Ben Doughty

A screenshot of the article title: Reframing oxytocin as a behavioral flexibility hormone

Scientific claims in biobehavioral oxytocin research are dependent on a “derivation chain”. Theoretical models are the beginning of this chain, which are dependent on a theoretical core supported by auxiliary hypotheses. Efforts to improve biobehavioral oxytocin research have tended to focus on auxiliary hypotheses related to experimental models (e.g., improving oxytocin delivery to the brain, polygenic approaches for genetics studies), and statistical auxiliary hypothesis (e.g., appropriate sample sizes for research). However, even if these issues are addressed, a poorly specified theoretical core (and associated auxiliary hypothesis) can lead to unreliable scientific claims

Oxytocin is typically described as a "social" hormone. In our new article, we propose that it should instead be viewed a hormone that modulates behavioral flexibility

doi.org/10.1016/j.ne...

Update3.

Still trying to think of what to call it..

The Soft-in-the-Head Hypothesis
The Jelly Head Model
The Waterworld Hypothesis (great movie)
osf.io/sd5g4/wiki?w...

A genome-wide CRISPR screen reveals cancer-specific regul... Metastatic spread of cancer cells is driven by binding between...

"A genome-wide CRISPR screen reveals cancer-specific regulators of hyaluronan binding and cellular invasion"

www.researchhub.com/paper/110810...

Wnt signaling drives stomach cancer spread by reshaping surrounding tissue, finds study Researchers at the Cancer Research Institute and the Nano Life Science Institute (WPI-NanoLSI), Kanazawa University, have uncovered a critical mechanism that enables gastric cancer to spread to distant organs.

Wnt signaling in stromal fibroblasts promotes gastric cancer metastasis by increasing hyaluronan production, highlighting new potential targets to disrupt the tumor-supportive microenvironment. doi.org/hbrpbx

Hyaluronan in human cerebrospinal fluid - PubMed We studied the concentration of hyaluronan in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) in various diseases and attempted to define its reference interval. A radioassay utilizing cartilage proteins with affinity for hyaluronan was used in determining the concentration of 200 lumbar and 27 ventricular CSF specimens …

A 1996 study measured HA in human CSF:
Controls: ~50–166 µg/L - Elevated with age
Meningitis: >8,000 µg/L
Tumour: > 4,000 µg/L
Would be interesting to know size of HA here, and whether levels differ across various infections and neurological disorders.
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/8899053/

Targeting immune cells in the aged brain reveals that engineered cytokine IL-10 enhances neurogenesis and improves cognition Immune cells populate the old brain, but whether they can be specifically targeted to improve brain function in older individuals remains unclear. Navarro Negredo et al. dissect how aging impacts brai...

Excited to share our new study using engineered immune proteins to quench inflammation in aged brains!!

Congratulations to Paloma Navarro and the entire team!

Fantastic collaboration with Chris Garcia's lab, Tony Wyss-Coray's lab, and Saul Villeda's lab!

www.cell.com/immunity/ful...

Update3.

Still trying to think of what to call it..

The Soft-in-the-Head Hypothesis
The Jelly Head Model
The Waterworld Hypothesis (great movie)
osf.io/sd5g4/wiki?w...

The molecular basis of force selectivity by PIEZO2 Nature - PIEZO2 is intrinsically more rigid than PIEZO1, and disparate mechanical stimuli paradoxically evoke opposite conformational and gating responses in each channel.

New paper from the lab led by @ericmulhall.bsky.social addresses how PIEZO1 and PIEZO2 are tuned to different types mechanical forces. From nanometer-scale super-resolution microscopy to in vivo experiments, links single-molecule observations to physiological function.
www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Autism researchers rebuke Kennedy, form independent advisory group A group of autism researchers and advocates are forming an independent advisory body to develop a scientific agenda for the autism community.

nice move to counter pseudoscience
www.statnews.com/2026/03/03/a...

Metabolic shift → ECM change?

Cardiomyocyte hypertrophy co-localizes with accumulation of hyaluronan in cMyBPC+/- mice hearts
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...

If I'm the opposite will I make it?

good morning everyone project your personal imposter syndrome onto this gif ur welcome

pity them

What about people who are not US citizens? most of their userbase seems to be non-US. I asked in his AMA, no response..
#ChatGPT

Integrins sense stiffness by pulling on the ECM.
HMW-HA increases hydration and alters matrix viscoelasticity.
Does changing HA content change how much force cells actually “feel”?

It’s time for #moleratmonday, where we bring you a fun fact about the naked mole rat, and it’s also Monday 🐀 Today’s fact:

For a rodent, they have an incredibly long lifespan. It’s estimated to be ~10 years in the wild, and 30+ in captivity! The price: they’re super wrinkly even when they’re young

I think its called: Hyperreality

If glycolytic ATP production declines with age, some tissues may rely more on mitochondrial respiration, increasing ROS exposure. Since the hexosamine pathway branches from glycolysis, reduced flux could theoretically alter UDP-sugar availability and extracellular matrix dynamics.

The Right Chemistry: There are lots of longevity regimens. One stands out for me Amid an explosion of aging research, there are plenty of “biohackers” out there jumping the gun without waiting for proof of efficacy.

"and has even infused himself with blood from his son. While he sleeps, Johnson wears a device that measures nighttime erections which he believes to be a measure of cardiovascular health."

montrealgazette.com/opinion/colu...

Oral sodium hyaluronate improves skin hydration, barrier function and signs of aging: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial in 150 healthy adults - Scientific Reports Scientific Reports - Oral sodium hyaluronate improves skin hydration, barrier function and signs of aging: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial in 150 healthy adults

Interesting result given that orally administered HA is likely degraded in the gut before absorption. It would be interesting to know whether absorbed fragments are large enough to have signalling effects, or whether most of it is recycled into normal sugar pools.
www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Hyaluronidases as Targets for the Treatment of Neurological Diseases Hyaluronan (HA) is a glycosaminoglycan synthesized at the cell membrane that can exist in numerous states in the extracellular matrix, including in ternary complexes with proteoglycans such as aggrecan and neurocan. HA synthesis is elevated ...

HA catabolism is highly regulated with approximately a third (5 g) of the body’s total HA content turning over each day.

"Hyaluronidases as Targets for the Treatment of Neurological Diseases."
pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC...

When they say a baby has low birth weight are they always smaller? Could less HMW-HA reduce mass because HA binds water and contributes to tissue volume

"Assemble the Board of Peace - I'm starting a war".

If I ever somehow manage to get this into a preprint (unlikely, I’m still learning), I’m calling it:

Neo(teny) in the Matrix
or
The Wet Soil Hypothesis
or
The Inflammaturation Model
osf.io/sd5g4/wiki?w...
Updated:

Post a pic you took, no context, to bring some zen to the feed.

New preprint with Léo Pio-Lopez:
www.preprints.org/manuscript/2...

"Multi-Scale Longevity: Defeating Aging from Cells to Embodied Human Minds, and the Future of the Species"

a broader view of longevity research.

If I ever somehow manage to get this into a preprint (unlikely, I’m still learning), I’m calling it:

Neo(teny) in the Matrix
osf.io/sd5g4/wiki?w...

Alpha-Gal syndrome ⤵️🟡 sad #glycotime 😞

This is the same as the menstrual cycle isn't it? except if no pregnancy occurs it switches back to HIF-1a. Seems to also be the same with gestation.
What may be possible is oxygen levels or pseudohypoxia reverting the tissue back to the inflammatory phase.
Also interesting: Estrogen driving HAS2

Proliferative / Angiogenic Phase (Day 3–10)
Oxygen improves
HIF-1a declines
HIF-2a stabilizes (>5% 02)
More HMW-HA, less LMW-HA