Zoe McElligott
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nanopharmnc.bsky.social
Zoe McElligott
@nanopharmnc.bsky.social
6.8K followers 1.8K following 1.7K posts
Neurosci w/ tiny farm. PI of McE lab! AWARD WINNING PEARS! #FriendsWithLyricalGenius #TheEldestMillennial, often found running in the woods, She/Her, views expressed are not as a rep of UNC-CH. www.mcelligottlab.org
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4717-5698
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nanopharmnc.bsky.social
Sign up to volunteer for #WCBR2026 School Outreach. A big mission of the meeting is connecting with the local community! It's also a great way to network with your colleagues!
parthenonmgmt-my.sharepoint.com/:x:/p/mferre...
Dear Winter Brain attendees, This year we have classrooms at Bozeman High School that have expressed interest in having visits from neuroscientists. Visits will take place on Tuesday, January 27th, 2026. We are looking for neuroscientists at any training level to join us in these engagements. Topics of your own interest are welcome. In the past, we have done sheep brain dissections, and presentations about being a scientist and alcohol and the brain. This is a very important Winter Brain tradition, and we look forward to your support! If you are interested, please complete your information in the sign up sheet. Please sign up by Friday, January 9, 2026. Contact us at info@winterbrain.org if you have any questions. Sincerly, Michael Stefanik, Winter Brain Education Chair
November 24, 2025 at 3:57 PM
nanopharmnc.bsky.social
Cool statue called "Aspire" in front of the theater. R and I are in Charlotte today to go to a live taping of R's favorite podcast #CircleRound at Central Piedmont Community College.
November 22, 2025 at 6:09 PM
nanopharmnc.bsky.social
I am not at SFN this year but my dopamine friends are asking you to come out and celebrate the worlds best precursor molecule.
Dopamine Dinner 2025, Waterfront Bar and Grill, Sunday, November 16th, 8PM until ?, Limited space, Food service available
November 16, 2025 at 7:31 PM
nanopharmnc.bsky.social
The man the myth the legend @superkash.bsky.social
My phone made a fun pop out of Thomas Kash and his trusty pup the labradoodle known as Cinnamon
November 8, 2025 at 3:50 PM
nanopharmnc.bsky.social
Your donation is tax deductible and supports the young scientists who are being lost due to the federal funding crisis. #WCBR2026 nam12.safelinks.protection.outlook.com?url=https%3A...
Support Young Investigators Each year, the Winter Conference on Brain Research (WCBR) meets to provide a forum for innovative science in carefully curated sessions. Your support of Winter Brain will help us support and foster the next generation of neuroscientists. The generosity of donors like Scott Edwards, PhD, and Paul Letourneau, PhD help us provide Winter Brain Travel Awards to scientists. "I enjoy supporting the WCBR Travel Awards program becuase it promotes the inclusion of next generation researchers into a highly welcoming community of neuroscientists," Dr. Edwards said. "When young scientists can experience such a great conference, it emboldens their confidence in their future careers." Your one-time donation or monthly gift is tax-deductible and will allow young investigators to experience a meeting where they will have mentorship programs, networking opportunites, and career development, as well as learn the latest brain science. Dr. Letourneau has seen first-hand the impact that attending Winter Brain has on young scientists. "I strongly support the WCBR Travel Fellowship," he said. "The WCBR is a great meeting for young investigators to meet peers and accomplished scientists in an informal, enjoyable setting. I made both long-standing friendships and research collaborations at my first WCBRs." Your support is important, and Winter Brain will recognize your generosity by including your name on the website and signage during the conference. If you prefer to donate via check, you may send donations to: WCBR, Attention: Travel Awards, 5034-A Thoroughbred Lane, Brentwood, TN 37027. Help Winter Brain mentor the next generation of neuroscientists with a gift in 2025. We are grateful for your generosity. Sincerely, Susan Ferguson, PhD Conference Chair
October 22, 2025 at 5:29 PM
nanopharmnc.bsky.social
one more day for poster submissions for #WCBR2026 in Big Sky, MT. www.winterbrain.org
One More Day for Poster Submissions! POSTER SUBMISSIONS DEADLINE: October 16, 2025 We are still accepting poster proposals for the 58th Winter Conference on Brain Research in Big Sky, MT, January 24 - 29, 2026. Winter Brain offers a unique environment in which neuroscientists from many different disciplines interact in a comfortable, relaxed environment. Read below to find information on submissions, travel awards, and programmatic information. Everyone is welcome to submit a poster proposals, including first time attendees at any academic level! We especially encourage submissions from junior investigators and trainees. Quick Link: Submission Guidelines & Instructions Late submissions will not be considered. Winter Brain will offer CME credit to eligible participants. The program consists of an opening plenary, scientific panels, poster sessions, career development sessions, short courses, Pioneer sessions that highlight the scientific accomplishments of long-time Winter Brain attendees, and a closing banquet. The program also allows for ample time to network during informal discussions while riding the chair lift, engaging in other outdoor activities, or hanging out at the lodge. For more information about Winter Brain 2026, please visit www.winterbrain.org. We hope to see you in Big Sky in January!
October 15, 2025 at 1:57 PM
nanopharmnc.bsky.social
A little rain didn't stop the 37th annual Walk For Hope! The Foundation of Hope supports research like mine, and the www.walkforhope.com is always a great time! Bluesky is not letting me post pics for some reason
Psychiatry team at the Walk for Hope
October 12, 2025 at 6:28 PM
nanopharmnc.bsky.social
October 9th is the deadline for poster submissions for #WCBR2026 please share! www.winterbrain.org
one more day left for poster submissions to Winter Brain 2026
October 8, 2025 at 2:17 PM
nanopharmnc.bsky.social
Had a really nice time at the #PainSocietyOfTheCarolinas annual meeting this weekend. I think I was the only basic scientist in the room but good to get outside of our microcosm every now and again. Great to make some connections with clinicians and a new running friend!
Dr George Washington Carver Park filled with edible treats A little bit of the Asheville skyline with some trees
October 5, 2025 at 2:13 PM
nanopharmnc.bsky.social
Commented but also didn't like seeing that this information was going directly to I*C*E
Confirmation of my comment
September 27, 2025 at 2:45 PM
nanopharmnc.bsky.social
Just landed back at RDU after going to Purdue University and Indiana University SOM. Many thanks to Adam Kimbrough for the invitation and to @sanghalab.bsky.social and @sydneytrask.bsky.social for graciously tacking me on to their schedules! It was lovely! I spent a lot of time in IN as a kid....
Me (in sunglasses and a blue hoodie) in front of the street sign for That Rd in Bloomington, IN
September 20, 2025 at 7:26 PM
nanopharmnc.bsky.social
Congratulations to Kristen Harris and Amy Hauck Newman the Pioneer Award Winners for #WCBR2026 ! Registration is now open and panel submissions are due Sept 11, 2025; posters are due October 9, 2025
Kristen Harris has been an active participant in the WCBR since 2002. Her professional career began at Harvard Medical school from 1984-1999 when she was recruited to Boston University, where she worked to establish their graduate program in experimental and computational neuroscience. From BU she was recruited as a Georgia Research Alliance Eminent scholar to the Medical College of Georgia. Since 2006 she is Professor of Neuroscience in the Center for Learning and Memory and Department of Neuroscience at the University of Texas at Austin. She is renowned for her work on synapse structure and function pioneering three-dimensional reconstruction from serial section electron microscopy to advance understanding of the synaptic mechanisms of learning and memory. Her lab had developed novel tools sharing them together with data that are widely used resources (synapseweb.clm.utexas.edu). She is the recipient of Sloan Research Fellowship, Javits Merit Award, Brain Research Foundation Fellowship, Mika Salpeter Lifetime achievement and many other awards. She is known for innovative teaching, service on many prestigious scientific advisory boards, and presentations worldwide. She is a member of the National Academy of Sciences. Dr. Amy Hauck Newman received her doctorate in Medicinal Chemistry from the Medical College of Virginia, Virginia Commonwealth University, under the mentorship of Dr. Richard Glennon. She joined the laboratory of Dr. Kenner Rice at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for her postdoctoral studies where she conducted total opiate synthesis, as a National Research Service Award fellow. After starting her first independent lab at Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, she joined the National Institute on Drug Abuse-Intramural Research Program (NIDA-IRP), NIH, in 1991, where she was tenured and became the Medicinal Chemistry Section Chief. She currently serves as the Scientific Director, Chief of the Molecular Targets and Medications Discovery Branch and Director of the NIDA-IRP Medications Development Program. She has coauthored more than 340 original articles and reviews on the design, synthesis, and evaluation of centrally active agents, with an emphasis on selective ligands for the dopaminergic system, as potential treatment medications for substance use disorders. In particular, she has pioneered the development of highly selective and bitopic dopamine D3 receptor antagonists and partial agonists for treatment of Opioid Use Disorders (OUD). More recently, she has turned her attention to developing medications for the treatment of psychostimulant use disorders that are comorbid with bipolar disorder and/or schizophrenia. In addition, she has developed research tools that include small molecule fluorescent ligands, radioligands and irreversible ligands directed toward the dopamine, serotonin or norepinephrine transporters. She is an inventor on >25 NIH patents and patent applications. Dr. Newman has received numerous awards from both the NIH and NIDA Directors including the NIH Ruth L. Kirschstein Mentoring Award, in 2019. She was the first woman to receive the Philip Portoghese Lectureship Award, awarded by the Division of Medicinal Chemistry (MEDI) and the Journal of Medicinal Chemistry, American Chemical Society (ACS) in 2016. Dr. Newman was honored as a “Remarkable Woman in Medicinal Chemistry” by the ACS, in 2018 and was inducted into the ACS MEDI Hall of Fame in 2023.
August 28, 2025 at 1:44 PM
nanopharmnc.bsky.social
Finally we examined excitability in KOs and WT littermates. While NASPM reduced RMP in WTs, it did not in KOs. Similarly rheobase was also impacted by NASPM in the WT but not the KO. Interestingly however, the KO responded with fewer APs to current injections regardless of NASPM application.
Fig. 6 GluD1 KO diminishes NASPM effects on cell excitability. aRepresentative trace from WT animal. b Representative trace fromGluD1 KO. (Black dashed line = −62 mV, red dashed line = −68 mV).c NASPM significantly hyperpolarizes dlBNST RMP in WT, but notGluD1 KO mice. d Magnitude of change in RMP following 100 μM NASPM application. e NASPM significantly increases rheobasein WT mice. f Deletion of GluD1 results in fewer action potentialsfired in response to positive current steps compared to WT littermates.Total n = 9 cells, 6 mice for WTs, and 8 cells, 5 mice for GluD1 KOs.Asterisks are indicative of significance as determined by two-way RMANOVA and post-hoc Fisher’s LSD (c,e), unpaired two-tailed t-test(d), or three-way ANOVA (f)
August 22, 2025 at 12:38 AM
nanopharmnc.bsky.social
while the synaptic effects of NASPM were still present in the GluD1KOs, they were significantly larger in the GluDKOs vs. WT littermates suggesting a reciprocal relationship between CP-AMPARs and GluD1 in the BNST.
Fig. 5 Constitutive knockout of GluD1 receptors exacerbates NASPM-mediated reductions in synaptic excitatory signaling. a Representativetraces of WT and GluD1 sEPSCs before and after NASPM b 100 μMNASPM significantly reduces sEPSC frequency in both genotypes.c NASPM does not change sEPSC amplitude in either genotype. dNASPM causes greater reduction to sEPSC frequency in GluD1 KOanimals compared to WTs. e No significant decrease to normalizedamplitude occurs after NASPM. f NASPM reduces total excitatorydrive in both genotypes compared to baseline. Total n = 16 cells, 9mice for WTs, 15 cells, 7 mice for GluD1 KOs. Asterisks are indicativeof significance as determined by two-way RM ANOVA and post-hocFisher’s LSD (b,c) or unpaired t-tests (d-f)
August 22, 2025 at 12:38 AM
nanopharmnc.bsky.social
to our delight the effects of NASPM on holding current were largely absent in the GluD1KOs but not in their WT litermates! GluD1KOs also had reduced holding currents at baseline, and disrupted the NASPM induced change holding current vs. baseline holding current relationship.
Fig. 4 Constitutive knockout of GluD1 receptors attenuates toniccurrent. a Representative trace of dlBNST neuron from GluD1 KOmouse. b Representative trace of dlBNST neuron from WT litter-mate. c NASPM application significantly reduces holding current inthe dlBNST of WT, but not in GluD1 KO mice. d Average magnitudeof holding current shift from NASPM. e Correlation of holding cur-rent at baseline and tonic current magnitude in WT (black, significantcorrelation) and GluD1 KO (green, no significant correlation). Totaln = 16 cells, 9 mice for WTs and n = 15 cells, 7 mice for KOs. Asterisksindicate significant differences determined via two-way repeated mea-sures ANOVA and post-hoc differences determined by Fisher’s LSD(c), unpaired t-test (d), or Pearson’s Correlation Coefficient (e)
August 22, 2025 at 12:38 AM
nanopharmnc.bsky.social
we also found that NASPM significantly altered the excitability of BNST neurons
Fig. 3 Application of NASPM hyperpolarizes the resting membranepotential and decreases excitability of dlBNST neurons in C57BL/6Jmale mice. a Representative trace of RMP hyperpolarization afterNASPM application from a spontaneously active dlBNST neuron. bRaw change in resting membrane potential before and after NASPM. cAverage magnitude of NASPM-induced hyperpolarization. d NASPMcauses an increase in the rheobase at RMP. e No significant changes inthe number of action potentials fired by dlBNST neurons in response toincreasing 20 pA current steps before and after drug application. Totaln = 13 cells from 6 mice. Asterisks indicate significant differences inpaired t-tests (b,d), one-sample t-tests (c) with a theoretical mean of0, or two-way repeated measures ANOVA with Greenhouse–Geissercorrection (e)
August 22, 2025 at 12:38 AM
nanopharmnc.bsky.social
the synaptic effect of NASPM is also still there, and suggests that there may be synpases exclusively expressing CP-AMPARs
Fig. 2 Application of 100 μM NASPM decreases synaptic excitatorysignaling in the dlBNST of naïve C57BL/6J male mice. a Representa-tive traces of sPESCs before and after NASPM. NASPM significantlydecreases the frequency (b,d) but not amplitude (c,e) of sEPSCs, lead-ing to an overall decrease in excitatory drive (f). Total n = 11 cells from8 mice. Asterisks indicate significant difference in paired t-tests (b,c)or one-sample t-tests (d-f) with a theoretical mean of 100
August 22, 2025 at 12:38 AM
nanopharmnc.bsky.social
indeed NASPM did result in a significant shift upward in the holding current with a strong trend for cells with larger holding currents exhibiting bigger shifts....
Fig. 1 Application of 100 μM NASPM blocks a tonic excitatory con-ductance in the dlBNST of naïve C57BL/6J male mice. a Represen-tative voltage-clamp trace of NASPM-induced upward shift in hold-ing current. b Raw holding current values before and after NASPMapplication. Asterisks indicate significant difference in paired t-test cMagnitude of NASPM-sensitive tonic current. Asterisks indicate sig-nificant difference in one-sample t-test compared to a theoretical meanof 0. d Correlation of holding current at baseline and tonic currentmagnitude. Total n = 11 cells from 8 mice
August 22, 2025 at 12:38 AM
nanopharmnc.bsky.social
A picture of @superkash.bsky.social and me 16 years ago not long after we arrived in NC. I think this was taken by Tiffany Wills at her goodbye party
Tom giving the camera a sly stare with half-smile, me with the classic head tilt and smile
August 11, 2025 at 11:04 AM
nanopharmnc.bsky.social
Fig pancake ... basically the apple pancake with fig! CC @martinowk.bsky.social @fim.bsky.social
Fig pancake on a white plate on stainless steel counter...before a dusting of powdered sugar
August 2, 2025 at 4:56 PM
nanopharmnc.bsky.social
everything after the last / ? I tried that and got this
August 1, 2025 at 1:58 PM
nanopharmnc.bsky.social
I'm trying to submit a final RPPR for a grant and eRA commons looks like this. Anyone got any ideas? I put in a "eTicket" but it's been crickets thus far.....
August 1, 2025 at 1:54 PM
nanopharmnc.bsky.social
Meanwhile, I'm ready for another day of SS on Teams!
A 12 pack of Diet Sunkist and 59 oz of tea!
July 29, 2025 at 1:41 PM
nanopharmnc.bsky.social
Lead with facts, and not fear. Teach people.
LGBTQ+ rights groups have warned that such bans are not only discriminatory but also dangerous. A July 2025 fact sheet from GLAAD noted that fewer than 10 transgender student-athletes are competing among the NCAA’s 510,000 athletes. It also pointed to documented cases of cisgender girls being falsely accused of being trans, harassed, or subjected to invasive screening, consequences not limited to trans youth.
July 29, 2025 at 1:08 PM
nanopharmnc.bsky.social
Double batch of Apfelpfannkuchen with fresh figs
Double batch of Apfelpfannkuchen with fresh figs sits on a light blue and silver cake plate on a stainless steel counter
July 27, 2025 at 12:41 PM