WilluhnLab
@willuhnlab.bsky.social
A bunch of passionate neuronerds studying the brain origins of reinforcement learning and compulsive behavior at the Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience. Dopamine, serotonin, basal ganglia, PFC, DBS. https://nin.nl/research/researchgroups/willuhn-group/
Pinned
WilluhnLab
@willuhnlab.bsky.social
· Jul 24
Intracranial electrophysiological biomarkers of compulsivity in obsessive–compulsive disorder - Nature Mental Health
This research identifies local field potential markers associated with obsessive–compulsive disorder symptoms in patients during provocation. Key findings reveal increased delta and alpha power in spe...
www.nature.com
I am very proud of lead author Tara Arbab for completing this most recent manuscript from the lab! --> Intracranial electrophysiological biomarkers of compulsivity in OCD. www.nature.com/articles/s44...
Reposted by WilluhnLab
Thought now was as good a time as ever to join bsky - Excited to share a big part of my PhD work is finally published- 7+ years of experiments from a great team of people. Wishing I could be at #sfn2025 to celebrate with you guys! www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Cocaine seeking and consumption are oppositely regulated by mesolimbic dopamine in male rats - Nature Communications
Here authors demonstrate how opposing trajectories of dopamine transmission underlie changes in drug seeking and taking over chronic drug use. Increased dopamine to drug cues elevates craving, whereas...
www.nature.com
November 13, 2025 at 11:09 PM
Thought now was as good a time as ever to join bsky - Excited to share a big part of my PhD work is finally published- 7+ years of experiments from a great team of people. Wishing I could be at #sfn2025 to celebrate with you guys! www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Awesome work by lead author Lauren Burgeno et al: Dopamine evoked by non-contingent cues increases over cocaine use, producing greater cue reactivity; whereas dopamine evoked by contingent cues decreases over cocaine use, producing escalation of drug consumption. www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Cocaine seeking and consumption are oppositely regulated by mesolimbic dopamine in male rats - Nature Communications
Here authors demonstrate how opposing trajectories of dopamine transmission underlie changes in drug seeking and taking over chronic drug use. Increased dopamine to drug cues elevates craving, whereas...
www.nature.com
November 12, 2025 at 8:32 PM
Awesome work by lead author Lauren Burgeno et al: Dopamine evoked by non-contingent cues increases over cocaine use, producing greater cue reactivity; whereas dopamine evoked by contingent cues decreases over cocaine use, producing escalation of drug consumption. www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Reposted by WilluhnLab
Our lab is looking for a postdoc! We have interesting projects and cutting-edge techniques such as Neuropixels Opto, Light Beads Microscopy and more. We would be delighted to receive your application. Deadline is 25 November 2025. More info here:
www.ucl.ac.uk/cortexlab/po...
www.ucl.ac.uk/cortexlab/po...
November 12, 2025 at 3:41 PM
Our lab is looking for a postdoc! We have interesting projects and cutting-edge techniques such as Neuropixels Opto, Light Beads Microscopy and more. We would be delighted to receive your application. Deadline is 25 November 2025. More info here:
www.ucl.ac.uk/cortexlab/po...
www.ucl.ac.uk/cortexlab/po...
Reposted by WilluhnLab
Excited to share our cross-disorder GWAS analysis of neurological and psychiatric disorders (~1 M cases), now out in @natneuro.nature.com! We show more extensive genetic pleiotropy than previously recognized, supporting a more unified view of these disorders
rdcu.be/ePmwD
rdcu.be/ePmwD
A genome-wide analysis of the shared genetic risk architecture of complex neurological and psychiatric disorders
Nature Neuroscience - Smeland et al. demonstrate greater genetic overlap between neurological and psychiatric disorders than previously recognized, along with diverse neurobiological associations....
rdcu.be
November 12, 2025 at 12:12 PM
Excited to share our cross-disorder GWAS analysis of neurological and psychiatric disorders (~1 M cases), now out in @natneuro.nature.com! We show more extensive genetic pleiotropy than previously recognized, supporting a more unified view of these disorders
rdcu.be/ePmwD
rdcu.be/ePmwD
Reposted by WilluhnLab
Independent validation of the SnxA biosensor as a sensitive reporter of PI(3,5)P₂ dynamics by Gerald R Hammond and team: www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
November 12, 2025 at 6:57 PM
Independent validation of the SnxA biosensor as a sensitive reporter of PI(3,5)P₂ dynamics by Gerald R Hammond and team: www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Reposted by WilluhnLab
The Matthew Effect is alive and well in academia - always makes me wary of programs aimed at identifying rising stars in an already highly talented pool...
elifesciences.org/reviewed-pre...
elifesciences.org/reviewed-pre...
elifesciences.org
November 12, 2025 at 7:03 PM
The Matthew Effect is alive and well in academia - always makes me wary of programs aimed at identifying rising stars in an already highly talented pool...
elifesciences.org/reviewed-pre...
elifesciences.org/reviewed-pre...
Reposted by WilluhnLab
Delighted to see this finally out: rdcu.be/eO9oW
We tested whether brief striatal dopamine release events influence the vigor of skilled movements. Despite popular belief, we did not find any evidence linking rapid dopamine dynamics to motor vigor on a moment-by-moment basis.
We tested whether brief striatal dopamine release events influence the vigor of skilled movements. Despite popular belief, we did not find any evidence linking rapid dopamine dynamics to motor vigor on a moment-by-moment basis.
Subsecond dopamine fluctuations do not specify the vigor of ongoing actions
Nature Neuroscience - Liu and colleagues show that the vigor (that is, speed and amplitude) of dexterous movements is not controlled by ongoing fluctuations in extracellular dopamine within the...
rdcu.be
November 10, 2025 at 3:43 PM
Delighted to see this finally out: rdcu.be/eO9oW
We tested whether brief striatal dopamine release events influence the vigor of skilled movements. Despite popular belief, we did not find any evidence linking rapid dopamine dynamics to motor vigor on a moment-by-moment basis.
We tested whether brief striatal dopamine release events influence the vigor of skilled movements. Despite popular belief, we did not find any evidence linking rapid dopamine dynamics to motor vigor on a moment-by-moment basis.
Reposted by WilluhnLab
🚨🧠🚨 POSTDOC POSITION 🚨🧠🚨 in my lab: www.ru.nl/en/working-a... Connectivity in Working Memory. Deadline 12 Nov! Apply via website; please repost.
Postdoc Position: Neural Circuitry Underlying Working Memory | Radboud University
Do you want to work as a Postdoc Position: Neural Circuitry Underlying Working Memory at the Faculty of Social Sciences? Check our vacancy!
www.ru.nl
November 9, 2025 at 9:17 AM
🚨🧠🚨 POSTDOC POSITION 🚨🧠🚨 in my lab: www.ru.nl/en/working-a... Connectivity in Working Memory. Deadline 12 Nov! Apply via website; please repost.
Reposted by WilluhnLab
What an exciting program for GRC Frontal Cortex in 2026! www.grc.org/frontal-cort...
2026 Frontal Cortex Conference GRC
The 2026 Gordon Research Conference on Frontal Cortex will be held in Holderness, New Hampshire. Apply today to reserve your spot.
www.grc.org
November 3, 2025 at 7:18 PM
What an exciting program for GRC Frontal Cortex in 2026! www.grc.org/frontal-cort...
Reposted by WilluhnLab
arXiv will no longer accept review articles and position papers unless they have been accepted at a journal or a conference and complete successful peer review.
This is due to being overwhelmed by a hundreds of AI generated papers a month.
Yet another open submission process killed by LLMs.
This is due to being overwhelmed by a hundreds of AI generated papers a month.
Yet another open submission process killed by LLMs.
Attention Authors: Updated Practice for Review Articles and Position Papers in arXiv CS Category – arXiv blog
blog.arxiv.org
November 1, 2025 at 5:28 PM
arXiv will no longer accept review articles and position papers unless they have been accepted at a journal or a conference and complete successful peer review.
This is due to being overwhelmed by a hundreds of AI generated papers a month.
Yet another open submission process killed by LLMs.
This is due to being overwhelmed by a hundreds of AI generated papers a month.
Yet another open submission process killed by LLMs.
Reposted by WilluhnLab
We are seeking a senior tenured professor in our Department working on affective and/or motivational neuroscience (defined in the ad, but pretty broad). The idea is that this person is going help lead our growth in this area alongside our excellent Centers. jobs.utdallas.edu/postings/30693
Associate/Full Professor - Affective Motivational Neuroscience
Position DescriptionThe Department of Neuroscience in the School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences at The University of Texas at Dallas seeks a late-stage Associate or Full Professor faculty member to ...
jobs.utdallas.edu
October 31, 2025 at 9:15 PM
We are seeking a senior tenured professor in our Department working on affective and/or motivational neuroscience (defined in the ad, but pretty broad). The idea is that this person is going help lead our growth in this area alongside our excellent Centers. jobs.utdallas.edu/postings/30693
Reposted by WilluhnLab
Ventral tegmental area dopamine controls timing variability https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.10.27.684913v1
October 28, 2025 at 8:15 PM
Ventral tegmental area dopamine controls timing variability https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.10.27.684913v1
Join us from September 7-10 (2026) in Amsterdam for the "Monitoring Molecules in Neuroscience" conference! The conference venue is booked, the plenary speakers are invited, and we are starting to work on the scientific program. More news to follow soon! monitoringmolecules.org/mmin-2026/
October 28, 2025 at 10:24 AM
Join us from September 7-10 (2026) in Amsterdam for the "Monitoring Molecules in Neuroscience" conference! The conference venue is booked, the plenary speakers are invited, and we are starting to work on the scientific program. More news to follow soon! monitoringmolecules.org/mmin-2026/
Reposted by WilluhnLab
Looking to improve your PeerReview skills? The Reviewer Mentor Program pairs trainees with #JNeurosci & #eNeuro editors & top reviewers to conduct strong manuscript reviews. Open to SfN members at any career stage: http://www.jneurosci.org/rmp
October 25, 2025 at 10:31 AM
Looking to improve your PeerReview skills? The Reviewer Mentor Program pairs trainees with #JNeurosci & #eNeuro editors & top reviewers to conduct strong manuscript reviews. Open to SfN members at any career stage: http://www.jneurosci.org/rmp
Reposted by WilluhnLab
Abstract submissions are now OPEN for the Dopamine 2026 meeting!
Share your latest discoveries and join the global dopamine community in advancing the science of motivation, movement, and reward.
Submit here: dopaminesociety.org/abstracts/
#Dopamine2026
Share your latest discoveries and join the global dopamine community in advancing the science of motivation, movement, and reward.
Submit here: dopaminesociety.org/abstracts/
#Dopamine2026
October 22, 2025 at 6:41 AM
Abstract submissions are now OPEN for the Dopamine 2026 meeting!
Share your latest discoveries and join the global dopamine community in advancing the science of motivation, movement, and reward.
Submit here: dopaminesociety.org/abstracts/
#Dopamine2026
Share your latest discoveries and join the global dopamine community in advancing the science of motivation, movement, and reward.
Submit here: dopaminesociety.org/abstracts/
#Dopamine2026
Reposted by WilluhnLab
🚨 Countdown begins!
Only one month until the call for abstracts, travel grants and registrations open for #FENS2026! 🧠
🗓️ Mark your calendars!
👉 https://loom.ly/0eQS4lE
#FENS #BrainResearch #NeuroscienceConference #FENSForum
Only one month until the call for abstracts, travel grants and registrations open for #FENS2026! 🧠
🗓️ Mark your calendars!
👉 https://loom.ly/0eQS4lE
#FENS #BrainResearch #NeuroscienceConference #FENSForum
October 17, 2025 at 11:00 AM
🚨 Countdown begins!
Only one month until the call for abstracts, travel grants and registrations open for #FENS2026! 🧠
🗓️ Mark your calendars!
👉 https://loom.ly/0eQS4lE
#FENS #BrainResearch #NeuroscienceConference #FENSForum
Only one month until the call for abstracts, travel grants and registrations open for #FENS2026! 🧠
🗓️ Mark your calendars!
👉 https://loom.ly/0eQS4lE
#FENS #BrainResearch #NeuroscienceConference #FENSForum
Reposted by WilluhnLab
Out today at Neuron, our experiments show that frontal cortical representation of economic variables is jointly determined by spatial organization and downstream
connectivity of neurons, revealing a structured, multi-scale code for economic variables. www.cell.com/neuron/fullt...
connectivity of neurons, revealing a structured, multi-scale code for economic variables. www.cell.com/neuron/fullt...
October 16, 2025 at 3:00 PM
Out today at Neuron, our experiments show that frontal cortical representation of economic variables is jointly determined by spatial organization and downstream
connectivity of neurons, revealing a structured, multi-scale code for economic variables. www.cell.com/neuron/fullt...
connectivity of neurons, revealing a structured, multi-scale code for economic variables. www.cell.com/neuron/fullt...
Reposted by WilluhnLab
Really interesting work by Bakhurin and colleagues challenging the reward prediction error hypothesis of dopamine:
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
I love this figure which both echoes and undermines the famous figure from Schultz et al. (1997).
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
I love this figure which both echoes and undermines the famous figure from Schultz et al. (1997).
October 14, 2025 at 11:05 AM
Really interesting work by Bakhurin and colleagues challenging the reward prediction error hypothesis of dopamine:
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
I love this figure which both echoes and undermines the famous figure from Schultz et al. (1997).
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
I love this figure which both echoes and undermines the famous figure from Schultz et al. (1997).
Reposted by WilluhnLab
⏳ Less than two hours to go! #ECNP2025 starts soon — join us in Amsterdam or virtually. Still time to register 👉 www.ecnp.eu/registration2025
#Psychiatry #Neuroscience
#Psychiatry #Neuroscience
October 11, 2025 at 7:15 AM
⏳ Less than two hours to go! #ECNP2025 starts soon — join us in Amsterdam or virtually. Still time to register 👉 www.ecnp.eu/registration2025
#Psychiatry #Neuroscience
#Psychiatry #Neuroscience
Reposted by WilluhnLab
Exciting news! 🎉 Our Computational Neuroscience course has been awarded NIH BRAIN Initiative funding! Students will get hands-on experience w real BRAIN Initiative datasets, helping them build computational skills that are essential for the future of neuroscience.
www.linkedin.com/feed/update/...
www.linkedin.com/feed/update/...
September 25, 2025 at 9:01 PM
Exciting news! 🎉 Our Computational Neuroscience course has been awarded NIH BRAIN Initiative funding! Students will get hands-on experience w real BRAIN Initiative datasets, helping them build computational skills that are essential for the future of neuroscience.
www.linkedin.com/feed/update/...
www.linkedin.com/feed/update/...
Reposted by WilluhnLab
I’m super excited to finally put my recent work with @behrenstimb.bsky.social on bioRxiv, where we develop a new mechanistic theory of how PFC structures adaptive behaviour using attractor dynamics in space and time!
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
September 24, 2025 at 12:04 PM
I’m super excited to finally put my recent work with @behrenstimb.bsky.social on bioRxiv, where we develop a new mechanistic theory of how PFC structures adaptive behaviour using attractor dynamics in space and time!
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Reposted by WilluhnLab
Very excited and proud to share my postdoctoral research with @neurrriot.bsky.social looking at the context-specific encoding of social behavior 💃🕺 in hormone-sensitive, large-scale brain networks in mice!
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
#neuroskyence #compneurosky 🧪
1/12
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
#neuroskyence #compneurosky 🧪
1/12
September 25, 2025 at 4:45 PM
Very excited and proud to share my postdoctoral research with @neurrriot.bsky.social looking at the context-specific encoding of social behavior 💃🕺 in hormone-sensitive, large-scale brain networks in mice!
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
#neuroskyence #compneurosky 🧪
1/12
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
#neuroskyence #compneurosky 🧪
1/12
Reposted by WilluhnLab
A method for capturing neuronal activity using fMRI excited the neuroimaging field but couldn’t be replicated. Today, the authors of the original paper retracted their work.
By @callimcflurry.bsky.social
#neuroskyence
www.thetransmitter.org/retraction/a...
By @callimcflurry.bsky.social
#neuroskyence
www.thetransmitter.org/retraction/a...
Authors retract Science paper on controversial fMRI method
Several MRI artifacts contribute to the neuronal activity signal picked up by the method, according to a preprint the authors posted this month.
www.thetransmitter.org
September 25, 2025 at 6:10 PM
A method for capturing neuronal activity using fMRI excited the neuroimaging field but couldn’t be replicated. Today, the authors of the original paper retracted their work.
By @callimcflurry.bsky.social
#neuroskyence
www.thetransmitter.org/retraction/a...
By @callimcflurry.bsky.social
#neuroskyence
www.thetransmitter.org/retraction/a...
Reposted by WilluhnLab
🛑 Attention researchers who train freely-moving rodents!
Jess Breda and I developed a protocol for training center-port nose fixation 61% faster than a previous curriculum while keeping violation rates low.
Preprint here: www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Jess Breda and I developed a protocol for training center-port nose fixation 61% faster than a previous curriculum while keeping violation rates low.
Preprint here: www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
FixGrower: An efficient and robust curriculum for shaping fixation behavior in rodents
Center-port fixation is a common prerequisite for many freely-moving rodent tasks in neuroscience and psychology. However, typical protocols for shaping this behavior are non-standardized and ineffici...
www.biorxiv.org
September 22, 2025 at 2:59 PM
🛑 Attention researchers who train freely-moving rodents!
Jess Breda and I developed a protocol for training center-port nose fixation 61% faster than a previous curriculum while keeping violation rates low.
Preprint here: www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Jess Breda and I developed a protocol for training center-port nose fixation 61% faster than a previous curriculum while keeping violation rates low.
Preprint here: www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...