Kurt Fraser
@kurtfraser.bsky.social
Brain scientist, tall human, dog owner in the twin cities
Reposted by Kurt Fraser
Go support all the amazing early career scientists who will be presenting their posters tonight from 6:45 - 8:45 at #SfN2025. This includes Flagel Lab graduate student, Princess Felix, who received a SfN Trainee Professional Development Award. 👏👏👏
November 16, 2025 at 12:46 AM
Go support all the amazing early career scientists who will be presenting their posters tonight from 6:45 - 8:45 at #SfN2025. This includes Flagel Lab graduate student, Princess Felix, who received a SfN Trainee Professional Development Award. 👏👏👏
Landed in rainy San Diego
November 15, 2025 at 9:27 PM
Landed in rainy San Diego
‘Twas the night before sfn and Levi was having a pout…
November 15, 2025 at 2:59 AM
‘Twas the night before sfn and Levi was having a pout…
Reposted by Kurt Fraser
Hey #SfN2025 attendees! Come check out the latest work from our lab and @shawnbates.bsky.social: "Sex differences in adolescent diazepam exposure on reward-related memory and perineuronal nets" Monday, November 17, 2025, 1:00 PM – 5:00 PM #UndergradResearch
November 14, 2025 at 10:37 PM
Hey #SfN2025 attendees! Come check out the latest work from our lab and @shawnbates.bsky.social: "Sex differences in adolescent diazepam exposure on reward-related memory and perineuronal nets" Monday, November 17, 2025, 1:00 PM – 5:00 PM #UndergradResearch
Reposted by Kurt Fraser
Also, GPN current members or alumni, we are having our annual meet up on Monday the 17th at 7pm at Ballast Point Brewing Company! Hope to see you there!
This coming week at #SfN25 come visit us at the Minnesota Graduate Program in Neuroscience booth at the grad fair! For applicants this cycle, note that the deadline is soon - Nov 20th. Also everyone check out the presentations at the meeting by UMN folks - shorturl.at/jNRxQ
November 13, 2025 at 8:55 PM
Also, GPN current members or alumni, we are having our annual meet up on Monday the 17th at 7pm at Ballast Point Brewing Company! Hope to see you there!
Reposted by Kurt Fraser
We are grieving our friend and brilliant colleague Natalia Duque-Wilckens. A creative scientist, artist, caring mentor, and force for change. Words can’t describe the impact she had on lives at UC Davis, MSU, NC State and beyond. I feel lucky to have known her and wish her time didn’t end so soon
November 13, 2025 at 6:58 PM
We are grieving our friend and brilliant colleague Natalia Duque-Wilckens. A creative scientist, artist, caring mentor, and force for change. Words can’t describe the impact she had on lives at UC Davis, MSU, NC State and beyond. I feel lucky to have known her and wish her time didn’t end so soon
Reposted by Kurt Fraser
Out now: Favila, Capece Marsico et al. 2025, Nature Communications: Using longitudinal deep-brain imaging, we report that amygdala interneurons exhibit complex and heterogeneous plasticity during associative learning, at both the single-cell and population level.
👉 www.nature.com/articles/s41...
👉 www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Heterogeneous plasticity of amygdala interneurons in associative learning and extinction - Nature Communications
In this study, the authors uncover how diverse inhibitory interneurons in the amygdala flexibly contribute to fear and safety learning, revealing a key role for inhibition in emotional memory and adap...
www.nature.com
November 12, 2025 at 6:55 PM
Out now: Favila, Capece Marsico et al. 2025, Nature Communications: Using longitudinal deep-brain imaging, we report that amygdala interneurons exhibit complex and heterogeneous plasticity during associative learning, at both the single-cell and population level.
👉 www.nature.com/articles/s41...
👉 www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Folks at SfN come see the first Fraser Lab poster ever at FF6 on Tuesday Nov 18, 8am. Serena Miller has oodles of data to share on a new direction for us. Also, that day happens to be my birthday so you have to come say hi or else
November 11, 2025 at 9:43 PM
Folks at SfN come see the first Fraser Lab poster ever at FF6 on Tuesday Nov 18, 8am. Serena Miller has oodles of data to share on a new direction for us. Also, that day happens to be my birthday so you have to come say hi or else
Reposted by Kurt Fraser
#SfN25 attendees - make sure to head to the posters when you get to the meeting on Saturday afternoon (V7-V11: Gretchen, Megan, Margaret, Louisa, Bella) and Sunday morning (KK17: Micaela) to hear about our work. We're printing the posters now and they look rad.
November 11, 2025 at 5:00 PM
#SfN25 attendees - make sure to head to the posters when you get to the meeting on Saturday afternoon (V7-V11: Gretchen, Megan, Margaret, Louisa, Bella) and Sunday morning (KK17: Micaela) to hear about our work. We're printing the posters now and they look rad.
Reposted by Kurt Fraser
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
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.
Reposted by Kurt Fraser
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
#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
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
#blueprint 1/7
Reposted by Kurt Fraser
A Distinct Subpopulation of Extended Amygdala Neurons Drives Food Intake https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.11.07.685941v1
November 10, 2025 at 7:16 PM
A Distinct Subpopulation of Extended Amygdala Neurons Drives Food Intake https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.11.07.685941v1
Reposted by Kurt Fraser
How do VTA DA neurons sculpt downstream representations to reinforce actions? VERY excited about our new preprint (by Alex Pan Vazquez & @czimmerman.bsky.social )
VTA dopamine neuron activity produces spatially organized value representations https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.11.04.685995v1
November 7, 2025 at 8:46 PM
How do VTA DA neurons sculpt downstream representations to reinforce actions? VERY excited about our new preprint (by Alex Pan Vazquez & @czimmerman.bsky.social )
Reposted by Kurt Fraser
Here's a crazy tool to help you identify gaps in your manuscript: Send it to 2 trusted colleagues to read, meet for one hour with snacks and drinks to discuss. Doing this vs using an LLM is a choice.
November 7, 2025 at 4:02 PM
Here's a crazy tool to help you identify gaps in your manuscript: Send it to 2 trusted colleagues to read, meet for one hour with snacks and drinks to discuss. Doing this vs using an LLM is a choice.
Sad that even biorxiv is falling victim to AI slop
Excited to launch an openRxiv partnership with the scientist-run AI review service qed (@qedscience.bsky.social), the brainchild of @odedrechavi.bsky.social 1/n
openrxiv.org/enabling-rev...
openrxiv.org/enabling-rev...
Enabling options for review: from training and transparency to author-centered AI tools - openRxiv
Peer review is widely viewed as a critical aspect of biomedical communication. Ideally, it provides authors with feedback so they can improve manuscripts and gives readers, particularly nonspecialists...
openrxiv.org
November 7, 2025 at 2:46 AM
Sad that even biorxiv is falling victim to AI slop
can someone in canada explain to me this release of all information from tri-agency review? is this happening? concerned as a new to the system reviewer
November 5, 2025 at 7:34 PM
can someone in canada explain to me this release of all information from tri-agency review? is this happening? concerned as a new to the system reviewer
Reposted by Kurt Fraser
Excited to share new research from my lab in final published form! By deleting hypocretin (orexin) receptors from CRF neurons, we uncovered neuropeptide mechanisms linking alcohol drinking and negative emotional hyperarousal through BNST neuronal excitability.
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
November 3, 2025 at 5:19 PM
Excited to share new research from my lab in final published form! By deleting hypocretin (orexin) receptors from CRF neurons, we uncovered neuropeptide mechanisms linking alcohol drinking and negative emotional hyperarousal through BNST neuronal excitability.
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Reposted by Kurt Fraser
We’re hiring a technician!!
We’re an inclusive team of behavioral neuroscientists trying to discover the brain circuits of learning, decision making, and habit. More info👇
wassumlab.psych.ucla.edu/join-the-lab/
Job posting:
jobs.ucla.edu/jobs/8968
We’re an inclusive team of behavioral neuroscientists trying to discover the brain circuits of learning, decision making, and habit. More info👇
wassumlab.psych.ucla.edu/join-the-lab/
Job posting:
jobs.ucla.edu/jobs/8968
November 3, 2025 at 3:52 PM
We’re hiring a technician!!
We’re an inclusive team of behavioral neuroscientists trying to discover the brain circuits of learning, decision making, and habit. More info👇
wassumlab.psych.ucla.edu/join-the-lab/
Job posting:
jobs.ucla.edu/jobs/8968
We’re an inclusive team of behavioral neuroscientists trying to discover the brain circuits of learning, decision making, and habit. More info👇
wassumlab.psych.ucla.edu/join-the-lab/
Job posting:
jobs.ucla.edu/jobs/8968
Reposted by Kurt Fraser
Zara Weinberg passed away earlier this week. She joined my lab earlier this year when her postdoc lab formally closed.
She was a brilliant scientist, supportive mentor, dear friend, avid music fan, rabid believer in public transit, open science champion, and above all just an amazing human.
She was a brilliant scientist, supportive mentor, dear friend, avid music fan, rabid believer in public transit, open science champion, and above all just an amazing human.
October 31, 2025 at 1:18 PM
Zara Weinberg passed away earlier this week. She joined my lab earlier this year when her postdoc lab formally closed.
She was a brilliant scientist, supportive mentor, dear friend, avid music fan, rabid believer in public transit, open science champion, and above all just an amazing human.
She was a brilliant scientist, supportive mentor, dear friend, avid music fan, rabid believer in public transit, open science champion, and above all just an amazing human.
Reposted by Kurt Fraser
Eleven stained glass action potentials available now! (One rainbow brain still in the shop too). www.brainedglass.com
November 1, 2025 at 5:01 PM
Eleven stained glass action potentials available now! (One rainbow brain still in the shop too). www.brainedglass.com
Reposted by Kurt Fraser
Sex differences in task engagement and lapse rate during reward learning plateaus https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.10.29.685451v1
October 31, 2025 at 6:45 PM
Sex differences in task engagement and lapse rate during reward learning plateaus https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.10.29.685451v1
Babe wake up CoStar is doing new wave learning theory
October 31, 2025 at 4:46 PM
Babe wake up CoStar is doing new wave learning theory
Reposted by Kurt Fraser
Zara Weinberg was a brilliant light both in and out of science. She changed the lives of everyone she interacted and loved for the better. Her legacy will live on through all of us and we will fight for a better world on behalf of her memory.
October 30, 2025 at 1:43 AM
Zara Weinberg was a brilliant light both in and out of science. She changed the lives of everyone she interacted and loved for the better. Her legacy will live on through all of us and we will fight for a better world on behalf of her memory.
Reposted by Kurt Fraser
Zara Weinberg was a brilliant, loving, and beautiful woman. She inspired everyone who she interacted with, and always strived to make the world a better place for everyone. Tho the world is a little less bright today without her, her memory will always be a blessing.
She was truly one of the best.
She was truly one of the best.
October 30, 2025 at 8:55 PM
Zara Weinberg was a brilliant, loving, and beautiful woman. She inspired everyone who she interacted with, and always strived to make the world a better place for everyone. Tho the world is a little less bright today without her, her memory will always be a blessing.
She was truly one of the best.
She was truly one of the best.
Reposted by Kurt Fraser
ATTN: Two faculty positions are available in my department (neuroscience) at the University of Minnesota. This is a general search with no topic focus. November 20th application deadline.
Apply here: hr.umn.edu/jobs/Find-Job
Assistant Prof job code: 364920
Associate/Full Prof job code: 364921
Apply here: hr.umn.edu/jobs/Find-Job
Assistant Prof job code: 364920
Associate/Full Prof job code: 364921
October 30, 2025 at 3:59 PM
ATTN: Two faculty positions are available in my department (neuroscience) at the University of Minnesota. This is a general search with no topic focus. November 20th application deadline.
Apply here: hr.umn.edu/jobs/Find-Job
Assistant Prof job code: 364920
Associate/Full Prof job code: 364921
Apply here: hr.umn.edu/jobs/Find-Job
Assistant Prof job code: 364920
Associate/Full Prof job code: 364921