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Michael Kelberman

@mikekelberman.bsky.social
114 followers 108 following 43 posts

Donaldson Lab Post-Doc @ CU Boulder 🦬 interested in subcortical contributions to social deficits in Alzheimer's disease | Locus coeruleus enthusiast 🔵

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Reposted by Michael Kelberman
bioRxiv Neuroscience @biorxiv-neursci.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
Hypothalamic tauP301L pathology disrupts pair bonding in monogamous prairie voles www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/20…
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Michael Kelberman @mikekelberman.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
Congrats to all co-authors and special thanks to @neurozoe.bsky.social for supporting me as I pursued this crazy idea almost 3 yrs ago when I joined the lab!
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Michael Kelberman @mikekelberman.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
These findings establish direct and vicarious disruptions to pair bonding caused by hypothalamic tau pathology in male prairie voles, potentially via altered oxytocin signaling. Voles could also be useful for uncovering the mechanisms of caregiver burden imposed by having a spouse with dementia.
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Michael Kelberman @mikekelberman.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
Finally, 18-month males that expressed hypothalamic tau pathology also displayed elevated oxytocin fluorescence levels.
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Michael Kelberman @mikekelberman.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
In addition, healthy 18-month males that were paired with a hypothalamic tau-expressing female also displayed reduced partner preference. Comparatively healthy females and those expressing tau were unaffected.
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Michael Kelberman @mikekelberman.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
To our surprise hippocampocortical expression of tau did not yield any deficits in social or non-social behavior (sleep latency, y-maze, novelty suppressed feeding, resident intruder) even though pathology was expressed from birth. Comparatively, 18-month males with PVH tau were unable to bonds.
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Michael Kelberman @mikekelberman.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
We expressed tau-P301L (magenta; GFP in green) in hippocampocortical regions of from birth to 18 months, and in the PVH at 12 and 18 months to ask whether tau affects bonding in a sex-, age-, and region-specific manner
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Michael Kelberman @mikekelberman.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
We have a poor understanding of how social relationships and dementia interact mechanistically because we lack a preclinical model that forms human-relevant social bonds. Here, we expressed dementia-related tau-P301L pathology in monogamous prairie voles to ask how pathology affects pair bonding.
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Michael Kelberman @mikekelberman.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
We know that social relationships and dementia pathophysiology are intricately intertwined. In particular, social dysfunction is associated with elevated caregiver burden and worse patient outcomes. These same social relationships potently modify disease progression.
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Michael Kelberman @mikekelberman.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
TLDR: Tau disrupts male bond formation and elevates oxytocin fluorescence only when expressed in the hypothalamus of 18-month animals. Males paired to a tau-expressing female also show an inability to bond.
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Michael Kelberman @mikekelberman.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
Excited to share my latest work: Hypothalamic tauP301L pathology disrupts pair bonding in monogamous prairie voles www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
biorxiv.org
Hypothalamic tauP301L pathology disrupts pair bonding in monogamous prairie voles
Although dementias primarily affect memory, they also disrupt our closest social relationships, resulting in elevated caregiver burden and worse patient outcomes. However, the mechanistic study of how...
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Reposted by Michael Kelberman
Bernie Mulvey @berniejmulvey.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
Excited to share work with cryostat wizard @heenadivecha.bsky.social looking at gene expression in my favorite brain region (LC) in adult postmortem brain! (Long URL to spare the trouble of identifying cars, buses, beds in 5x5 pixel imgs). (1/x) link.springer.com/epdf/10.1007...
link.springer.com
Molecular programs in human locus coeruleus link APOE and neuromelanin to Alzheimer’s vulnerability
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Reposted by Michael Kelberman
davidweinshenker.bsky.social @davidweinshenker.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
Pleased to share a new Addiction Neuroscience Special Issue "Early Life Influences on Addiction" edited by @madrelabutd.bsky.social with contributions from @ericagrodin.bsky.social, @laurenmac.bsky.social, Marvin Diaz, Elizabeth Byrnes, and Chris Pierce! www.sciencedirect.com/special-issu...
sciencedirect.com
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Reposted by Michael Kelberman
davidweinshenker.bsky.social @davidweinshenker.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
In case you missed the preprint the published version of our paper describing the cellular, molecular, and behavioral consequences of hyperphosphorylated tau in the mouse locus coeruleus is out! www.nature.com/articles/s41...
nature.com
Pathogenic tau in the mouse locus coeruleus produces noradrenergic hyperactivity and neuropsychiatric phenotypes reminiscent of early Alzheimer’s disease - Molecular Psychiatry
Molecular Psychiatry - Pathogenic tau in the mouse locus coeruleus produces noradrenergic hyperactivity and neuropsychiatric phenotypes reminiscent of early Alzheimer’s disease
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Reposted by Michael Kelberman
davidweinshenker.bsky.social @davidweinshenker.bsky.social · 10/08/2026
Pleased to share a new Addiction Neuroscience Special Issue "The ventral pallidum as an orchestrator of reward seeking behavior" edited by Meaghan Creed with contributions from her, Anushree Karkhanis, @bensaunders.bsky.social, Asheeta Prasad, and Yvan Vachez www.sciencedirect.com/special-issu...
sciencedirect.com
Addiction Neuroscience | The ventral pallidum as an orchestrator of reward seeking behavior | ScienceDirect.com by Elsevier
Read the latest articles of Addiction Neuroscience at ScienceDirect.com, Elsevier’s leading platform of peer-reviewed scholarly literature
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Michael Kelberman @mikekelberman.bsky.social · 31/07/2026
This award officially puts me on the job market and my research program will broadly focus on how our social relationships shape health during aging and in dementia. If your university/department is planning a faculty search for the upcoming cycle, please get in touch!
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Michael Kelberman @mikekelberman.bsky.social · 31/07/2026
Incredibly grateful to have been selected by the @simonsfoundation.org as a recipient of the 2026 SCPAB Fellows-to-Faculty award! A special thanks to @neurozoe.bsky.social and the rest of my mentors for their incredible support up to this point in my career.
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Reposted by Michael Kelberman
Stephanie Staszko @sstaszko.bsky.social · 30/07/2026
Studying norepinephrine? Have cool results to share? Want to join an online community of norepinephrine researchers? We are organizing our fall schedule for the Blue Spot Slack! We have monthly virtual seminars where you can share your work and get feedback in a supportive environment. Apply/join ⬇️
Immunohistochemical staining showing noradrenergic neurons of the locus coeruleus
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Reposted by Michael Kelberman
Neuropsychopharmacology @npp-journal.bsky.social · 21/07/2026
Hot off the press, we're back with another roundup of #ThisWeekinNPP #TWiNPP 👇
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Reposted by Michael Kelberman
Neuropsychopharmacology @npp-journal.bsky.social · 21/07/2026
#TWiNPP Up next, a Hot Topics article exploring spousal relationships as an understudied determinant of cognitive aging and resilience @mikekelberman.bsky.social @neurozoe.bsky.social www.nature.com/articles/s41...
nature.com
The role of spousal relationships in shaping clinical trajectories during aging - Neuropsychopharmacology
Neuropsychopharmacology - The role of spousal relationships in shaping clinical trajectories during aging
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Michael Kelberman @mikekelberman.bsky.social · 15/07/2026
New hot topics piece in @npp-journal.bsky.social where @neurozoe.bsky.social and I argue for the importance of studying the role of social bonds (as opposed to just loneliness/isolation) in determining clinical trajectories during aging. www.nature.com/articles/s41...
nature.com
The role of spousal relationships in shaping clinical trajectories during aging - Neuropsychopharmacology
Neuropsychopharmacology - The role of spousal relationships in shaping clinical trajectories during aging
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Reposted by Michael Kelberman
davidweinshenker.bsky.social @davidweinshenker.bsky.social · 22/06/2026
Interested in how dysregulation of locus coeruleus-norepinephrine circuits contribute to neuropsychiatric symptoms in early Alzheimer's disease? Check out our new review article from freshly minted Dr. Anu Korukonda! www.nature.com/articles/s41...
nature.com
A new hope: locus coeruleus-norepinephrine system at the nexus of neuropsychiatric symptoms - Molecular Psychiatry
Molecular Psychiatry - A new hope: locus coeruleus-norepinephrine system at the nexus of neuropsychiatric symptoms
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Reposted by Michael Kelberman
Natale R. Sciolino, PhD @sciolinolab.bsky.social · 06/06/2026
1/ New preprint from our lab: “Locus coeruleus activation transforms cortical taste representations” We asked how a major neuromodulatory system reshapes cortical taste coding toward behaviorally meaningful features. www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
biorxiv.org
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Michael Kelberman @mikekelberman.bsky.social · 14/05/2026
Use of inhibitory, ultrafast, step-function opsins, as well as analyzing dynamic connectivity measures across a variety of disease models could uncover viable therapeutic strategies for treating neurological disorders
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Michael Kelberman @mikekelberman.bsky.social · 14/05/2026
Published studies using opto-fMRI have largely deployed excitatory opsins and focus on changes in static functional connectivity.
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Michael Kelberman @mikekelberman.bsky.social · 14/05/2026
We start by describing our own setup followed by the potential of these studies for understanding pathological disease processes, using our own data in the TgF344-AD rat model as proof-of-concept. We stress the importance of validating optogenetic stimulation and employing the proper controls.
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Michael Kelberman @mikekelberman.bsky.social · 14/05/2026
New methods book chapter with @shellakeilholz.bsky.social and @davidweinshenker.bsky.social focused on the potential of combined optogenetics and fMRI for understanding disease processes. link.springer.com/protocol/10....
link.springer.com
Leveraging Optogenetic fMRI for Understanding Disease Processes in Neurological Disorders
Optogenetics and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) are two tools that have become indispensable for neuroscientists, though they have traditionally been used to ask distinct questions regar...
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Michael Kelberman @mikekelberman.bsky.social · 07/04/2026
Shout out to all the amazing co-authors on this study!
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Michael Kelberman @mikekelberman.bsky.social · 07/04/2026
Our study suggests that LC lesions exacerbate pre-existing behavioral deficits and AD pathology, rather than accelerating their onset. Such nuance in understanding the contributions of LC dysfunction to dementia progression is necessary for developing effective therapeutics targeting this system.
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Michael Kelberman @mikekelberman.bsky.social · 07/04/2026
Specifically, TgF344-AD rats displayed anxiety-like phenotypes and social recognition deficits whereas DSP-4 treatment induced apathy-like behaviors and changed arousal. There was relatively little pathology present in young TgF344-AD rats and DSP-4 didn't accelerate the appearance of tau or amyloid
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Michael Kelberman @mikekelberman.bsky.social · 07/04/2026
We induced LC lesions using multiple doses of DSP-4 prior to significant accumulation of pathology in TgF344-AD rats. Contrary to our initial hypothesis, we found that TgF344-AD genotype and DSP-4 independently induced behavioral dysfunction and rarely interacted to exacerbate AD-related phenotypes
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Michael Kelberman @mikekelberman.bsky.social · 07/04/2026
New manuscript from undergrad Alexia and @davidweinshenker.bsky.social on the molecular and behavioral effects of early locus coeruleus lesions in the TgF344-AD rat model alz-journals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...
alz-journals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com
Impact of early locus coeruleus lesions in the TgF344 Alzheimer's disease rat model
INTRODUCTION In murine models of Alzheimer's disease (AD), lesioning the locus coeruleus–norepinephrine (LC-NE) system with DSP-4 exacerbates AD-like neuropathology and cognitive impairment. However...
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Michael Kelberman @mikekelberman.bsky.social · 19/03/2026
Huge shout out to all the co-authors, especially the work from the executive committees of the Neuromodulatory Subcortical Systems and Sex and Gender Differences in Alzheimer's disease PIAs, for putting together this massive and important review!
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Michael Kelberman @mikekelberman.bsky.social · 19/03/2026
We argue that without consistent, sex-informed experimental designs, the field risks overlooking critical mechanisms that shape dementia vulnerability, particularly at the earliest stages of disease when mitigation strategies would be most effective.
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Michael Kelberman @mikekelberman.bsky.social · 19/03/2026
Overall, we find variability in reported sex differences across neuromodulatory systems and studies as a result of methodological gaps, including the lack of sex-disaggregated data, underpowered samples, and failure to account for hormonal status.
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Michael Kelberman @mikekelberman.bsky.social · 19/03/2026
Here, we review sex differences in 9 neuromodulatory subcortical systems (dopamine, norepinephrine, acetylcholine, orexin/hypocretin, histamine, oxytocin, vasopressin, CRF, serotonin) under normal conditions and in disease states that may drive sex-specific dementia susceptibility and progression.
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Michael Kelberman @mikekelberman.bsky.social · 19/03/2026
While the vulnerability/susceptibility of neuromodulatory subcortical systems in dementia and their implications for disease pathophysiology is well-documented, the modulatory role of sex in determining disease progression within these nuclei is relatively unexplored.
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Michael Kelberman @mikekelberman.bsky.social · 19/03/2026
New review on the role of neuromodulatory subcortical system dysfunction in dementia, this time with a specific focus on sex differences. alz-journals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...
alz-journals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com
Sex differences in neuromodulatory subcortical systems and their implications for Alzheimer's disease
Neuromodulatory subcortical systems (NSSs) are uniquely susceptible to dementia-related pathology, leading to frequent molecular and behavioral impairments associated with altered function of these n...
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Reposted by Michael Kelberman
davidweinshenker.bsky.social @davidweinshenker.bsky.social · 02/02/2026
Excited to share newly minted PhD Anu Korukonda's tour de force thesis work describing the impact of pathogenic tau on #locuscoeruleus function in a mouse model of early #Alzheimers. A must for #BlueSpot researchers! www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6... 1/3
biorxiv.org
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Reposted by Michael Kelberman
bioRxiv Neuroscience @biorxiv-neursci.bsky.social · 02/02/2026
Pathogenic tau in the mouse locus coeruleus induces noradrenergic hyperactivity and neuropsychiatric phenotypes reminiscent of early Alzheimers disease www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/20…
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Reposted by Michael Kelberman
Heidi Jacobs @heidijacobslab.bsky.social · 21/01/2026
The Neuromodulatory Subcortical Systems PIA within @istaart.bsky.social is requesting nominations for the best paper of 2025 on neuromodulatory subcortical systems in Alzheimer's disease!! ISTAART members: promote the work of your colleagues (or yourself) here: alz.surveymonkey.com/r/Publicatio...
alz.surveymonkey.com
Publication of the Year Award - Nomination
Thank you for submitting your Nomination!
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Michael Kelberman @mikekelberman.bsky.social · 09/01/2026
Together these data show that CP-AMPARs in the nucleus accumbens control the progression from social interaction to pair bonding via neuronal and ensemble level encoding
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Michael Kelberman @mikekelberman.bsky.social · 09/01/2026
CP-AMPARs mediate excitation of fast-spiking interneurons (FSIs) and with electrophysiology we found FSIs coordinate medium spiny neuron ensemble activity.
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Michael Kelberman @mikekelberman.bsky.social · 09/01/2026
Pharmacological blockade of CP-AMPARs blocked pair bond formation. With in vivo calcium imaging, we show that blockade of CP-AMPARs paradoxically disrupts partner neuronal ensemble formation and encoding while increasing the proportion of partner-selective neurons.
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Michael Kelberman @mikekelberman.bsky.social · 09/01/2026
New paper from @neurozoe.bsky.social www.nature.com/articles/s41.... We uncover a role for nucleus accumbens calcium permeable AMPA receptors (CP-AMPARs) in pair bond formation. Congrats to first author Mostafa and all the other amazing co-authors!
nature.com
Client Challenge
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Reposted by Michael Kelberman
Lindsay Schwarz @lindsayschwarz.bsky.social · 15/12/2025
Thrilled this is out, led by former PD Cameron Ogg (now with her own lab at @rhodescollege.bsky.social!). It was a driven by a desire to see, in real-time, how LC activity/NE release influences downstream targets in behaving animals. SO hard to do, but Cameron did it! www.cell.com/cell-reports...
cell.com
Locus coeruleus norepinephrine neurons facilitate orbitofrontal cortex remapping and behavioral flexibility
Ogg et al. use in vivo imaging techniques to record activity in the locus coeruleus (LC) and the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) during a reversal learning task in freely moving rodents. They show that man...
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Michael Kelberman @mikekelberman.bsky.social · 15/11/2025
Happy to discuss whenever you do!
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Michael Kelberman @mikekelberman.bsky.social · 15/11/2025
Together these results suggest LC lesions worsen pre-existing pathology and behavioral dysfunction, rather than accelerate their onset. Congrats to all co-authors!
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Michael Kelberman @mikekelberman.bsky.social · 15/11/2025
Interestingly we found that AD genotype and DSP-4 rarely interacted to affect phenotypes. Instead each factor led to distinct phenotypes like apathy and changes in arousal (DSP-4) or social recognition deficits and anxiety (TgF344-AD).
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