malu-murugan.bsky.social · 22/10/2025Reach out to Arjen if you want to try it out in your favorite model system. Congratulations to @soniakarkare.bsky.social and Dario Aspesi who did all the experimental work. 000
Malu Murugan @malu-murugan.bsky.social · 22/10/2025Check out this exciting new tool from @ajboender.bsky.social - An aav based CRISPR-Cas9 strategy to knockdown dopamine receptors. Works in mice, voles and hamsters. It was a fun collaboration. www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...biorxiv.orgComparative gene editing reduces dopamine receptor levels across rodent speciesTranslational challenges in neuroscience originate from species-specific differences that limit the generalizability of experimental findings. Comparative approaches can help distinguish conserved fro... 2205
Reposted by Malu MuruganbioRxiv Neuroscience @biorxiv-neursci.bsky.social · 07/10/2025Non-overlapping social and food reward representations in the basolateral amygdala www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/202… 001
Malu Murugan @malu-murugan.bsky.social · 08/10/2025Finally, interestingly, she found that neurons that showed increased activity in response to reward were more sensitive to reward omissions in comparison to neurons that decreased their activity in response to reward - showing functional heterogeneity in bla neurons activity 000
Malu Murugan @malu-murugan.bsky.social · 08/10/2025She also found that bla neurons are sensitive to changes in the internal state of the animal. 100
Malu Murugan @malu-murugan.bsky.social · 08/10/2025Jari also found that, in contrast to the mpfc, food rewards are more strongly represented relative to social rewards in the bla. 100
Malu Murugan @malu-murugan.bsky.social · 08/10/2025Taking advantage of a two choice social -food operant assay, Jari found that largely being overlapping populations of bla neurons represent social and food rewards. 100
Malu Murugan @malu-murugan.bsky.social · 08/10/2025Excited to share our latest preprint led by @jarildy.bsky.social looking at social and non social reward representations. www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1.... with help from @hyma2194.bsky.social and @jennisisaac.bsky.social.biorxiv.orgNon-overlapping social and food reward representations in the basolateral amygdalaThe ability to consider and appraise positively valenced stimuli in the environment, such as food and social interaction, to guide appropriate action is important for survival of most animals. Several... 2155
Malu Murugan @malu-murugan.bsky.social · 06/10/2025Really interesting! Look forward to reading it. Congratulations 030
Malu Murugan @malu-murugan.bsky.social · 30/09/2025Hi Colin, the language is intentionally broad, we are open to experimental neuroscientists ranging the entire spectrum, including human subject research. 010
Malu Murugan @malu-murugan.bsky.social · 29/09/2025Interesting findings! Congratulations Katie and team! 000
Malu Murugan @malu-murugan.bsky.social · 29/09/2025Come be my colleague! Lots of exciting science, fantastic students and supportive colleagues. Emory University Biology Department tenure-track assistant professor position in neuroscience. share.google/945Jko4W1MTA.... Please feel free to retweet and share widely.share.googleEmory University Biology Department tenure-track assistant professor position in neuroscience - Atlanta, Georgia job with malia.escobar@emory.edu | 675335Candidate uses experimental approaches to examine any aspect of neural function, including molecular, cellular, systems, or developmental neuroscience 32116
Malu Murugan @malu-murugan.bsky.social · 08/09/2025Accepted manuscript version of this paper up on J.Neuro. @sfnjournals.bsky.social . Beautiful work led by @jennisisaac.bsky.social and @soniakarkare.bsky.social with help from @hyma2194.bsky.social characterizing various LS projection populations and their inputs. www.jneurosci.org/content/earl...jneurosci.orgOrganization of brainwide inputs to discrete lateral septum projection populationsThe lateral septum (LS) is anatomically positioned to play a critical role in directing information from the hippocampus and cortex to downstream subcortical structures, such as the hypothalamus. In f... 1142
Malu Murugan @malu-murugan.bsky.social · 16/06/2025Beautiful work Dionnet! So excited to see this out! 110
Malu Murugan @malu-murugan.bsky.social · 10/06/2025Lab t-shirts are here finally. Thanks to fab undergrad Paul Kim for designing them. 040
Malu Murugan @malu-murugan.bsky.social · 05/06/2025A ventral hippocampal-lateral septum pathway regulates social novelty preference. Version of record - now available on @elife.bsky.social check it out doi.org/10.7554/eLif...doi.orgA ventral hippocampal-lateral septum pathway regulates social novelty preferenceProjection-specific optogenetic and chemogenetic experiments reveal a hippocampal-lateral septal pathway that potentially acts via the ventral tegmental area to regulate social novelty preference beha... 22310
Reposted by Malu MuruganSimons Foundation @simonsfoundation.org · 22/05/2025The Telly Awards has named our short film on the life and impact of our co-founder Jim Simons as a People’s Telly Gold Winner in the general non-broadcast category. Read more: www.simonsfoundation.org/2025/05/20/f... #science #philanthropysimonsfoundation.orgFoundation’s Film About Jim Simons Named People’s Gold Winner at Telly AwardsThe Simons Foundation’s short film on the life and impact of Jim Simons is a People’s Telly Gold Winner. 032
