Jonathan VanRyzin
jwvanryzin.bsky.social
Jonathan VanRyzin
@jwvanryzin.bsky.social
Postdoc at UNC Chapel Hill | Astrocytes and microglia in development and disease | Stress, Social Behavior, Addiction | On the job market
Reposted by Jonathan VanRyzin
New preprint from the lab! We identified Vipr2-expressing BNST neurons as a distinct subpopulation of the oval nucleus that promotes feeding, is activated by food restriction, is non-overlapping with appetite-suppressing PKC delta neurons, and projects to PSTN & PVN hypothalamic feeding centers.
November 11, 2025 at 4:39 PM
Reposted by Jonathan VanRyzin
Thrilled to share our new paper, out now in @natneuro.nature.com, uncovering how estradiol, the most potent estrogen, modulates reinforcement learning and reward prediction errors across biological levels. www.nature.com/articles/s41...

#blueprint 1/7
Estrogen modulates reward prediction errors and reinforcement learning - Nature Neuroscience
Dopamine encoding of reward prediction errors naturally fluctuates over females’ reproductive cycles with estrogenic signaling due to reduced expression of dopamine reuptake proteins.
www.nature.com
November 11, 2025 at 2:41 PM
Reposted by Jonathan VanRyzin
Tools that track specific molecules in neurons have enabled researchers to probe previously unexplored aspects of neurobiology

go.nature.com/4p2hyua
How genetically encoded sensors have lit up neuroscience
Tools that track specific molecules in neurons have enabled researchers to probe previously unexplored aspects of neurobiology — although important caveats remain.
go.nature.com
November 11, 2025 at 11:38 AM
Can say that I've done this previously with my rats and it's 100% worth it to "hear" them giggle with a USV microphone 🤣
🐀Male and female rats like to be tickled differently - males prefer rougher play.
🤣How do we know? Rats produce ultrasonic giggles that can be monitored with a bat detector.
🧪Why is this relevant? To improve lab animal welfare.

Ah, to tickle rats for a living...♥️

f1000research.com/articles/14-...
November 11, 2025 at 1:59 PM
Reposted by Jonathan VanRyzin
Finally it’s here! 🌟⬇️

www.nature.com/articles/s41...

I’m sooo excited to share our latest article led by Steve Hill and Isabel Bravo-Ferrer
1- How does the vasculature communicate with astrocytes?
2- Is this communication dependent to what happens in the body.
3- Is it relevant to human diseases?
Fig. 1: Establishment of methods to identify astrocyte endfoot proteins. | Nature Communications
www.nature.com
November 6, 2025 at 11:26 AM
Reposted by Jonathan VanRyzin
Science friends! I need your help. We have a Neurophotometrics FP system that we are having trouble integrating with behavioral tracking software for annotation purposes. For example, we want to align fluorescence with open/closed arm exploration in the EPM. Can you help us out??
September 11, 2025 at 8:47 PM
Reposted by Jonathan VanRyzin
Thrilled to share our new paper @cp-cell.bsky.social:
“Microglia–astrocyte crosstalk regulates synapse remodeling via Wnt signaling.”

This work demonstrates the necessity of glia–glia communication and coordination during synapse remodeling.

🔗 www.cell.com/cell/fulltex...

Faust et al., Cell 2025
September 12, 2025 at 1:21 PM
Reposted by Jonathan VanRyzin
Prenatal stress induces transient developmental alterations in distinct GABAergic populations and leads to long-lasting behavioral abnormalities
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Prenatal stress induces transient developmental alterations in distinct GABAergic populations and leads to long-lasting behavioral abnormalities
Prenatal stress (PNS) is a well-established risk factor for psychiatric disorders, yet the underlying neurobiological mechanisms remain unclear. Here,…
www.sciencedirect.com
August 26, 2025 at 9:55 AM
Reposted by Jonathan VanRyzin
Excited my PhD work in @brianmathur.bsky.social’s lab is now published and available!
August 21, 2025 at 2:40 AM
Reposted by Jonathan VanRyzin
If you have a "recently" (in the last 2 years) published paper with a preprint available, I’d love to hear from you!

All neuroscience topics are welcome.

🙏🏼 Thank you!
I’m designing a course that uses preprints and their peer-reviewed, published versions to directly compare how manuscripts are originally conceived by authors and how the peer-review process shapes their final form.🎯My goal is to help students strengthen critical thinking and become fair reviewers.
August 14, 2025 at 11:20 AM
I am SO EXCITED to share this one! The latest paper from the lab is online in @cp-cellreports.bsky.social. We show microglia prune NAc astrocyte processes during abstinence from cocaine-self ad which drives later drug seeking behavior.

www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Abstinence from cocaine self-administration promotes microglial pruning of astrocytes, which drives cocaine-seeking behavior
Rodent drug self-administration leads to a compromised ability of nucleus accumbens astrocytes to maintain glutamate homeostasis as well as to reducti…
www.sciencedirect.com
August 13, 2025 at 6:48 PM
Incredibly grateful to be one of the 2025 BBRF Young Investigator Grant awardees!
Thank you to @bbrfoundation.bsky.social and to my mentors for their support along the way!
August 6, 2025 at 7:01 PM
Reposted by Jonathan VanRyzin
Review now out in @npp-journal.bsky.social!
Epigenetic regulation of brain development, plasticity, and response to early life stress
rdcu.be/ezzYq
Epigenetic regulation of brain development, plasticity, and response to early-life stress
Neuropsychopharmacology - Epigenetic regulation of brain development, plasticity, and response to early-life stress
rdcu.be
August 6, 2025 at 3:38 PM
Reposted by Jonathan VanRyzin
#ThisWeekInNPP

This study explored how prenatal & postnatal THC exposure affects 🧠 development & social behavior in 🐭, highlighting an impact on microglial phagocytosis in the developing amygdala in a sex-specific & timing-dependent manner ⏲️ / @jwvanryzin.bsky.social
Timing matters: modeling the effects of gestational cannabis exposure on social behavior and microglia in the developing amygdala - Neuropsychopharmacology
Neuropsychopharmacology - Timing matters: modeling the effects of gestational cannabis exposure on social behavior and microglia in the developing amygdala
www.nature.com
August 5, 2025 at 5:39 PM
Excited to see our most recent project published in @npp-journal.bsky.social !
We show that the timing of THC exposure during development—prenatal vs. postnatal—leads to opposite effects on social behavior and microglial function in the amygdala. Timing matters!

www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Timing matters: modeling the effects of gestational cannabis exposure on social behavior and microglia in the developing amygdala - Neuropsychopharmacology
Neuropsychopharmacology - Timing matters: modeling the effects of gestational cannabis exposure on social behavior and microglia in the developing amygdala
www.nature.com
July 29, 2025 at 3:09 PM
Happy #FluorescenceFriday !

Sharing one of my favorite images I've taken of microglia phagocytosis featuring a neuron whose DAPI is all too happy to be eaten.
November 22, 2024 at 1:54 PM
Reposted by Jonathan VanRyzin
go.bsky.app/Lyzro3M

!WELCOME!

thought we might need a starter pack for all those coming over from the birdhouse - here's a GliaSky list.

apologies for missing many of you - please do reply to get added

and remember to repost so the newbies can find us!
November 14, 2024 at 3:21 AM
I've been trying something a bit different on the microscope lately. Looking at ways we can model physical interactions of astrocytes with specific neural circuits across development.
November 14, 2024 at 2:54 PM
Finally made the migration!

To any new faces, I'm Jon and I'm a postdoc at UNC studying microglia, astrocytes, brain development, stress, and addiction. I'm also on the job market!
November 12, 2024 at 9:02 PM