Robert Aukema

Astrocytes enable amygdala neural representations supporting memory - Nature Astrocytes in the basolateral amygdala dynamically track fear state and support fear memory retrieval and extinction.

Congratulations to Olena Bukalo and Holmes Lab for this fantastic paper!

www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Tis the season to indulge 🍗🥧🍷

So what better time to have our new lab paper on cannabis-induced munchies published in PNAS but on Christmas Eve!

A 'joint' effort with @ryanmcpickle.bsky.social, showing that cannabis enhances the rewarding value of food. Dig in!

www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...

Dr. Baglot is a postdoc at UCLA, exploring the effects of cannabis & its constituents on pain, cognition, subjective drug effects, & abuse liability in clinical populations, as well as mitigation of neuropathic and inflammatory pain in 🐭 models / #ACNP2026

Early life stress induces social behavioral deficits and peripheral biomarker alterations in adolescence that perpetuate intergenerationally https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.11.27.690841v1

Thanks Kira!!

A network of basolateral amygdala projection neurons contributes to stress-induced activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis A network of basolateral amygdala neurons, but not singular projections, contributes to the neuroendocrine response to stress.

New lab paper drop, this one has been a long time coming! Driven by Rob Aukema (now a postdoc with Kerry Ressler) this paper in Science Advances answered the lingering question of what role the amygdala plays in stress-induced neuroendocrine responses.

www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

Effects of Prenatal Cannabis Exposure on Offspring Mental Health: A Focus on the Role of the Immune System Globally, there is increasing legalization, permissiveness and acceptability of medical and recreational cannabis use—including among pregnant people.…

Had a lot of fun writing this review on prenatal cannabis exposure and the immune system with some of my fave 🇨🇦 cannabinoid colleagues @mallarchak.bsky.social @cannabrain.bsky.social @johnhowland.bsky.social @drjkhokhar.bsky.social LaboTremblay @uvic.ca
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

Risk reshapes amygdala representation of choice Modifying behavior in response to changing environmental conditions is a crucial adaptive function. This capacity is exemplified when animals curtail pursuit of a valued outcome that risks being punis...

for anyone interested in the amygdala and risky decision-making, check out our new preprint: biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

amygdala neurons track reward-seeking actions, and punishment risk dramatically alters this function. lots of other (BLA-accumbens!) data included.

The effect of methamphetamine and 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine on peripheral endocannabinoid concentrations: a study in healthy adults - Psychopharmacology Rationale Stimulant drugs such as methamphetamine (MA) and 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) can impact neurobiological systems implicated in stress, reward processing, and drug use. Although recent preclinical evidence implicates the endocannabinoid (eCB) system in these processes, little is known about the acute effects of stimulants on eCB levels in humans. Objectives The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of acute administration of the prototypical psychostimulant MA and the psychostimulant-empathogen MDMA on circulating eCB levels in healthy adults. Methods Using a within-subject, double-blind design, this study assessed the acute effects of MA (20 mg), MDMA (100 mg), and placebo on plasma eCB levels in healthy human participants (N = 22) during three separate sessions. Blood samples assessing concentrations of the eCBs anandamide (AEA) and 2-Arachidonoylglycerol (2-AG) were collected between 150- and 180-minutes post-drug administration, and subjective measures of drug effects were collected at regular intervals. Results MA, but not MDMA, was associated with significantly lower 2-AG plasma concentrations compared to placebo. Neither drug impacted AEA concentrations. However, during the placebo condition, higher AEA concentrations were correlated with disliking the ‘drug effects’, suggesting a possible relationship between AEA levels and negative expectations of subjective drug effects. Conclusions These findings provide novel insights into how stimulant drugs act on the eCB system and may help to develop treatments for SUDs.

Congrats to @pact-lab.bsky.social PhD student @anadeutsch.bsky.social on her 1st first-author paper from the lab! 🎉

She explored how MDMA & methamphetamine impact cortisol, endocannabinoids, & BDNF levels in healthy humans and how this relates to the subjective drug experience 💊👇

🔵 I'm interrupting my social media hiatus to flag this important preprint from the Bruchas lab (is he not on Bluesky!?) together with @davidweinshenker.bsky.social. Very difficult experiments to show that dopamine release from LC terminals is independent of VTA 🔥
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

Activity of CRF neurons in the BNST reduces anxiety-potentiated startle in female rats in an estrous phase-dependent manner
www.biologicalpsychiatryjournal.com/article/S000...

Effects of acute alcohol administration on endocannabinoids and relation to subjective effects - Psychopharmacology Rationale Harmful alcohol use remains a significant global public health challenge. Examining variability in the acute subjective effects of alcohol and related neurobiological mechanisms may advance the understanding of susceptibility to harmful alcohol use. Research suggests the endocannabinoid (eCB) system may play an important role in mediating the reinforcing effects of alcohol. This study examined the relationship between alcohol-induced changes in eCB concentrations and the subjective psychoactive effects of acute alcohol consumption. Method Healthy social drinkers (n = 28, aged 20–35 years) participated in a within-subjects, single-blind, placebo-controlled laboratory alcohol challenge study. Alcohol (0.6 g/kg; with 20% adjustment for women) and placebo sessions were counterbalanced. Subjective alcohol effects were assessed from self-report questionnaires administered pre- and post-dosing, including the Biphasic Alcohol Effects Scale (BAES), Drug Effects Questionnaire (DEQ), and Profile of Mood States (POMS). The eCBs, N-arachidonoylethanolamine (anandamide; AEA) and 2-arachidonylglycerol (2-AG), were assessed from blood plasma taken throughout the dosing session. Results Acute alcohol was associated with an overall decrease in 2-AG concentrations compared to placebo. Further, we found that a drop in 2-AG concentrations was associated with less drug ‘liking’ and feelings of ‘friendliness’, whereas under placebo conditions, a rise in 2-AG was associated with a smaller decrease in feelings of ‘stimulation’ (e.g., feeling energized, talkative). Alcohol did not significantly affect AEA concentrations. Conclusion Our study provides the first evidence that eCBs may contribute to individual differences in sensitivity to alcohol's reward-related mechanisms by influencing subjective experience, offering insight into the potential role of eCBs in the processes underlying harmful alcohol use.

New @pact-lab.bsky.social paper out today led by [current postdoc] Gavin Petrie & [former postdoc] Raegan Mazurka exploring how acute alcohol impacts endocannabinoid levels & their relation to the subjective effects of alcohol 🍻

link.springer.com/article/10.1...

Exciting new work from @jmoronconcepcion.bsky.social & team just dropped! 👇🤩

Fear generalization is a hallmark of PTSD, but its regulating factors remain elusive

Sachin Patel, @mayoonthebrain.bsky.social & team now show low levels of the endocannabinoid 2-AG is associated with increased generalization of fear in mice and humans: buff.ly/Sw00Fs0

Finally getting to post the thread on this, and excited to force you all to read some of the new work from our group on trying to understand if traumatic stress might impact reactivity to basic stimuli.

Or, honestly, where we asked “what if we just flash a checkerboard at trauma survivors?” 1/🧵

The efficacy of elevating anandamide via inhibition of fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH) combined with internet-delivered cognitive behavioral therapy in the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorde... Neuropsychopharmacology - The efficacy of elevating anandamide via inhibition of fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH) combined with internet-delivered cognitive behavioral therapy in the treatment of...

Its a long weekend here in Canada, which seems appropriate to mourn our recent @npp-journal.bsky.social paper, in which we find that FAAH inhibition does NOT improve symptoms in PTSD🙁

A heroic effort w/ @cannabrain.bsky.social @connorhaggarty.bsky.social @ryanntansey.bsky.social & many more 🧵⬇️

Developmentally distinct architectures in top–down pathways controlling threat avoidance - Nature Neuroscience Through circuit dissection in juvenile, adolescent and adult mice, Klune, Goodpaster and colleagues reveal multiple developmental switches in mPFC–NAc and mPFC–BLA pathways that underlie developmental...

I freaking love this paper from the DeNardo lab! I’ve had the preprint printed on my desk for periodic reference for months and I’m so excited to see this final version!

Developmentally distinct architecture in top-down pathways controlling threat avoidance
doi.org/10.1038/s415...

Awesome, thanks so much!

This looks awesome! How do trainees submit an application for a talk?

Astrocytic cannabinoid receptor 1 promotes resilience by dampening stress-induced blood–brain barrier alterations - Nature Neuroscience The mechanisms of neurovascular adaptations underlying stress resilience remain unclear. Here the authors show that the astrocytic endocannabinoid system modulates the blood–brain barrier changes duri...

So excited to share the work of the fantastic Katarzyna, 1st 🧪PhD student of my lab 🧠, out in @natureneuro.bsky.social 🥂🥳
Cheers to the team, thanks to our precious collaborators and support from @braincanada.bsky.social #CIHR @fondsrechercheqc.bsky.social #newPI

www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Early-life stress induces persistent astrocyte dysfunction associated with fear generalisation Amygdala astrocytes play a critical role in mediating the effects of stress during infancy on neuronal excitability, synaptic plasticity, and memory.

Version of Record of our work at @elife.bsky.social has been published! Super proud of this one after all the hard work of the lab seeing it to the end.

Make sure to click through figure supplements as there is so much good stuff in there - sex differences, etc.

elifesciences.org/articles/99988

Dissociable roles of central striatum and anterior lateral motor area in initiating and sustaining naturalistic behavior Corbit et al. studied patterns of activity in corticostriatal circuits during naturally occurring complex behavior in mice. In contrast to models in which cortex leads striatum, these findings suggest...

It's a little surreal that this paper is finally out. My last paper from my PhD and likely my last mouse neuro publication ever!
Ft. @ahmarilab.bsky.social @piantadosisean.bsky.social

If you're into mouse behavior, optogenetics, and calcium imaging, here's this 🐀🔦🔬
www.cell.com/cell-reports...

Two back to back papers on cannabis exposure to rats, both lead by Savannah Lightfoot!

1st paper: the impact of cannabis vapor on neuroendocrine responses to stress

www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

2nd paper: the impact of cannabis vapor on fear learning

link.springer.com/article/10.1...

One of the hardest parts of being a PI is saying goodbye to the amazing trainees that come through your lab and often influence your life.

Sam Baglot was an amazing PhD student and while I know she will do great things with Ziva Cooper/Cathy Cahill at UCLA for her postdoc, I am sad to see her go.

save the date (may 21) for the second-annual "neural circuits and behaviour" satellite meeting at the @canacn.bsky.social annual meeting, cohosted by @franklandlab.bsky.social&myself. fantastic lineup of speakers, and we'll be looking for 4 trainees to speak as well (with a prize for best talk)!

Endocannabinoids facilitate transitory reward engagement through retrograde gain-control Neuromodulatory signaling is poised to serve as a neural mechanism for gain control, acting as a crucial tuning factor to influence neuronal activity by dynamically shaping excitatory and inhibitory f...

I’m excited to share the most recent study from the Bruchas
lab, which represents the culmination of my postdoctoral work, and serves as the platform for my future research programs investigating the in vivo role of the endocannabinoid signaling system!

www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

You can narcan kit containing 2 doses

If you live in Massachusetts you can now get a naloxone kit through the YouCan website! Here’s a picture of the one I got in the mail - note the SafeSpot card included in every kit!!

Link to order: store.youcan.info

Neuroscience education for people living with addiction Addiction is one of the most prevalent and deadly forms of psychopathology worldwide.[1][1],[2][2] Substance use contributes to the death of 1 in 5 individuals and incurs costs of more than $45 billio...

I wrote an editorial on my experience of teaching neuroscience to ppl with addiction in a residential treatment program www.jpn.ca/content/49/6...

Acute stress activates basolateral amygdala neurons expressing corticotropin-releasing hormone receptor type 1 (CRHR1): Topographical distribution and projection-specific activation in male and female... Although the basolateral amygdala (BLA) and corticotropin releasing hormone receptor type I (CRHR1) signaling are both central to the stress response,…

New lab paper in collaboration with Nick Gilpin's lab.

We examined the distribution of CRHR1 expressing neurons within the basolateral amygdala, their integration in circuits emanating to NAc and CeA and their reactivity to stress. sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

Early-life stress induces persistent astrocyte dysfunction associated with fear generalisation Early-life stress can have lifelong consequences, enhancing stress susceptibility and resulting in behavioural and cognitive deficits. While the effects of early-life stress on neuronal function have ...

Delighted to share an update to our preprint, reviewed at @elife.bsky.social, and now sent back for re-review.
Colossal work by the team and driven home by @mathiasgua.bsky.social
Quick 🧵 of what's new -
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...