Two dopamine “votes” in the amygdala that steer exploration
In mouse experiments, Zheng and colleagues report that social engagement increases both baseline and learned exploration, and trace this to dopaminergic signaling from the ventral tegmental area (VTA). They propose that distinct VTA dopamine pathways convey different aspects of exploration—such as risk assessment versus motivational drive—through firing-pattern-dependent dopamine transmission. These pathways converge onto basolateral amygdala neurons, where their competition helps shape whether an animal explores or holds back.
Why it might matter to you:
This work offers a concrete circuit-level example of how neuromodulatory signals can arbitrate between competing behavioral policies, which may help when you’re thinking about stability versus flexibility in neural representations. It also underscores that “dopamine” is not a single control knob: pathway identity and firing dynamics can matter as much as transmitter presence. If you model or measure network maintenance across behavioral states, these results suggest specific nodes (BLA) and signal features (patterned DA) to watch.
When selection fools within-host migration estimates
Using an agent-based simulator (“virolution”), the authors test how purifying selection affects phylodynamic inference of viral migration between anatomical compartments within a host—an approach often used in HIV-1 studies. They generate sequences and genealogies under neutral evolution versus selection, then analyze them with common Bayesian models in BEAST2. Under selection, migration rates are systematically overestimated, implying that assuming neutrality can bias compartmentalization and movement inferences in realistic selective regimes.
Why it might matter to you:
If you rely on inferred “flow” between neural or biological compartments, this is a reminder that inference pipelines can confound movement with selection-driven lineage sorting. The paper is a strong example of using simulation to stress-test whether a model’s assumptions create predictable, directional errors. Strategically, it argues for building and validating generative models before interpreting migration-like parameters as mechanistic.
A refreshed map of how innate lymphoid cells are made
In this Nature Immunology Review, Bhandoola and colleagues summarize recent progress on early developmental stages of innate lymphoid cells (ILCs) arising from lymphoid progenitors in mice. The article focuses on how these progenitors progress through key developmental waypoints en route to mature ILC subsets, highlighting advances that refine the field’s understanding of lineage relationships and timing. As a synthesis piece, it aims to consolidate emerging evidence into a clearer developmental framework.
Why it might matter to you:
Even outside immunology, this review is a useful template for how complex, branching differentiation processes can be organized into testable stages and decision points. If you think in terms of state transitions and stability, the ILC system offers a rich comparison case where “identity” is shaped by early constraints and later plasticity. It may also help you track immunology concepts that increasingly intersect with neuroscience through inflammation, infection, and systemic physiology.
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