Allan-Hermann Pool
@allanhpool.bsky.social
Assistant Professor @UTSW. Interested in neuroscience of pain, pain relief and innate motivations.
Also, another shout out to @helenlailab.bsky.social for a great collaboration and the BRAIN Initiative's Cell Atlas Network and BICAN Spinal Cord working group for funding and critical input (16/15).
June 22, 2026 at 1:18 PM
Also, another shout out to @helenlailab.bsky.social for a great collaboration and the BRAIN Initiative's Cell Atlas Network and BICAN Spinal Cord working group for funding and critical input (16/15).
Clarification: Kania lab beautifully characterized the Phox2a lineage ascending projection neurons and Todd lab demonstrated transcriptomic diversity and differential sensory engagement of Phox2a SPN subtypes.
June 22, 2026 at 1:08 PM
Clarification: Kania lab beautifully characterized the Phox2a lineage ascending projection neurons and Todd lab demonstrated transcriptomic diversity and differential sensory engagement of Phox2a SPN subtypes.
Huge shout out to the study lead authors Liliana Cano-Gomez, Helen Poldsam and Satoshi Ishishita, who figured it all out (15/15).
June 22, 2026 at 7:48 AM
Huge shout out to the study lead authors Liliana Cano-Gomez, Helen Poldsam and Satoshi Ishishita, who figured it all out (15/15).
Finally – we proposed cell-type-to-phenotype maps as a means to functionally annotate some of the SPN diversity. Below we are showing combinations of SPNs yielding either a pain/itch/touch or temperature phenotype (14/n).
June 22, 2026 at 7:48 AM
Finally – we proposed cell-type-to-phenotype maps as a means to functionally annotate some of the SPN diversity. Below we are showing combinations of SPNs yielding either a pain/itch/touch or temperature phenotype (14/n).
We ended up generating a molecular anatomic catalog of SPNs, as well as a wiring matrix, contextualized existing SPN markers and satisfyingly recapitulated most of the previously characterized transcriptomic SPN types (e.g. Phox2a lineage SPN types first characterized by the Todd lab) (13/n).
June 22, 2026 at 7:48 AM
We ended up generating a molecular anatomic catalog of SPNs, as well as a wiring matrix, contextualized existing SPN markers and satisfyingly recapitulated most of the previously characterized transcriptomic SPN types (e.g. Phox2a lineage SPN types first characterized by the Todd lab) (13/n).
… and ended up finding that 78 out of the 500+ neuron types link the spinal cord to higher order brain centers. We found both rostro-caudally specialized as well as invariant SPNs. Importantly, again the granular resolution enabled us to separate SPNs from much more abundant interneurons (12/n).
June 22, 2026 at 7:48 AM
… and ended up finding that 78 out of the 500+ neuron types link the spinal cord to higher order brain centers. We found both rostro-caudally specialized as well as invariant SPNs. Importantly, again the granular resolution enabled us to separate SPNs from much more abundant interneurons (12/n).
We were particularly curious about which of these transcriptomic neuron types constitute the ascending projection neuron repertoire so we performed Xenium based cell-type-resolved multiplexed retrograde tracing (11/n).
June 22, 2026 at 7:48 AM
We were particularly curious about which of these transcriptomic neuron types constitute the ascending projection neuron repertoire so we performed Xenium based cell-type-resolved multiplexed retrograde tracing (11/n).
However, granular neuron type level analysis reveals sex specific cholinergic visceral motor neurons as well as glutamatergic neurons mostly in the thoracic/sacral spinal cord (10/n).
June 22, 2026 at 7:48 AM
However, granular neuron type level analysis reveals sex specific cholinergic visceral motor neurons as well as glutamatergic neurons mostly in the thoracic/sacral spinal cord (10/n).
Some examples: at the crude transcriptomic neuron type level there is no sexual dimorphism to be observed despite the fact that spinal cord orchestrates many sexually dimorphic sensory-motor/autonomic functions (9/n).
June 22, 2026 at 7:48 AM
Some examples: at the crude transcriptomic neuron type level there is no sexual dimorphism to be observed despite the fact that spinal cord orchestrates many sexually dimorphic sensory-motor/autonomic functions (9/n).
Long story short: we need to analyze spinal neural diversity at an order of magnitude higher granularity (i.e. neuron types, not transcriptomic groups) to capture things such as sex specific neuron types and ascending projection neurons (8/n).
June 22, 2026 at 7:48 AM
Long story short: we need to analyze spinal neural diversity at an order of magnitude higher granularity (i.e. neuron types, not transcriptomic groups) to capture things such as sex specific neuron types and ascending projection neurons (8/n).
You can check out the bewildering molecular, anatomic and projectomic cellular diversity of the mouse spinal cord here in our interactive atlas (7/n): spinal-cord-explorer.shinyapps.io/mouse/
June 22, 2026 at 7:48 AM
You can check out the bewildering molecular, anatomic and projectomic cellular diversity of the mouse spinal cord here in our interactive atlas (7/n): spinal-cord-explorer.shinyapps.io/mouse/
We can do a crude analysis clustering neurons into ~58 transcriptomic groups OR go deeper and find more than 500+ anatomically and transcriptomically distinct neuron types (6/n).
June 22, 2026 at 7:48 AM
We can do a crude analysis clustering neurons into ~58 transcriptomic groups OR go deeper and find more than 500+ anatomically and transcriptomically distinct neuron types (6/n).
However, how granularly do we need to analyze the data to capture functionally relevant units in the spinal cord (5/n)?
June 22, 2026 at 7:48 AM
However, how granularly do we need to analyze the data to capture functionally relevant units in the spinal cord (5/n)?
So we took a two-pronged approach profiling full rosto-caudal mouse SC neural diversity with intact tissue spatial transcriptomics (Xenium) as well as multiomics (snRNA-seq/snATAC-seq) profiling north of 2 million cells and 750k> neurons (4/n).
June 22, 2026 at 7:48 AM
So we took a two-pronged approach profiling full rosto-caudal mouse SC neural diversity with intact tissue spatial transcriptomics (Xenium) as well as multiomics (snRNA-seq/snATAC-seq) profiling north of 2 million cells and 750k> neurons (4/n).
We suspected that perhaps we might be missing key cellular players in SC atlases due to limited cellular sampling or cell fallout due to tissue dissociation artifacts. (3/n)
June 22, 2026 at 7:48 AM
We suspected that perhaps we might be missing key cellular players in SC atlases due to limited cellular sampling or cell fallout due to tissue dissociation artifacts. (3/n)
We were puzzled by the broadly varying estimates of mammalian spinal cord (SC) neural diversity and by the apparent difficulty in locating known cellular entities and functions (e.g. ascending projection neurons, sex specific neuronal real estate etc.) in existing atlases (2/n).
June 22, 2026 at 7:48 AM
We were puzzled by the broadly varying estimates of mammalian spinal cord (SC) neural diversity and by the apparent difficulty in locating known cellular entities and functions (e.g. ascending projection neurons, sex specific neuronal real estate etc.) in existing atlases (2/n).
that's amazing, congratulations!!
June 17, 2026 at 2:01 PM
that's amazing, congratulations!!
Finally - it was an absolute pleasure to co-organize this with Trygve Bakken from the Allen Institute!
November 17, 2025 at 2:30 AM
Finally - it was an absolute pleasure to co-organize this with Trygve Bakken from the Allen Institute!
Looking forward to your talks: Michael J. Leone, Trygve Bakken, Denise Ramirez, Cindy van Velthoven and Myung Chul (Sam) Noh!
November 17, 2025 at 2:29 AM
Looking forward to your talks: Michael J. Leone, Trygve Bakken, Denise Ramirez, Cindy van Velthoven and Myung Chul (Sam) Noh!
We have a great line-up of speakers from the @alleninstitute.org , @rpseal.bsky.social and Andreas Pfenning's labs and UTSW reporting the latest updates from the Brain Initiative BICAN network and beyond.
November 17, 2025 at 2:26 AM
We have a great line-up of speakers from the @alleninstitute.org , @rpseal.bsky.social and Andreas Pfenning's labs and UTSW reporting the latest updates from the Brain Initiative BICAN network and beyond.
Special shoutout to Satoshi Ishishita and Helen Poldsam from the Pool lab for their contributions.
November 7, 2025 at 6:55 PM
Special shoutout to Satoshi Ishishita and Helen Poldsam from the Pool lab for their contributions.