Neuroscience

Many distinct regulatory factors have been shown to be required for the proper initiation of neuron-type-specific differentiation programs, but much less is known about the regulatory programs that maintain the differentiated state in the adult [1-3]

Channelopathies are disorders caused by abnormal ion channel function in differentiated excitable tissues.

Striatal locally projecting neurons, or interneurons, act on nearby circuits and shape functional output to the rest of the basal ganglia. We performed single-cell RNA sequencing of striatal cells enriching for interneurons.

Behavioral and molecular characterization of cell-type-specific populations governing fear learning and behavior is a promising avenue for the rational identification of potential 

Like most homeostatic systems, adiposity in mammals is defended between upper and lower boundary conditions. While leptin and melanocortin-4 receptor (MC4R) signaling are required for defending energy set point, mechanisms controlling upper and lower homeostatic boundaries are less well understood. In contrast to the MC4R, deletion of the MC3R does not produce measurable hyperphagia or hypometabolism under normal conditions.

Brain mural cells form a heterogeneous family which significantly contributes to the maintenance of the blood-

Social stress causes profound urinary bladder dysfunction in children that often continues into adulthood. We discovered that the intensity and duration of social stress influences whether bladder dysfunction presents as overactivity or underactivity.

Voluntary urination ensures that waste is eliminated when safe and socially appropriate, even without a pressing urge. Uncontrolled urination, or incontinence, is a common problem with few treatment options. Normal urine release requires a small region in the brainstem known as Barrington's nucleus (Bar), but specific neurons that relax the urethral sphincter and enable urine flow are unknown. Here we identify a small subset of Bar neurons that control the urethral sphincter in mice.

The mammalian brain is composed of diverse, specialized cell populations. To systematically ascertain and learn from these cellular specializations, we used Drop-seq to profile RNA expression in 690,000 individual cells sampled from 9 regions of the adult mouse brain. We identified 565 transcriptionally distinct groups of cells using computational approaches developed to distinguish biological from technical signals.