Conner Whitten

Behavioral Neuroscience PhD candidate studying the effects of social dominance on social defeat stress 🐹 Payómkawichum - Pechanga Band (He/His)

[Conner Whitten @BrainBehavTalk]

Im excited to share that I published a paper in Developmental Psychobiology:

"From Play Date to Stress Fate: Juvenile Social Play Rescues Stress‐Induced Changes in Adult Social Behavior" https://t.co/MgEaAo3Cr9

[culture @notgwendalupe]

Bad Bunny's Full Super Bowl Halftime show #SuperBowl

[Niko McCarty. @NikoMcCarty]

A couple years ago, scientists made the first transgenic ants. They inserted a "calcium reporter" gene into their neurons, exposed the ants to pheromones, and then watched as individual neurons fired in response.

The same group has now released the first "reference brain" for these ants. They imaged 40 individual brains using confocal microscopy and mapped their synaptic regions, major brain structures, and even the locations of neurotransmitters like GABA and serotonin. Genetically-identical ants had up to a 2-fold difference in brain size, which is weird.

I'm really excited about this paper, though, because these maps are a starting point to do FUNCTIONAL experiments across the whole brain of eusocial insects. With this map, and the ability to engineer these ants with calcium sensors, we can do some wild experiments:

- Map all the neural circuits involved in these ants' behaviors. Which neurons "fire" when ants are foraging, reproducing, and so on?
- Map all the circuits involved in pheromone sensing.
- Begin manipulating their neural circuits using optogenetics. Can we change the behavior of an entire colony by writing new information into their neurons?
- Map neural circuits at various stages of development. How does the brain develop in these ants, is the size of each brain associated with an ant's role (forager or nurse, for example), and how do neural dynamics shift as those roles are adopted?
- Is the sociality of ants learned or genetically "baked in"? How do the neural circuits underlying social behaviors change over the life of an ant?

There is so much fun to be had.

[William A. Wallace, Ph.D. @WilliamWallace]

A simple guide to what exercise does to your brain

Exercise isn’t just about muscles; it’s one of the most powerful tools for brain health. Every workout sends chemical signals and blood flow to your brain that sharpen thinking, boost mood, and protect neurons. Here’s how:

1️⃣ Sharper Focus & Motivation
Exercise releases norepinephrine and dopamine, improving attention, perception, drive, and learning.
🟢 Example: That “clear-headed” feeling after a run isn’t random, it’s brain chemistry.

2️⃣ Better Mood & Stress Relief
Serotonin rises, enhancing mood and reducing anxiety.

Endorphins & enkephalins dull pain and create a sense of well-being (“runner’s high”).
🟢 Example: A brisk walk can boost serotonin almost as effectively as some mood interventions.

3️⃣ Neuron Growth & Repair
Exercise stimulates BDNF (brain-derived neurotrophic factor) — a growth factor that protects neurons, repairs them after stress, and grows new connections.
🟢 Example: Think of BDNF as “fertilizer” for brain cells.

4️⃣ Stronger Memory & Learning
With consistent exercise, the hippocampus (key for memory and learning) grows larger and works more efficiently.
🟢 Example: Regular cardio has been shown to preserve memory with age.

5️⃣ More Oxygen & Nutrients
Increased blood flow delivers fuel and removes waste, keeping brain cells healthier for longer.
🟢 Example: This is one reason exercise reduces risk of neurodegenerative disease.

Exercise is a full-brain workout. It boosts focus, mood, memory, and resilience - while protecting neurons from stress and aging. Every time you move, your brain thanks you.

[nature @Nature]

These are 10 essential science reads from the past year

https://t.co/YjCmd1AxF2

[Alex Kwan 關進晞 @kwanalexc]

We used rabies virus 👾 to map how #psilocybin modifies long-range circuits 🧠, revealing network-specific reorganization that we didn’t expect.

Full study now online at Cell @CellCellPress

Paper 👉 https://t.co/nMpVaiTCni

Thread for a synopsis 👉 https://t.co/X8QDQpRGTQ

[The Figen @TheFigen_]

Jackie and Shadow,
a famous bald eagle pair from Big Bear Valley, protect their new eaglets amid 150 mph winds and heavy snowfall.

[Nirosha J. Murugan @niroshajmurugan]

Fascinating @ScienceMagazine article on magnetosensing and its unexpected ties to mechanobiology.

A pigeon’s semicircular canal in their ears, long regarded as a fluid-filled labyrinth that acts as a kind of gyroscope for orientation (much like our own) - is receptive to weak electromagnetic fields, activating evolutionary conserved brain circuits for motion and spatial orientation.

What other tissues are covertly multiplexing multiple streams of biophysical information to regulate health and behaviour?

Link: https://t.co/JpAgPmzgyt

[Science Magazine @ScienceMagazine]

"In the end, I have come to realize that being authentic at work is not a weakness, but rather a strength." #ScienceWorkingLife https://t.co/xXF9s1QUnj

[ACNP @ACNPorg]

Congratulations to Harriet De Wit, Ph.D., for being awarded the Barbara Fish Memorial Award! ☺️ #ACNP2026

Please click here ➡️https://t.co/oFKjlKtebU to watch the nominator video by Abraham Palmer, Ph.D.

[Matt Hill @canna_brain]

Ultimately, no single or dual projection population emanating from the BLA was responsible for stress-induced glucocorticoid secretion, suggesting that it is likely a distributed network of projection neurons in the BLA which cooperatively orchestrate hormonal responses to stress

[Matt Hill @canna_brain]

More so, Rob established a roadmap of BLA projection neurons to a host of target regions and examined which ones were sensitive to exposure to stress

[Matt Hill @canna_brain]

New lab paper drop, this one has been a long time coming! Driven by Rob Aukema (now a postdoc with Kerry Ressler) this paper answered the lingering question of what role the amygdala plays in stress-induced neuroendocrine responses.

Link for paper in Science Advances👇👇

[Matt Hill @canna_brain]

New very cool paper from @RyanMcPickle, collaborating with our group on establishing predictors of cannabis self administration in rats.

What comes out on top……baseline stress hormone levels and performance in tasks of behavioral flexibility.

[Red Pill USA @Red_Pill_US]

@MmisterNobody Barbara O'Neal explains, SLEEP. 😴

[Andrew D. Huberman, Ph.D. @hubermanlab]

Dr Matt Hill @canna_brain did an awesome job explaining the knowns and unknowns about cannabis on the HLP. And we met in a “discussion” right here on @x (just kidding; sorta). But in all seriousness, he knows the data inside out https://t.co/PabYwxK7XH

[Truth Will Reign 👑 @TruthWill_Reign]

The Art of Misdirection.

[LongTime🤓FirstTime👨‍💻 @LongTimeHistory]

She's had a Green Card for 50 years—ICE just detained her anyway.

Lewelyn Dixon is a permanent resident legally living in U.S. since 1975.

She may have been targeted because her niece works for a Democratic state legislator speaking out against Trump's immigration policies.

Emily Cristobal said her family has not "been informed of anything by ICE," relating to the reasoning for her aunt's detention.

The 64-year-old Lewelyn Dixon immigrated to the U.S. from the Philippines when she was 14.

She currently works as a laboratory technician at the University of Washington.

#DemVoice1 #wtpBLUE #DemsUnited

[Kelton Minor @keltonminor]

There are days in life that shake you.

I’m shattered 💔 to share that I just found out that the US Government terminated my 2024 NIH Director’s Early Independence Award (~$2 million), threatening my long-promised assistant professor job at @Columbia & academic career... 1/🧵

[nature @Nature]

In an unprecedented move, the US National Institutes of Health has begun mass terminations of research grants that fund active scientific projects because they no longer meet “agency priorities”.

https://t.co/ALQlFtfuVd