Vicente Rodriguez
@vicente-rodriguez.bsky.social
Post-bacc | Sternson Lab @hhmi.org @ucsandiego.bsky.social. Systems Neuroscience. He/Him
Reposted by Vicente Rodriguez
Out now in @Nature.Com: Researchers from @UCSDMedSchool.bsky.social develop engineered proteins to selectively reduce #cocaine-seeking behavior without affecting natural rewards. This innovative method may lead to new gene therapies for cocaine #addiction
buff.ly/2LEPha8
buff.ly/2LEPha8
Rewiring Addiction With Designer Proteins
By custom engineering proteins in the brain, scientists at UC San Diego have shown that addiction can be rewired at the molecular level without negatively impacting enjoyment of normal activities.
today.ucsd.edu
August 27, 2025 at 3:50 PM
Out now in @Nature.Com: Researchers from @UCSDMedSchool.bsky.social develop engineered proteins to selectively reduce #cocaine-seeking behavior without affecting natural rewards. This innovative method may lead to new gene therapies for cocaine #addiction
buff.ly/2LEPha8
buff.ly/2LEPha8
Very cool paper published by the lab on a chemogenetic cocaine activated receptor that we created and showed selectively clamps dopamine release to oppose drug seeking behavior!
Nature research paper: Cocaine chemogenetics blunts drug-seeking by synthetic physiology
go.nature.com/3Vm6njf
go.nature.com/3Vm6njf
Cocaine chemogenetics blunts drug-seeking by synthetic physiology - Nature
Cocaine chemogenetics in rats is a selective approach for countering drug reinforcement by clamping dopamine release in the presence of cocaine.
go.nature.com
September 3, 2025 at 2:12 AM
Very cool paper published by the lab on a chemogenetic cocaine activated receptor that we created and showed selectively clamps dopamine release to oppose drug seeking behavior!
Very happy to say I get to benefit from this for my fall graduate applications! So excited to share I was selected to be a GSMI Scholar this year ✨huge thanks to @cientificolatino.com for the support 🌟
Graduate school applications are expensive!! 💸
We are proud that we were able to save $53,205 in graduate school costs this year for our 100 GSMI scholars through Cientifico Latino, Inc. scholarships and fee waivers.
Learn more about our program: cientificolatino.com/gsmi
We are proud that we were able to save $53,205 in graduate school costs this year for our 100 GSMI scholars through Cientifico Latino, Inc. scholarships and fee waivers.
Learn more about our program: cientificolatino.com/gsmi
August 18, 2025 at 6:58 PM
Very happy to say I get to benefit from this for my fall graduate applications! So excited to share I was selected to be a GSMI Scholar this year ✨huge thanks to @cientificolatino.com for the support 🌟
Reposted by Vicente Rodriguez
(1/n) Why is it so hard to stop eating when something tastes amazing? Our new @ science.org paper reveals that dopamine helps sustain our drive for tasty treats—and may explain how anti-obesity Ozempic tames those urges. doi.org/10.1126/science.adt0773
March 30, 2025 at 2:54 AM
(1/n) Why is it so hard to stop eating when something tastes amazing? Our new @ science.org paper reveals that dopamine helps sustain our drive for tasty treats—and may explain how anti-obesity Ozempic tames those urges. doi.org/10.1126/science.adt0773
Reposted by Vicente Rodriguez
Congratulations!!! Truly grateful for your outstanding contribution!
March 29, 2025 at 3:13 PM
Congratulations!!! Truly grateful for your outstanding contribution!
Congratulations to @zhenggang.bsky.social on this major accomplishment! Excited I get to say this is my first publication!
New @science.org
Hedonic eating (eating for pleasure, not need) is mediated by dopamine neurons (in the brain ventral segmental area, VTA) and they are antagonized by GLP-1 drugs, such as semaglutide, leading to weight loss
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Hedonic eating (eating for pleasure, not need) is mediated by dopamine neurons (in the brain ventral segmental area, VTA) and they are antagonized by GLP-1 drugs, such as semaglutide, leading to weight loss
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Hedonic eating is controlled by dopamine neurons that oppose GLP-1R satiety
Hedonic eating is defined as food consumption driven by palatability without physiological need. However, neural control of palatable food intake is poorly understood. We discovered that hedonic eatin...
www.science.org
March 28, 2025 at 7:24 PM
Congratulations to @zhenggang.bsky.social on this major accomplishment! Excited I get to say this is my first publication!
Reposted by Vicente Rodriguez
Excited to present the latest from the lab out today in Cell www.cell.com/cell/fulltex.... See Thread! 1/8
March 4, 2025 at 4:34 PM
Excited to present the latest from the lab out today in Cell www.cell.com/cell/fulltex.... See Thread! 1/8
Reposted by Vicente Rodriguez
Our paper @dulaclab.bsky.social on social homeostasis is online today! We characterized “social rebound” behavior after social isolation in multiple mouse strains and revealed its neural basis. Intriguingly, soft touch plays a key role in satisfying social need!
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
February 26, 2025 at 5:40 PM
Our paper @dulaclab.bsky.social on social homeostasis is online today! We characterized “social rebound” behavior after social isolation in multiple mouse strains and revealed its neural basis. Intriguingly, soft touch plays a key role in satisfying social need!
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Reposted by Vicente Rodriguez
Sunday ponderings at the microscope on how to convince the average American that knowing the mysteries buried within this image (and others) is important and that sustained public funding (including sufficient indirect support) remains as important as ever.
February 9, 2025 at 10:57 PM
Sunday ponderings at the microscope on how to convince the average American that knowing the mysteries buried within this image (and others) is important and that sustained public funding (including sufficient indirect support) remains as important as ever.
Reposted by Vicente Rodriguez
If you can, go hear Laura’s seminar (it’ll be great). If you can’t make that, check out her recent preprint www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
January 24, 2025 at 4:53 AM
If you can, go hear Laura’s seminar (it’ll be great). If you can’t make that, check out her recent preprint www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Reposted by Vicente Rodriguez
Listened to a ~4-hour podcast on the remarkable history of Novo Nordisk (makers of Ozempic)… all during my two-hour walk to work this morning.
podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/a...
Novo Nordisk (Ozempic)
Podcast Episode · Acquired · 01/22/2024 · 3h 42m
podcasts.apple.com
January 6, 2025 at 5:29 PM
Listened to a ~4-hour podcast on the remarkable history of Novo Nordisk (makers of Ozempic)… all during my two-hour walk to work this morning.
podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/a...
Reposted by Vicente Rodriguez
Our next multi-agent behavior challenge launches in <2 months! Will share bits of info here in the meantime. First, the basics:
- 226 hours of top-down video of socially interacting mice
- 15 contributor labs
- all vids fully manually scored for behavior
- 45 unique behaviors across videos (!)
- 226 hours of top-down video of socially interacting mice
- 15 contributor labs
- all vids fully manually scored for behavior
- 45 unique behaviors across videos (!)
November 20, 2024 at 1:49 AM
Our next multi-agent behavior challenge launches in <2 months! Will share bits of info here in the meantime. First, the basics:
- 226 hours of top-down video of socially interacting mice
- 15 contributor labs
- all vids fully manually scored for behavior
- 45 unique behaviors across videos (!)
- 226 hours of top-down video of socially interacting mice
- 15 contributor labs
- all vids fully manually scored for behavior
- 45 unique behaviors across videos (!)
Reposted by Vicente Rodriguez
Hey folks! I got a tattoo of my beloved PIEZO ion channel on my arm! Now I can show how they activate (flatten) under pressure by flexing—Will add a bit of performance art to my science talks 🧪🧠.
November 22, 2024 at 4:05 AM
Hey folks! I got a tattoo of my beloved PIEZO ion channel on my arm! Now I can show how they activate (flatten) under pressure by flexing—Will add a bit of performance art to my science talks 🧪🧠.
Reposted by Vicente Rodriguez
Choose 20 books that have stayed with you or influenced you. One book per day for 20 days, in no particular order. No explanations, no reviews, just covers.
#BookSky💙📚
#Books
#BookChallenge
Day 3
#BookSky💙📚
#Books
#BookChallenge
Day 3
November 20, 2024 at 5:17 AM
Choose 20 books that have stayed with you or influenced you. One book per day for 20 days, in no particular order. No explanations, no reviews, just covers.
#BookSky💙📚
#Books
#BookChallenge
Day 3
#BookSky💙📚
#Books
#BookChallenge
Day 3
Reposted by Vicente Rodriguez
Announcing a new open access textbook for entry level behavioral neuro. Funded by NSF. Written by a collection of 26 neuro experts. Method demonstration videos and author interviews too. Consider using it in your courses to reduce financial barriers to education.
openstax.org/details/book...
openstax.org/details/book...
November 15, 2024 at 10:56 AM
Announcing a new open access textbook for entry level behavioral neuro. Funded by NSF. Written by a collection of 26 neuro experts. Method demonstration videos and author interviews too. Consider using it in your courses to reduce financial barriers to education.
openstax.org/details/book...
openstax.org/details/book...
New here from twt and I’m already loving this algorithm. These recommended starter packs are saving me all the trouble of finding the people I’d already followed on twt. Plus they come w the added benefit of finding new ppl to interact with. Big fan. 🧪🧠
November 16, 2024 at 12:09 AM
New here from twt and I’m already loving this algorithm. These recommended starter packs are saving me all the trouble of finding the people I’d already followed on twt. Plus they come w the added benefit of finding new ppl to interact with. Big fan. 🧪🧠