Ron Keiflin
@ronkeiflin.bsky.social
📤 734
📥 459
📝 25
Behavioral Neuroscientist • Associative learning • Decision-making @UC Santa Barbara KeiflinLab.com
pinned post!
ICYMI:
@sophiepeterson.bsky.social
work comparing OFC and hippocampus in the retrieval and inference of context-dependent predictions is now out in Current Biology
www.cell.com/current-biol...
Also check out the great summary by (bsky-less?) Matt Gardner:
www.cell.com/current-biol...
loading . . .
Neuroscience: Setting the neurobiological occasions for hierarchical learning and inference
Hierarchical associations help animals navigate the environment by using contextual and latent states to guide learning and behavior. Chemogenetic inactivation in an occasion setting task reveals that...
https://www.cell.com/current-biology/fulltext/S0960-9822(24)01455-6
11 months ago
1
16
5
reposted by
Ron Keiflin
Ben Saunders
26 days ago
Check out our latest, online now at
@sfnjournals.bsky.social
www.jneurosci.org/content/earl...
loading . . .
Superior colliculus projections drive dopamine neuron activity and movement but not value
To navigate dynamic environments, animals must rapidly integrate sensory information and respond appropriately to gather rewards and avoid threats. It is well established that dopamine (DA) neurons in...
https://www.jneurosci.org/content/early/2025/10/13/JNEUROSCI.0291-25.2025
2
55
19
reposted by
Ron Keiflin
Ben Saunders
28 days ago
Really excited to have this paper accepted for publication now in
@natcomms.nature.com
- stay tuned for the final version and huge congrats to
@margestelzner.bsky.social
!!!!
add a skeleton here at some point
2
54
10
🧠 Curious about grad school in Psych & Brain Sciences? Join UC Santa Barbara’s PBS Department for a virtual open house on Oct 14 — meet faculty, connect with grad students, and learn more about the program!
30 days ago
1
3
4
reposted by
Ron Keiflin
Alicia Izquierdo
about 1 month ago
🎇 Excited to finally share JL Romero Sosa’s publication! Results are from single-cell imaging in different subregions of rat frontal cortex during ✨de novo learning. Spoiler: everything is not everywhere all at once
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
loading . . .
Neural coding of choice and outcome are modulated by uncertainty in orbitofrontal but not secondary motor cortex - Nature Communications
Neural mechanisms underlying flexible learning and decision-making are not fully understood. Using single-cell calcium imaging, authors here found that neurons in orbitofrontal and secondary motor cortex exhibit complementary roles in reward learning, with neurons in the former exerting a sustained role in conditions of uncertainty.
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-025-63866-5
3
96
39
reposted by
Ron Keiflin
Stephanie L. Grella, PhD
about 1 month ago
First lab paper out today! Student authors: Mikayla Cutler and Abhi Thati 🎉🤩 Hippocampus | Neuroscience Journal | Wiley Online Library
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...
loading . . .
Drug‐Related Engrams and Their Role in the Persistence and Recurrence of Drug‐Related Behaviors
Memory is a cornerstone of human behavior, and addiction offers a compelling model of its persistence and plasticity. The scope of engram research has rapidly expanded to include addiction-related ph....
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/hipo.70040
3
39
20
reposted by
Ron Keiflin
Mark Laubach
about 1 month ago
I'm recruiting a PhD student to study how enkephalins affect cognitive processing in the rodent frontal cortex. The project uses pharmacology, multi-electrode recordings, and fiber photometry, and is funded by NIDA. Please share with trainees applying this cycle. Thanks!
0
16
16
reposted by
Ron Keiflin
Sean Ostlund
about 1 month ago
We have an open NIH-funded postdoc position in the lab to study circuit and neurochemical mechanisms of cognitive and motivational deficits in opioid withdrawal. Apply here:
recruit.ap.uci.edu/JPF09885
or message/email for more information.
loading . . .
Postdoctoral Scholars - Ostlund Laboratory - Anesthesiology & Perioperative Care
University of California, Irvine is hiring. Apply now!
https://recruit.ap.uci.edu/JPF09885
0
0
4
reposted by
Ron Keiflin
Ben Saunders
2 months ago
Honored to be elected to serve as the next vice co-chair, along with the amazing
@sciolinolab.bsky.social
, for the Catecholamines Gordon Research Conference. I first came to this meeting in 2011 as a grad student and it was transformative for my career. Excited to help cultivate that for others.
2
57
8
reposted by
Ron Keiflin
Kauê Machado Costa
3 months ago
If you are a highly motivated grad student (
@uabneuro.bsky.social
) or a prospective postdoc with experience in behavior, neural recordings, or programming, and would like to contribute to this project, just contact me. Details on
kmcostalab.com
loading . . .
K.M. Costa Lab
https://kmcostalab.com
0
4
5
reposted by
Ron Keiflin
Kurt Fraser
3 months ago
My hero!!!!
add a skeleton here at some point
2
31
5
reposted by
Ron Keiflin
OneNeuro Initiative
3 months ago
We are thrilled to announce that OneNeuro Co-Director Patricia Janak, Ph.D., has been elected as the 2026-2027 President of the Society for Neuroscience (SfN).
@janaklab.bsky.social
View the official announcement:
www.sfn.org/publications...
0
47
15
reposted by
Ron Keiflin
Shauna Parkes
3 months ago
New Dispatch in
@currentbiology.bsky.social
w/ @RobinPiquet &
@dryacinetensaouti.bsky.social
highlighting elegant work from the
@iordanova.bsky.social
lab that formally disentangles whether dopamine signals reward prediction errors or value.
authors.elsevier.com/a/1ldGk3QW8S...
0
19
10
reposted by
Ron Keiflin
Ben Saunders
3 months ago
Very excited to share this major update to our paper delineating VTA GABA neuron encoding of valence and decision conflict. Studies led by the amazing
@margestelzner.bsky.social
. We leaned in here, taking the opportunity to add a lot of cool new data.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
add a skeleton here at some point
2
50
17
Catching up on announcements — huge congrats to
@sophiepeterson.bsky.social
on a successful defense! Proud PI moment!
4 months ago
2
2
0
reposted by
Ron Keiflin
Steve Maren
6 months ago
🚨New paper alert! 🚨 Inactivation of the nucleus reuniens causes relapse of extinguished fear. Here we show this “circuit-induced relapse” depends on hippocampal fear memories and is mediated by hippocampal engrams. Congrats to the team!
loading . . .
Hippocampal ensembles regulate circuit-induced relapse of extinguished fear
Molecular Psychiatry - Hippocampal ensembles regulate circuit-induced relapse of extinguished fear
https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://rdcu.be/enulI__;!!DZ3fjg!4WTTn91dOHoOe1cBqHrKGrhe3zcbKCVveTwEAZCruquL5HfW7Sz8G238dSxm8-xiqrGNnbxhGxuSS0XeWAnerRlikeMArwW7cmI$
2
71
22
reposted by
Ron Keiflin
Ben Saunders
6 months ago
Check out our latest! Studies led by the amazing Megan Brickner - she finds really interesting patterns of dopamine signaling in the basolateral amygdala that report the emotional salience of sensory state transitions. These are largely non-associative, value-free signals, in contrast to classic DA.
add a skeleton here at some point
2
40
15
reposted by
Ron Keiflin
Rhiana Simon, PhD
6 months ago
Thrilled to announce that our paper is now finally out! 🎉We combine scRNAseq, 2p imaging, ephys, and behavior to understand the role of lateral septal Nts neurons in opioid withdrawal. Curious about the septum and addiction? Give it a read👇
www.cell.com/neuron/fullt...
loading . . .
Opioid-driven disruption of the septum reveals a role for neurotensin-expressing neurons in withdrawal
Opioid withdrawal produces a dysphoric state that can lead to relapse. Simon et al. reveal that lateral septal neurotensin-expressing neurons are selectively activated by naloxone and drive changes in...
https://www.cell.com/neuron/fulltext/S0896-6273(25)00307-1
2
19
8
reposted by
Ron Keiflin
Will Redman
6 months ago
Very surprised (but very excited) to announce that I’ll be officially starting as an Assistant Professor at Johns Hopkins in the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department and as part of the new Data Science and AI Institute in July 2026!
2
7
3
reposted by
Ron Keiflin
Josh Johansen
6 months ago
I’m excited to share a new paper from the lab. The study led by Xiaowei Gu reveals how the mPFC encodes complex emotional memories, using an internal model to infer emotional associations and memories via projections to the amygdala. a🧵(1/8)
rdcu.be/el19t
loading . . .
Prefrontal encoding of an internal model for emotional inference
Nature - Neurons in the rodent dorsomedial prefrontal cortex encode a flexible internal model of emotion by linking directly experienced and inferred associations with aversive experiences.
https://rdcu.be/el19t
10
106
28
reposted by
Ron Keiflin
Paul Frankland
6 months ago
Sharing a new paper from the lab. This paper, led by Sangyoon Ko, represents a merging of two longstanding research themes in the lab-- adult neurogenesis and systems consolidation.
rdcu.be/el18q
A short thread follows for those interested. 1/n
loading . . .
Systems consolidation reorganizes hippocampal engram circuitry
Nature - A study shows that loss of memory precision associated with systems consolidation can be explained by neurogenesis-dependent reorganization of engram circuitry within the hippocampus over...
https://rdcu.be/el18q
15
220
103
reposted by
Ron Keiflin
Michael Goard
6 months ago
🚨Very excited to share a new paper from our lab in Neuron (
@cp-neuron.bsky.social
) on the influence of the estrous cycle on structural and functional plasticity in the hippocampus:
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Thread below 🧠🧪🧵:
loading . . .
The estrous cycle modulates hippocampal spine dynamics, dendritic processing, and spatial coding
Histological evidence suggests that the estrous cycle exerts a powerful influence on CA1 neurons in the mammalian hippocampus. Decades have passed sin…
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0896627325002971
2
76
29
reposted by
Ron Keiflin
Emily G. Jacobs
6 months ago
Join us in beautiful Santa Barbara! We're hiring a full-time junior specialist/research technician to play a central role in data collection & analysis of brain imaging studies of pregnancy & menopause. Learn more & apply at:
recruit.ap.ucsb.edu/JPF02974
Or help us spread the word 💫
3
50
47
reposted by
Ron Keiflin
Ben Saunders
8 months ago
Our latest! We measure dopamine signals as rats disambiguate cues that predict reward or threat. We find that dopamine flexibly tracks the changing salience and value of cues, but according to region-specific scales, rapid within-trial dopamine fluctuations prioritize different stimulus features.
loading . . .
Striatal dopamine represents valence on dynamic regional scales
Adaptive decision making relies on dynamic updating of learned associations where environmental cues come to predict valenced stimuli, such as food or threat. Cue-guided behavior depends on a network ...
https://www.jneurosci.org/content/early/2025/03/14/JNEUROSCI.1551-24.2025
6
65
15
reposted by
Ron Keiflin
Neil M. Dundon
8 months ago
Thanks
@danacobblewis.bsky.social
and
@asapresearch.bsky.social
for supporting and showcasing our work!
add a skeleton here at some point
0
1
1
reposted by
Ron Keiflin
Jill Becker
8 months ago
Sex Differences Research Saves Lives!
#OSSD
#BoSD
#SBN
#SWHR
#science
please share
rdcu.be/ecZXa
loading . . .
Sex differences research is important!
https://rdcu.be/ecZXa
0
6
5
reposted by
Ron Keiflin
Ben Saunders
8 months ago
#standupforscience2025
at the St Paul Capitol with my lab and many others this afternoon
0
51
10
reposted by
Ron Keiflin
Brandon Woo
8 months ago
Proud to
#standupforscience
with students, postdocs, and colleagues today
loading . . .
0
24
4
reposted by
Ron Keiflin
Kauê Machado Costa
8 months ago
I am happy to share my latest (NIH funded) work, out in
@currentbiology.bsky.social
! We show that task demands define the correlations between accumbal dopamine and acetylcholine, in a pattern that supports a tripartite coincidence model of striatal plasticity.
sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
loading . . .
Dopamine and acetylcholine correlations in the nucleus accumbens depend on behavioral task states
Dopamine release in the nucleus accumbens (NAcc) changes quickly in response to errors in predicting events like reward delivery1,2,3 but also slowly …
https://sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0960982225001277
1
6
4
reposted by
Ron Keiflin
Mihaela
9 months ago
Interested in knowing more about conditioning? It’s not what you think it is.
#rescorla
Check this webinar out on March 5 at 2pm
apa-org.zoom.us/webinar/regi...
loading . . .
Welcome! You are invited to join a webinar: Essentials of Conditioning and Learning: Using Everyday Experiences to Teach Complex Topics. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email about ...
Explore how Essentials of Conditioning and Learning serves as an accessible and affordable resource for teaching foundational concepts in behavior and learning. This webinar will highlight why this to...
https://apa-org.zoom.us/webinar/register/4917285759519/WN_oJM1i5ztSmyZi5hK-WWJVg?fbclid=IwY2xjawIsn4RleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHQftzaBeV-SdtpuakZL_ht_kuxmOCx-70n1XIL1tesI85oc0943thbxYyw_aem_aA-7aWP3Yy2_HttOkqavsw#/registration
0
4
2
reposted by
Ron Keiflin
Rick Huganir
9 months ago
Reaching out to all Americans through the media to explain how decreasing funding of the NIH will have irreversible harm for developing therapies for all diseases. Please spread the word to your families and friends and contact your congressional representatives.
www.nbcnews.com/science/scie...
loading . . .
Science under siege: Trump cuts threaten to undermine decades of research
Sweeping layoffs, funding freezes and executive orders have provoked outcry among federal researchers and their university partners, who fear that science itself is under siege.
https://www.nbcnews.com/science/science-news/trumps-nih-budget-cuts-threaten-research-stirring-panic-rcna191744
1
90
65
reposted by
Ron Keiflin
Kate Wassum
9 months ago
🚨📃New Wassum Lab Paper📃🚨 Out today,
@jackiegio.bsky.social
discovered brain pathways that support agency and habit and how chronic stress disrupts them to rob of us our agency and cause us to form rigid habits 🧵👇
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Free full text:
rdcu.be/eaxEv
loading . . .
A dual-pathway architecture for stress to disrupt agency and promote habit - Nature
Adaptive decision-making often requires an understanding of our agency in a situation; however, chronic stress can disrupt agency and promote inflexible, habitual behaviour by turning off a brain path...
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-024-08580-w
27
245
95
reposted by
Ron Keiflin
Dr. Becca
9 months ago
If the block on the Federal Register isn’t removed in the next few months, I fear a majority of labs will close within a year. This small procedural wrench has the power to kill US science indefinitely, losing an entire generation of discovery and innovation.
add a skeleton here at some point
24
1037
550
reposted by
Ron Keiflin
Rick Huganir
9 months ago
I have been talking to the media, Time, Fortune, NBC, etc., to explain how the onslaught on science and NIH will impact the health of all Americans. Everyone knows someone who has cancer, heart disease, or depression. Spread the word about how cutting science impacts all.
time.com/7216299/nih-...
loading . . .
Experts Call NIH Budget Cuts an 'Apocalypse' for Science
The reductions target indirect costs that cover administrative and equipment costs.
https://time.com/7216299/nih-budget-cuts-science-research-funding/
45
2076
933
I had this key for years. Today I learn that *everyone* in the lab thought this was John Snow… Fuck I’m old
9 months ago
1
3
0
💯👏
add a skeleton here at some point
10 months ago
0
4
0
reposted by
Ron Keiflin
A/Prof Kelly Clemens
10 months ago
www.linkedin.com/posts/kelly-...
loading . . .
Kelly Clemens on LinkedIn: Genes, Brain and Behavior
Join us at the Genes, Brain and Behaviour Meeting, May 19-22, 2025 at the Shangri-La Resort, Fiji https://lnkd.in/gu-nXaZF 🧠 🧬 First time for the Southern…
https://www.linkedin.com/posts/kelly-clemens-45414137_genes-brain-and-behavior-activity-7285795977859362817-VMhw
0
1
1
reposted by
Ron Keiflin
10 months ago
🎈New paper🎈 Led by the inimitable
@asieh.bsky.social
Hippocampal dysfunction in medication naive patients with schizophrenia during a memory task resolves with drug treatment. Incredible team effort!
urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=htt...
loading . . .
Impaired hippocampal circuitry and memory dysfunction in schizophrenia
Nature Mental Health - Dysfunction in the hippocampal circuitry in individuals with first-episode schizophrenia and delusions is linked to deficits in behavioral pattern separation and recognition...
https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__rdcu.be_d6kUc&d=DwMFAg&c=009klHSCxuh5AI1vNQzSO0KGjl4nbi2Q0M1QLJX9BeE&r=ppFvQc_L6CqjM0cAEFulGbF0OlcifD1G-MfJSLuVRiU&m=Xz5uUZ2RFYveru2Fhi0dZIWLzXiFnQRVIP7uUI_xKwYaQHeifq5FVlM41g74Cd0Y&s=uZlpt4utKseGobv1fZzyyz0G-zp9V8TzudLL_yX77rs&e=
0
29
9
reposted by
Ron Keiflin
CLaE
10 months ago
Nature Reviews Neuroscience The curious case of dopaminergic prediction errors and learning associative information beyond value
idp.nature.com/authorize?re...
loading . . .
The curious case of dopaminergic prediction errors and learning associative information beyond value - Nature Reviews Neuroscience
Midbrain dopamine neurons are widely assumed to signal a unidimensional value-based prediction error. In this Perspective, Kahnt and Schoenbaum overview accumulating evidence that challenges this assu...
https://idp.nature.com/authorize?response_type=cookie&client_id=grover&redirect_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nature.com%2Farticles%2Fs41583-024-00898-8
0
40
13
reposted by
Ron Keiflin
Ben Saunders
10 months ago
Literally more of y’all need to think about this as you increasingly outsource mundane work to gen AI
add a skeleton here at some point
4
67
36
reposted by
Ron Keiflin
CLaE
10 months ago
Nature Neuroscience Context-dependent decision-making in the primate hippocampal–prefrontal circuit
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
loading . . .
Context-dependent decision-making in the primate hippocampal–prefrontal circuit - Nature Neuroscience
The brain uses different valuation schemes across contexts. Elston and Wallis show this is supported by hippocampal encoding of context that is broadcast to prefrontal value subcircuits via theta sync...
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41593-024-01839-5
0
31
8
reposted by
Ron Keiflin
Federico Sanabria
10 months ago
I met Stan Weiss early in my career, while attending the Winter Conference on Animal Learning and Behavior. He was kind, smart, and funny. His support for the field continues even after he is gone.
www.stanweissfund.org/home
loading . . .
Stanley Weiss Memorial Fund
The Stanley Weiss Memorial Fund for Experimental Psychology (the Fund) was established to recognize and honor Stan’s lifelong passion, dedication and contributions to the field of experimental psychol...
https://www.stanweissfund.org/home
0
5
2
reposted by
Ron Keiflin
Oded Bein
10 months ago
Excited to share this perspective with
@yaelniv.bsky.social
about how schemas might be learned and instantiated via reinforcement learning, latent cause inference, and dimensionality reduction, and what's the medial prefrontal cortex might be doing for all of these
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
loading . . .
Schemas, reinforcement learning and the medial prefrontal cortex - Nature Reviews Neuroscience
A computational account of how schemas are learned through experience is lacking. In this Perspective, Bein and Niv synthesize schema theory and reinforcement learning research to derive computational...
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41583-024-00893-z
7
143
51
reposted by
Ron Keiflin
Marlene Cohen
10 months ago
New results for a new year! “Linking neural population formatting to function” describes our modern take on an old question: how can we understand the contribution of a brain area to behavior?
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
🧠👩🏻🔬🧪🧵
#neuroskyence
1/
loading . . .
Linking neural population formatting to function
Animals capable of complex behaviors tend to have more distinct brain areas than simpler organisms, and artificial networks that perform many tasks tend to self-organize into modules (1-3). This sugge...
https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.01.03.631242v1
2
231
88
reposted by
Ron Keiflin
11 months ago
🌟 Mark your calendars for the EBBS Meeting in Bordeaux, June 28 – July 1 🧠 Connect, explore cutting-edge neuroscience, and enjoy Bordeaux’s charm 📅 Registration opens on January 15 👉 Check out the preliminary program
ebbs2025.azuleon.org/programme
📲 Follow us for the latest updates
loading . . .
EBBS 2025 :: Programme
The website of the 51st EBBS Meeting :: EBBS 2025
https://ebbs2025.azuleon.org/programme
0
11
5
reposted by
Ron Keiflin
Mathias V. Schmidt
11 months ago
One of the best neuroscience meetings in 2025. Can't wait to be there 👇🏻👇🏻👇🏻
add a skeleton here at some point
1
20
6
reposted by
Ron Keiflin
Masseck Lab
11 months ago
🎄PinkyCaMP- our christmas gift to you! 🎁: We are excited to present PinkyCaMP, the first mScarlet based calcium sensor with: ✨exceptional, brightness ✨phototability ✨and optogenetic compatability. Check out our new preprint:
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
5
104
40
reposted by
Ron Keiflin
l'Humanité
11 months ago
L'Humanité du 19 décembre : Gisèle Pelicot, merci madame 📰
humanite.fr
9
1058
373
reposted by
Ron Keiflin
Blake Richards
11 months ago
Out now in Nature from
@behrenstimb.bsky.social
and crew:
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Understanding this kind of schematic pattern learning and transfer will be key, IMO, to moving towards models of what we might call "higher-order cognition" or "reasoning". 🧠📈 🧪
loading . . .
A cellular basis for mapping behavioural structure - Nature
Mice generalize complex task structures by using neurons in the medial frontal cortex that encode progress to task goals and embed behavioural sequences.
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-024-08145-x
3
104
30
reposted by
Ron Keiflin
Bionic Vision Lab
11 months ago
“Seeing the future”: More media coverage about
@mbeyeler.bsky.social
winning the 2024-25 Harold J. Plous Memorial Award
@ucsantabarbara.bsky.social
news.ucsb.edu/2024/021709/...
loading . . .
Seeing the future: Michael Beyeler’s work in neurotechnology earns him top faculty award
Recognized for outstanding contributions in research, teaching and service, as well as “his dedication to innovation, excellence and student success," the researcher behind the "bionic eye" receives o...
https://news.ucsb.edu/2024/021709/seeing-future-michael-beyelers-work-neurotechnology-earns-him-top-faculty-award
0
10
4
reposted by
Ron Keiflin
Andrew Lutas
11 months ago
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Congrats to Juan and Hugo and the rest of the authors. Not sure if anyone is on bsky yet.
loading . . .
Dissociable control of motivation and reinforcement by distinct ventral striatal dopamine receptors - Nature Neuroscience
Ventral striatal dopamine D3 and D1 receptors regulate motivation and reinforcement, respectively, through dissociable physiological actions.
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41593-024-01819-9
1
52
18
Load more
feeds!
log in