Nicola Sambuco
@nicolasambuco.bsky.social
Pinned
Reproducible human reward imaging phenotypes exhibit differential sensitivity to dopamine D2 receptor antagonism - Nature Communications
Brain imaging across more than 1,200 people identifies two reproducible reward profiles, one tuned to cues and one to outcomes. The two profiles respond in opposite ways to dopamine-blocking drugs, an...
doi.org
Our paper is now published in @natcomms.nature.com! We identified reproducible human reward-processing phenotypes analogous to sign- and goal-trackers and tested their sensitivity to dopamine D₂ modulation. 🧵 1/4
#neuroskyence #Neuroimaging #RewardSignals
doi.org/10.1038/s414...
#neuroskyence #Neuroimaging #RewardSignals
doi.org/10.1038/s414...
Reposted by Nicola Sambuco
And for the pharmacological nerds, there are some beautiful dose-response curve in there ;-) doi.org/10.1038/s41...
Cannabinoid modulation of central amygdala population dynamics during threat investigation
Nature Communications - Neural mechanisms underlying cannabinoids’ anxiogenic effects are not fully understood. Here authors show that cannabinoids dose-dependently increased spontaneous...
www.nature.com
October 3, 2026 at 5:48 PM
And for the pharmacological nerds, there are some beautiful dose-response curve in there ;-) doi.org/10.1038/s41...
Reposted by Nicola Sambuco
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
osf.io
September 30, 2026 at 3:30 PM
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...
Reposted by Nicola Sambuco
1/ 🚨 Just out in @natneuro.nature.com! 🧠
We profiled >6,000 features of brain dynamics across humans, macaques, marmosets, mice, fish and worms 🧑🐒🐒🐁🐟🪱 to find a shared neural endpoint of anaesthesia: spatiotemporal isolation of local activity 🧵👇
🔗 doi.org/10.1038/s41593-026-02460-4
We profiled >6,000 features of brain dynamics across humans, macaques, marmosets, mice, fish and worms 🧑🐒🐒🐁🐟🪱 to find a shared neural endpoint of anaesthesia: spatiotemporal isolation of local activity 🧵👇
🔗 doi.org/10.1038/s41593-026-02460-4
October 2, 2026 at 9:18 AM
1/ 🚨 Just out in @natneuro.nature.com! 🧠
We profiled >6,000 features of brain dynamics across humans, macaques, marmosets, mice, fish and worms 🧑🐒🐒🐁🐟🪱 to find a shared neural endpoint of anaesthesia: spatiotemporal isolation of local activity 🧵👇
🔗 doi.org/10.1038/s41593-026-02460-4
We profiled >6,000 features of brain dynamics across humans, macaques, marmosets, mice, fish and worms 🧑🐒🐒🐁🐟🪱 to find a shared neural endpoint of anaesthesia: spatiotemporal isolation of local activity 🧵👇
🔗 doi.org/10.1038/s41593-026-02460-4
Reposted by Nicola Sambuco
How much of a risk are LLM-generated bots for online behavioral experiments?
We present results of an entirely natural language prompt-generated agent, capable of absolving any of the 26 experiments we tested it on. Most tasks are passed with data that can pass as human osf.io/preprints/ps...
(1/)
We present results of an entirely natural language prompt-generated agent, capable of absolving any of the 26 experiments we tested it on. Most tasks are passed with data that can pass as human osf.io/preprints/ps...
(1/)
October 2, 2026 at 5:45 AM
How much of a risk are LLM-generated bots for online behavioral experiments?
We present results of an entirely natural language prompt-generated agent, capable of absolving any of the 26 experiments we tested it on. Most tasks are passed with data that can pass as human osf.io/preprints/ps...
(1/)
We present results of an entirely natural language prompt-generated agent, capable of absolving any of the 26 experiments we tested it on. Most tasks are passed with data that can pass as human osf.io/preprints/ps...
(1/)
Reposted by Nicola Sambuco
Our multilayer MEG paper is out today in Nature Communications: depth-resolved laminar inference in humans 🧠#neuroskyence
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Multilayer MEG source modelling enables depth-resolved laminar inference in humans - Nature Communications
Researchers developed a multilayer MEG framework that estimates activity across cortical depth non-invasively. Simulations and three human datasets show when reliable laminar inference is possible, en...
www.nature.com
September 30, 2026 at 9:29 AM
Our multilayer MEG paper is out today in Nature Communications: depth-resolved laminar inference in humans 🧠#neuroskyence
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Reposted by Nicola Sambuco
This work extends in exciting new directions findings reported by myself and @mariamaly.bsky.social, Sam Feng, Nick Turk-Browne, @kennethanorman.bsky.social, and Jonathan Cohen.
link.springer.com/article/10.3...
link.springer.com/article/10.3...
Associative memory retrieval modulates upcoming perceptual decisions - Cognitive, Affective, & Behavioral Neuroscience
Expectations can inform fast, accurate decisions. But what informs expectations? Here we test the hypothesis that expectations are set by dynamic inference from memory. Participants performed a cue-gu...
link.springer.com
September 29, 2026 at 4:41 PM
This work extends in exciting new directions findings reported by myself and @mariamaly.bsky.social, Sam Feng, Nick Turk-Browne, @kennethanorman.bsky.social, and Jonathan Cohen.
link.springer.com/article/10.3...
link.springer.com/article/10.3...
Reposted by Nicola Sambuco
#TWiNPP
From Mandeville et al., brain imaging results providing a functional correlate of the antipsychotic therapeutic window
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
From Mandeville et al., brain imaging results providing a functional correlate of the antipsychotic therapeutic window
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Robust changes in brain function require high D2 receptor occupancy by prochlorperazine: an imaging correlate for the antipsychotic therapeutic window - Neuropsychopharmacology
Neuropsychopharmacology - Robust changes in brain function require high D2 receptor occupancy by prochlorperazine: an imaging correlate for the antipsychotic therapeutic window
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41386-026-02557-1"
September 29, 2026 at 6:01 PM
#TWiNPP
From Mandeville et al., brain imaging results providing a functional correlate of the antipsychotic therapeutic window
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
From Mandeville et al., brain imaging results providing a functional correlate of the antipsychotic therapeutic window
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Reposted by Nicola Sambuco
#TWiNPP
Sai et al. show that nicotine protonation shifts where inhaled nicotine is deposited, potentially contributing to distinct respiratory health risks associated with different e-cigarette formulations
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Sai et al. show that nicotine protonation shifts where inhaled nicotine is deposited, potentially contributing to distinct respiratory health risks associated with different e-cigarette formulations
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Comparing brain absorption and lung deposition of nicotine salts and free-base e-cigarettes: insights from [11C]nicotine PET imaging - Neuropsychopharmacology
Neuropsychopharmacology - Comparing brain absorption and lung deposition of nicotine salts and free-base e-cigarettes: insights from [11C]nicotine PET imaging
www.nature.com
September 29, 2026 at 6:01 PM
#TWiNPP
Sai et al. show that nicotine protonation shifts where inhaled nicotine is deposited, potentially contributing to distinct respiratory health risks associated with different e-cigarette formulations
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Sai et al. show that nicotine protonation shifts where inhaled nicotine is deposited, potentially contributing to distinct respiratory health risks associated with different e-cigarette formulations
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Reposted by Nicola Sambuco
Our latest paper led by Taylor Guthrie with former undergrad RA Aussie Frost. We show that multivariate fMRI signals can decode the identity of specific individuals within the DMN and in the absence of visual features or other lower-level sensory information. link.springer.com/article/10.3...
September 29, 2026 at 3:49 AM
Our latest paper led by Taylor Guthrie with former undergrad RA Aussie Frost. We show that multivariate fMRI signals can decode the identity of specific individuals within the DMN and in the absence of visual features or other lower-level sensory information. link.springer.com/article/10.3...
Reposted by Nicola Sambuco
All of our code is available here: github.com/LieberInstit.... This repo also contains links to our web-based interactive apps to explore the data.
GitHub - LieberInstitute/xenium_NAC: xenium_NAC
xenium_NAC. Contribute to LieberInstitute/xenium_NAC development by creating an account on GitHub.
github.com
September 27, 2026 at 5:10 PM
All of our code is available here: github.com/LieberInstit.... This repo also contains links to our web-based interactive apps to explore the data.
Reposted by Nicola Sambuco
Very excited to share our newest preprint, led by myself and Biostats PhD Student Jianing Yao, where we generate a three dimensional reconstruction of the human NAc to understand how cell type heterogeneity and topography change across the anterior-posterior axis.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
September 27, 2026 at 5:10 PM
Very excited to share our newest preprint, led by myself and Biostats PhD Student Jianing Yao, where we generate a three dimensional reconstruction of the human NAc to understand how cell type heterogeneity and topography change across the anterior-posterior axis.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
Reposted by Nicola Sambuco
This nose-poke-restricted vapor cocaine self-administration model in mice provides the opportunity to study inhaled cocaine use and relapse models
Development of a nose-poke restricted vaporized cocaine self-administration model in mice
Neuropsychopharmacology - Development of a nose-poke restricted vaporized cocaine self-administration model in mice
www.nature.com
September 28, 2026 at 5:30 PM
This nose-poke-restricted vapor cocaine self-administration model in mice provides the opportunity to study inhaled cocaine use and relapse models
Reposted by Nicola Sambuco
2 yrs ago, I briefly laid out a new theory of how motivation works (AGH).
Here, I expand on the problems AGH was trying to solve, why they are hard to solve, what my solution looks like, and how this should change our understanding of thoughts & actions.
osf.io/preprints/ps...
🧵A few highlights:
Here, I expand on the problems AGH was trying to solve, why they are hard to solve, what my solution looks like, and how this should change our understanding of thoughts & actions.
osf.io/preprints/ps...
🧵A few highlights:
September 28, 2026 at 4:57 PM
2 yrs ago, I briefly laid out a new theory of how motivation works (AGH).
Here, I expand on the problems AGH was trying to solve, why they are hard to solve, what my solution looks like, and how this should change our understanding of thoughts & actions.
osf.io/preprints/ps...
🧵A few highlights:
Here, I expand on the problems AGH was trying to solve, why they are hard to solve, what my solution looks like, and how this should change our understanding of thoughts & actions.
osf.io/preprints/ps...
🧵A few highlights:
Reposted by Nicola Sambuco
🚨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
September 27, 2026 at 7:15 PM
🚨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
Reposted by Nicola Sambuco
1️⃣ Aquaporin-4 (AQP4) water channels support the glymphatic system, a brain-wide pathway that clears cerebral waste products.
Here we use AQP4 gene expression as a molecular anchor to reconstruct a whole-brain glymphatic-related topography.
Here we use AQP4 gene expression as a molecular anchor to reconstruct a whole-brain glymphatic-related topography.
September 25, 2026 at 1:03 PM
1️⃣ Aquaporin-4 (AQP4) water channels support the glymphatic system, a brain-wide pathway that clears cerebral waste products.
Here we use AQP4 gene expression as a molecular anchor to reconstruct a whole-brain glymphatic-related topography.
Here we use AQP4 gene expression as a molecular anchor to reconstruct a whole-brain glymphatic-related topography.
Reposted by Nicola Sambuco
Sobering piece of data. 23% of people with a substance use disorder had a suicidal event in their lifetime. That is 16x the rate without SUD, and ~6x after taking into account many other factors like comorbidities.
September 24, 2026 at 4:45 PM
Sobering piece of data. 23% of people with a substance use disorder had a suicidal event in their lifetime. That is 16x the rate without SUD, and ~6x after taking into account many other factors like comorbidities.
Reposted by Nicola Sambuco
⚛️🧠 Why might neuroscience need quantum computing?
Not because the brain is "quantum", but because interactions between local & global dynamics create an enormous representational challenge.
Our piece in @natrevneuro.nature.com argues quantum computers could open a new path: doi.org/10.1038/s415...
Not because the brain is "quantum", but because interactions between local & global dynamics create an enormous representational challenge.
Our piece in @natrevneuro.nature.com argues quantum computers could open a new path: doi.org/10.1038/s415...
September 24, 2026 at 4:42 PM
⚛️🧠 Why might neuroscience need quantum computing?
Not because the brain is "quantum", but because interactions between local & global dynamics create an enormous representational challenge.
Our piece in @natrevneuro.nature.com argues quantum computers could open a new path: doi.org/10.1038/s415...
Not because the brain is "quantum", but because interactions between local & global dynamics create an enormous representational challenge.
Our piece in @natrevneuro.nature.com argues quantum computers could open a new path: doi.org/10.1038/s415...
Reposted by Nicola Sambuco
netneurotools: a trainee-oriented approach to network neuroscience | doi.org/10.1038/s415...
Our lab’s internal toolkit for accomplishing everyday tasks in brain imaging @natprot.nature.com ⤵️
Our lab’s internal toolkit for accomplishing everyday tasks in brain imaging @natprot.nature.com ⤵️
netneurotools: a trainee-oriented approach to network neuroscience - Nature Protocols
This is a Perspective covering a Python toolbox for neuroscience research that enables users to fetch datasets, construct networks and null models, estimate graph metrics, fit statistical models and v...
doi.org
September 24, 2026 at 1:23 PM
netneurotools: a trainee-oriented approach to network neuroscience | doi.org/10.1038/s415...
Our lab’s internal toolkit for accomplishing everyday tasks in brain imaging @natprot.nature.com ⤵️
Our lab’s internal toolkit for accomplishing everyday tasks in brain imaging @natprot.nature.com ⤵️
Reposted by Nicola Sambuco
Check out the SOLO - the SOcial experiences' daiLy Occurrence (SOLO) scale—a brief end-of-day diary measure capturing enjoyment of social interactions (also “weak ties”) and solitude experiences.
Huge team effort with Erik R. Frogner, Fatemeh Asgari @utasailer.bsky.social 🎉
doi.org/10.1111/sjop...
Huge team effort with Erik R. Frogner, Fatemeh Asgari @utasailer.bsky.social 🎉
doi.org/10.1111/sjop...
Appreciation of Social Experiences and Solitude in Everyday Life: The <fc>SOcial</fc> Experiences' <fc>daiLy</fc> Occurrence Scale (<fc>SOLO</fc>)
While social interactions and actively chosen solitude both contribute to well-being, existing measures focus solely on one dimension. We developed the SOcial experiences' daiLy Occurrence (SOLO) sca...
doi.org
September 24, 2026 at 8:41 AM
Check out the SOLO - the SOcial experiences' daiLy Occurrence (SOLO) scale—a brief end-of-day diary measure capturing enjoyment of social interactions (also “weak ties”) and solitude experiences.
Huge team effort with Erik R. Frogner, Fatemeh Asgari @utasailer.bsky.social 🎉
doi.org/10.1111/sjop...
Huge team effort with Erik R. Frogner, Fatemeh Asgari @utasailer.bsky.social 🎉
doi.org/10.1111/sjop...
Reposted by Nicola Sambuco
Next AFNI Bootcamp: Oct 20-22, 2026!
Classes cover: FMRI visualization, full subject-level processing, alignment, regression modeling, and quality control.
Registration is free & open to both NIH and non-NIH researchers.
Registration+details: afni.nimh.nih.gov/bootcamp
Please share widely.
Classes cover: FMRI visualization, full subject-level processing, alignment, regression modeling, and quality control.
Registration is free & open to both NIH and non-NIH researchers.
Registration+details: afni.nimh.nih.gov/bootcamp
Please share widely.
AFNI Bootcamp: October 20th - 22nd, 2026 | afni.nimh.nih.gov
afni.nimh.nih.gov
September 23, 2026 at 10:16 PM
Next AFNI Bootcamp: Oct 20-22, 2026!
Classes cover: FMRI visualization, full subject-level processing, alignment, regression modeling, and quality control.
Registration is free & open to both NIH and non-NIH researchers.
Registration+details: afni.nimh.nih.gov/bootcamp
Please share widely.
Classes cover: FMRI visualization, full subject-level processing, alignment, regression modeling, and quality control.
Registration is free & open to both NIH and non-NIH researchers.
Registration+details: afni.nimh.nih.gov/bootcamp
Please share widely.
Reposted by Nicola Sambuco
Dr. Tianjiao Zhang's landmark study of naturalistic navigation has been accepted in Nature Neuroscience! Encoding models fit 28,134 features to fMRI from a virtual taxi-driving task, revealing 11 distinct cortical regions that transform perception into action. Read the preprint.
gallantlab.org
gallantlab.org
September 24, 2026 at 1:01 AM
Dr. Tianjiao Zhang's landmark study of naturalistic navigation has been accepted in Nature Neuroscience! Encoding models fit 28,134 features to fMRI from a virtual taxi-driving task, revealing 11 distinct cortical regions that transform perception into action. Read the preprint.
gallantlab.org
gallantlab.org
Reposted by Nicola Sambuco
Sex-specific neuroadaptations within dorsal striatal circuits underlie habitual alcohol seeking
Chronic ethanol self-administration alters dopamine in the caudate nucleus and putamen of rhesus macaques in a sex-dependent manner
Neuropsychopharmacology - Chronic ethanol self-administration alters dopamine in the caudate nucleus and putamen of rhesus macaques in a sex-dependent manner
www.nature.com
September 21, 2026 at 5:30 PM
Sex-specific neuroadaptations within dorsal striatal circuits underlie habitual alcohol seeking
Reposted by Nicola Sambuco
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...
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...
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...
www.biorxiv.org
September 4, 2026 at 10:22 PM
Reposted by Nicola Sambuco
Binge alcohol dysregulate serotonin signaling in opposite directions: down in the ACC, up in the amygdala. The dysfunction is region-, sex-, and stimulus-specific.
September 21, 2026 at 7:00 PM
Binge alcohol dysregulate serotonin signaling in opposite directions: down in the ACC, up in the amygdala. The dysfunction is region-, sex-, and stimulus-specific.
Reposted by Nicola Sambuco
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...
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...
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...
www.biorxiv.org
September 4, 2026 at 10:18 PM
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...
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...