The Journal Club
The Journal Club is an AI-generated podcast that summarizes and discusses recent scientific research published in leading journals like Science, Nature Neuroscience, and Cell. Each episode offers concise, engaging commentary on emerging findings, making cutting-edge research more accessible. It is designed for researchers, students, and science enthusiasts who want to stay informed without reading every paper.
Episodes
The Science of Chocolate
Gopaulchan, D., Moore, C., Ali, N. et al. A defined microbial community reproduces attributes of fine flavour chocolate fermentation. Nat Microbiol (2025). https://doi-org.ccmain.ohionet.org/10.1038/s41564-025-02077-6
Molecular Mechanisms Underlying Fear Learning and Memory
mWAKE in the Central Amygdala Regulates Fear Learning and MemoryJiali Xiong, Anuradha Mehta, Qiang Liu, Anna X. Luo, Pan P. Li, Patricia H. Janak, Mark N. WuJournal of Neuroscience 20 August 2025, e0225252025; DOI: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.0225-25.2025
Your Brain's Invisible Shield: How Anticipation Primes Your Immune System
Trabanelli, S., Akselrod, M., Fellrath, J. et al. Neural anticipation of virtual infection triggers an immune response. Nat Neurosci (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41593-025-02008-y
Pancreas-Brain Feedback in Bipolar and Depression
Liu, YN., Wang, QW., She, XY. et al. A pancreas–hippocampus feedback mechanism regulates circadian changes in depression-related behaviors. Nat Neurosci (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41593-025-02040-y
AMPA Receptor Activity and Myelinated Axon Loss in Neuroinflammation
Reduction of AMPA receptor activity on matureoligodendrocytes attenuates loss of myelinated axonsin autoimmune neuroinflammation
Targeting AMPA Receptors to Restore Synapses in Autoimmune Demyelination
Mey GM, Evonuk KS, Shelestak J, Irfan M, Wolfe LM, Laye SE, Schafer DP, DeSilva TM. Inhibiting AMPA receptor signaling in oligodendrocytes rescues synapse loss in a model of autoimmune demyelination. iScience. 2024 Oct 22;27(11):111226
The use of behavioral test batteries: effects of training history
McIlwain KL, Merriweather MY, Yuva-Paylor LA, Paylor R. The use of behavioral test batteries: effects of training history. Physiol Behav. 2001 Aug;73(5):705-17.
Human CLOCK's Role in Cognitive Flexibility
Liu, Y., Fontenot, M.R., Kulkarni, A. et al. Human CLOCK enhances neocortical function. Nat Neurosci (2025)
Unlocked a New Method of Treating Alzheimer's Disease and other Cognitive Decline
Neuronal glycogen breakdown mitigates tauopathy via pentose-phosphate-pathway-mediated oxidative stress reduction
The Neural Circuit Governing Sleep Homeostasis
Lee SS, Liu Q, Cheng AHR, Kim DW, Boudreau DM, Mehta A, Keles MF, Fejfer R, Palmer I, Park KH, Münzberg H, Harris TD, Graves AR, Blackshaw S, Wu MN. Sleep need-dependent plasticity of a thalamic circuit promotes homeostatic recovery sleep. Science. 2025 Jun 19
Olfactory Bulb and Memory Dysfunction in Neuropsychiatric Disorders
Parbst F, Kostka JK, Günther A, Chen YN, Hanganu-Opatz IL, Bitzenhofer SH. Developmental Olfactory Dysfunction and Abnormal Odor Memory in Immune-Challenged Disc1+/- Mice. J Neurosci. 2025 Jun 18
SCN GRPNs: Modulatory Role in Circadian Photic Entrainment
Li R, Inoue R, Mori H, Hirano A, Sakurai T. Functional Roles of Gastrin-Releasing Peptide-Producing Neurons in the Suprachiasmatic Nucleus: Insights into Photic Entrainment and Circadian Regulation. J Neurosci. 2025 Jun 18
Hippocampal Ripples Decrease During Physical Actions in Rodents
Sakairi T, Kawabata M, Rios A, Sakai Y, Isomura Y. Hippocampal Sharp-Wave Ripples Decrease during Physical Actions Including Consummatory Behavior in Immobile Rodents. J Neurosci. 2025 Jun 18
DDX3X Mutations: Sex-Specific Effects on Brain Development
Mossa, A., Dierdorff, L., Lukin, J. et al. Sex-specific perturbations of neuronal development caused by mutations in the autism risk gene DDX3X. Nat Commun 16, 4512 (2025)
Autism and Social Avoidance: Neural Circuitry of Touch Discrimination
Chari, T., Hernandez, A., Couto, J. et al. A reduced ability to discriminate social from non-social touch at the circuit level may underlie social avoidance in autism. Nat Commun 16, 4600 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-59852-6
Autism associated Chd8 Gene Duplication and Neurodevelopmental Defects in Mice
Kawamura, A., Fujii, K., Tamada, K. et al. Duplication of the autism-related gene Chd8 leads to behavioral hyperactivity and neurodevelopmental defects in mice. Nat Commun 16, 4641 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-59853-5
Precision nutrition for Cardiometabolic Diseases
Guasch-Ferré, M., Wittenbecher, C., Palmnäs, M. et al. Precision nutrition for cardiometabolic diseases. Nat Med 31, 1444–1453 (2025)
Health impacts of exposure to synthetic chemicals in food
Muncke, J., Touvier, M., Trasande, L. et al. Health impacts of exposure to synthetic chemicals in food. Nat Med 31, 1431–1443 (2025)
How you breathe is like a fingerprint that can identify you
Soroka T, Ravia A, Snitz K, Honigstein D, Weissbrod A, Gorodisky L, Weiss T, Perl O, Sobel N. Humans have nasal respiratory fingerprints. Curr Biol. 2025 May 30
Microbiome Signatures of Parkinson’s Disease Revealed Through AI
Romano, S., Wirbel, J., Ansorge, R. et al. Machine learning-based meta-analysis reveals gut microbiome alterations associated with Parkinson’s disease. Nat Commun 16, 4227 (2025)
Climate Change Linked to Sleep Apnea
Lechat, B., Manners, J., Pinilla, L. et al. Global warming may increase the burden of obstructive sleep apnea. Nat Commun 16, 5100 (2025)
Neural Flexibility: A Possible Autism Intervention
Watanabe, T., Yamasue, H. Noninvasive reduction of neural rigidity alters autistic behaviors in humans. Nat Neurosci 28, 1348–1360 (2025)
How Exercise Rewires the Brain
da Rocha, J.F., Lance, M.L., Luo, R. et al. Protective exercise responses in the dentate gyrus of Alzheimer’s disease mouse model revealed with single-nucleus RNA-sequencing. Nat Neurosci (2025).
Why don’t bats get cancer?
Athar, F., Zheng, Z., Riquier, S. et al. Limited cell-autonomous anticancer mechanisms in long-lived bats. Nat Commun 16, 4125 (2025)
Psilocybin Remodels Cortical Neurons and Behavior
Shao, LX., Liao, C., Davoudian, P.A. et al. Psilocybin’s lasting action requires pyramidal cell types and 5-HT2A receptors. Nature 642, 411–420 (2025)
Why a Boy Could Not Feel Pain
CRISPR helps to show why a boy felt no pain. Nature. 2025 Jun;Antunes FTT, Gandini MA, Garcia-Caballero A, Huang S, Ali MY, Gambeta E, Souza IA, Harding EK, Ferron L, Stray-Pedersen A, Gadotti VM, Zamponi GW. A pathological missense mutation in the deubiquitinase USP5 leads to insensitivity to pain. J Exp Med. 2025 Aug 4
How to keep weight off after obesity drugs
Nature 11 June 2025 How to keep weight off after obesity drugs by Elie DolginRodriguez, P. J. et al. JAMA Netw. Open 8, e2457349 (2025).Eisenberg, D. et al. Surg. Obes. Relat. Dis. 18, 1345–1356 (2022)Itani, M. I. et al. Obes. Surg. 32, 381–390 (2022).Maselli, D. B. et al. Gastroenterology 167, 1457–1459 (2024).van Baar, A. C. G. et al. Diabetes Res. Clin. Pract. 184, 109194 (2022).Mingrone, G. et
World first: brain implant lets man speak with expression ― and sing
Nature 11 June 2025 World first: brain implant lets man speak with expression ― and sing by Miryam NaddafSinger-Clark T, Hou X, Card NS, Wairagkar M, Iacobacci C, Peracha H, Hochberg LR, Stavisky SD, Brandman DM. Speech motor cortex enables BCI cursor control and click. J Neural Eng. 2025 May 14
Emergence and Development of a Gender Gap in Mathematics
Martinot, P., Colnet, B., Breda, T. et al. Rapid emergence of a maths gender gap in first grade. Nature (2025)
Changes in the auditory cortex of children receiving gene therapy for deafness.
Changes in the auditory cortex of children receiving gene therapy for deafness. Nat Hum Behav (2025).
How Single Neurons in the Amygdala and Hippocampus encode face identity
Cao, R., Wang, J., Lin, C. et al. Feature-based encoding of face identity by single neurons in the human amygdala and hippocampus. Nat Hum Behav (2025)
Identical Twins, Unequal Outcomes: The Genetics of Sensitivity
Assary, E., Coleman, J.R.I., Hemani, G. et al. Genetics of monozygotic twins reveals the impact of environmental sensitivity on psychiatric and neurodevelopmental phenotypes. Nat Hum Behav (2025)
Ozempic, Mounjaro & the Drop-Off Effect: What the Data Says
Gasoyan H, Butsch WS, Schulte R, Casacchia NJ, Le P, Boyer CB, Griebeler ML, Burguera B, Rothberg MB. Changes in weight and glycemic control following obesity treatment with semaglutide or tirzepatide by discontinuation status. Obesity (Silver Spring). 2025 Jun 10
Popular Sugar Substitute May Impair Brain Blood Vessel Health
Berry AR, Ruzzene ST, Ostrander EI, Wegerson KN, Fersiva NO, Stone MF, Valenti WB, Izaias JE, Holzer JP, Greiner JJ, Garcia VP, DeSouza CA. The Non-Nutritive Sweetner Erythritol Adversely Affects Brain Microvascular Endothelial Cell Function. J Appl Physiol (1985). 2025 Jun 3
Breakthrough for HIV cure using mRNA-based T cell therapeutics
Cevaal, P.M., Kan, S., Fisher, B.M. et al. Efficient mRNA delivery to resting T cells to reverse HIV latency. Nat Commun 16, 4979 (2025)
Iron Deficiency Leads to Mouse Sex Reversal
Okashita, N., Maeda, R., Kuroki, S. et al. Maternal iron deficiency causes male-to-female sex reversal in mouse embryos. Nature (2025).
Is Myelin a Source of Energy During a Marathon?
Ramos-Cabrer, P., Cabrera-Zubizarreta, A., Padro, D. et al. Reversible reduction in brain myelin content upon marathon running. Nat Metab 7, 697–703 (2025)
Excessive Oliec Acid in Olive Oil Drives Fat Cell Growth
Wing A, Jeffery E, Church CD, Goodell J, Saavedra-Peña RDM, Saha M, Holtrup B, Voisin M, Alavi NS, Floody M, Wang Z, Zapadka TE, Garabedian MJ, Varshney R, Rudolph MC, Rodeheffer MS. Dietary oleic acid drives obesogenic adipogenesis via modulation of LXRα signaling. Cell Rep. 2025 Apr 22
Flush Out Alzheimer's Toxins
Chen K, Morizawa YM, Nuriel T, Al-Dalahmah O, Xie Z, Yang G. Selective removal of astrocytic PERK protects against glymphatic impairment and decreases toxic aggregation of β-amyloid and tau. Neuron. 2025 May 19
Why Casinos use blue light
Lander, A.C., Burge, M.T., Thomas, B.G. et al. Circadian photoreception influences loss aversion. Sci Rep 15, 13051 (2025)
Early exposure to dogs could help protect against eczema
Standl M, Budu-Aggrey A, Johnston LJ, Elias MS, Arshad SH, Bager P, Bataille V, Blakeway H, Bønnelykke K, Boomsma D, Brumpton BM, Bustamante Pineda M, Campbell A, Curtin JA, Eliasen A, Fadista JPS, Feenstra B, Gerner T, Medina-Gomez C, Grosche S, Gutzkow KB, Halling AS, Hayward C, Henderson J, Herrera-Luis E, Holloway JW, Hottenga J, O'B Hourihane J, Hu C, Hveem K, Irizar A, Jacquemi B, Jessen
Daily mango may support postmenopausal woman's health
Holt RR, Ho E, Li X, Fam VW, Hedayati N, Keen CL, Charoenwoodhipong P, Hackman RM. Short-Term Cardiometabolic Response to Mango Intake in Postmenopausal Women. J Am Nutr Assoc. 2025 Mar 19
Brain Uses Separate Synapses to Balance Learning and Stability
Yang Y, Wong MH, Huang X, Chiu DN, Liu YZ, Prabakaran V, Imran A, Panzeri E, Chen Y, Huguet P, Kunisky A, Ho J, Dong Y, Carter BC, Xu W, Schlüter OM. Distinct transmission sites within a synapse for strengthening and homeostasis. Sci Adv. 2025 Apr 11
Functional polymorphism of CYCLE underlies the diapause variation in moths
Zheng S, Wang Y, Li G, Qin S, Dong Z, Yang X, Xu X, Fang G, Li M, Zhan S. Functional polymorphism of CYCLE underlies the diapause variation in moths. Science. 2025 May 29
The Architecture of Enduring Emotion and Anxiety's Origins
Hanson MA, Gluckman PD. Growing anxious-Are preschoolers matched to their futures? Science. 2025 May 29
Conserved brain-wide emergence of emotional response from sensory experience in humans and mice
Kauvar I, Richman EB, Liu TX, Li C, Vesuna S, Chibukhchyan A, Yamada L, Fogarty A, Solomon E, Choi EY, Mortazavi L, Chau Loo Kung G, Mukunda P, Raja C, Gil-Hernández D, Patron K, Zhang X, Brawer J, Wrobel S, Lusk Z, Lyu D, Mitra A, Hack L, Luo L, Grosenick L, van Roessel P, Williams LM, Heifets BD, Henderson JM, McNab JA, Rodríguez CI, Buch V, Nuyujukian P, Deisseroth K. Conserved brain-wide emerg
The organ farm
Cohen J. The organ farm. Science. 2025 May 29
Brain-Wide Reinforcement Learning Through Cortical Oscillation
Yoshida T, Sugino H, Yamamoto H, Tanno S, Tamura M, Igarashi J, Isomura Y, Hira R. Synergistic reinforcement learning by cooperation of the cerebellum and basal ganglia. J Neurosci. 2025 Apr 22
Leptin Directs Motor Control Through Dopamine Pathways
Mancini M, Hikima T, Witkovsky P, Patel JC, Stone DW, Affinati AH, Rice ME. Leptin activates dopamine and GABA neurons in the substantia nigra via a local pars compacta-pars reticulata circuit. J Neurosci. 2025 Mar 24
Mef2c Guides Callosal Axon Targeting by Regulating Ephrin Repulsion
Sudarsanam S, Guzman-Clavel LE, Dar N, Ziak J, Shahid N, Jin XO, Kolodkin AL. Mef2c Controls Postnatal Callosal Axon Targeting by Regulating Sensitivity to Ephrin Repulsion. J Neurosci. 2025 May 21
Genetic and environmental factors influencing the relationship between sleep spindles and the volume of the thalamus
Markovic A, Veen D, Hamann C, Adorjan K, Kaess M, Tuura O'Gorman R, Tarokh L. Joint Heritability of Sleep EEG Spindle Activity and Thalamic Volume in Early Adolescence. J Neurosci. 2025 May 21
Night owls are more likely to suffer cognitive decline than morning people
Wenzler AN, Liefbroer AC, Voshaar RCO, Smidt N. Chronotype as a potential risk factor for cognitive decline: The mediating role of sleep quality and health behaviours in a 10-year follow-up study. J Prev Alzheimers Dis. 2025 Apr 11
Early Olfactory Bulb activity may contribute to altered brain maturation and cognitive deficits
Parbst F, Kostka JK, Günther A, Chen YN, Hanganu-Opatz IL, Bitzenhofer SH. Developmental olfactory dysfunction and abnormal odor memory in immune-challenged Disc1+/- mice. J Neurosci. 2025 May 30
Changes in neuronal processing upon falling asleep and awakening
Marmelshtein A, Lavy B, Hadad B, Nir Y. Abrupt and gradual changes in neuronal processing upon falling asleep and awakening. J Neurosci. 2025 May 30
Neural mechanisms underlying the retrieval of temporal order memories
Jiang H, Cai J, Santos-Pata D, Zhu X, Deng Z, Li C, Luo R, Shi L, Cai Y, Wang R, Tong J, Yin J, Zhang S, Kwok SC. Sustained hippocampal theta oscillations reflect experience-dependent learning in backward temporal order memory retrieval. J Neurosci. 2025 May 30
Robustness of working memory to prefrontal cortex microstimulation
Soldado-Magraner J, Minai Y, Yu BM, Smith MA. Robustness of working memory to prefrontal cortex microstimulation. J Neurosci. 2025 May 30
The epigenetic reader PHF23 is required for embryonic neurogenesis
Wen Y, He P, Huang Z, Ding C, Zhang T, Zhang L, Zheng J, Chen M, Chen C, Liu Y, Wang Y, Zhang Y. The epigenetic reader PHF23 is required for embryonic neurogenesis. J Neurosci. 2025 May 30:
Words vs. Pictures: Mapping the Brain’s Reading Tug-of-War
Zeng J, Luo Y, Luo X, Jiao S, Wang K, Cui Z, Zhao C, Dai Z, Liu Y, Jiang Y, Han Z. Neural Distinction Between Visual Word and Object Recognition: An fMRI Study Using Pictographs. J Neurosci. 2025 May 30
Distinct Circuits Link Dorsal/Ventral Hippocampus to MFC
Alemán-Andrade P, Witter MP, Tsutsui KI, Ohara S. Dorsal-Caudal and Ventral Hippocampi Target Different Cell Populations in the Medial Frontal Cortex in Rodents. J Neurosci. 2025 May 28
Neuronal Glutaminolysis Drives Epileptogenesis
Kubista H, Gentile F, Schicker K, Köcher T, Boehm S, Hotka M. Mitochondrial Glutamine Metabolism Drives Epileptogenesis in Primary Hippocampal Neurons. J Neurosci. 2025 May 21
You Could Catch Your Partners Depression Through Kissing
Rastmanesh R, Vellingiri B, Isacco CG, Sadeghinejad A, Daghnall N. Oral Microbiota Transmission Partially Mediates Depression and Anxiety in Newlywed Couples. Explor Res Hypothesis Med. 2025***While the study presents compelling associations, it is observational and does not establish causation.**
Revolutionary Alzheimer's Blood Test
Breakthrough Alzheimer’s Blood Test Explained By NeurologistsBy Mill Etienne, Forbes
Candidate Drug that Boots Protective Brain Protein to Treat Alzheimer's
Cohn, W., Campagna, J., Wi, D. et al. Discovery of a small molecule secreted clusterin enhancer that improves memory in Alzheimer’s disease mice. npj Drug Discov. 2, 7 (2025)
Protective genetic variants against Alzheimer's disease
Marino C, Malotaux V, Giudicessi A, Aguillon D, Sepulveda-Falla D, Lopera F, Quiroz YT. Protective genetic variants against Alzheimer's disease. Lancet Neurol. 2025 Jun;
The gut–brain axis in early Parkinson’s disease: from prodrome to prevention
Oliver PJ, Civitelli L, Hu MT. The gut-brain axis in early Parkinson's disease: from prodrome to prevention. J Neurol. 2025 May 21
Alzheimer's Drug Candidate Protects the Blood-Brain Barrier From Damage
Koh Y, Vázquez-Rosa E, Gao F, Li H, Chakraborty S, Tripathi SJ, Barker S, Bud Z, Bangalore A, Kandjoze UP, León-Alvarado RA, Sridharan PS, Cordova BA, Yu Y, Hyung J, Fang H, Singh S, Katabathula R, LaFramboise T, Kasturi L, Lutterbaugh J, Beard L, Cordova E, Cintrón-Pérez CJ, Franke K, Fragoso MF, Miller E, Indrakumar V, Noel KL, Dhar M, Ajroud K, Zamudio C, Lopes FBTP, Bambakidis E, Zhu X, Wilson
Light enhances the antibacterial activity of neutrophils through circadian regulation
Du LY, Keerthisinghe P, Rolland L, Sung YJ, Darroch H, Linnerz T, Ashimbayeva E, Grant MJ, Kakadia PM, Ramachandran A, Tups A, Spaink HP, Bohlander SK, Cheeseman J, Crosier PS, Astin JW, Warman G, Hall CJ. A light-regulated circadian timer optimizes neutrophil bactericidal activity to boost daytime immunity. Sci Immunol. 2025 May 23
Vitamin D Supplements Show Signs of Protection Against Aging
Haidong Zhu, JoAnn E. Manson, Nancy R. Cook, Bayu B. Bekele, Li Chen, Kevin J. Kane, Ying Huang, Wenjun Li, William Christen, I-Min Lee, Yanbin Dong,Vitamin D3 and Marine Omega-3 Fatty Acids Supplementation and Leukocyte Telomere Length: 4-Year Findings from the VITAL Randomized Controlled Trial,The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition,2025
Biological Markers for Teen Depression
Alice Morgunova, Nicholas O’Toole, Fatme Abboud, Saché Coury, Gary Gang Chen, Maxime Teixeira, Eamon Fitzgerald, Gustavo Turecki, Anthony J. Gifuni, Ian H. Gotlib, Corina Nagy, Michael J. Meaney, Tiffany C. Ho, Cecilia Flores,Peripheral microRNA signatures in adolescent depression,Biological Psychiatry Global Open Science,2025,
Muscle Quality as a Marker for Early Cognitive Decline in Adults
Ikeue K, Kato H, Tanaka M, Yamakage H, Kato S, Iwasa M, Oishi K, Yamamoto Y, Kanasaki M, Masuda I, Ishii K, Satoh-Asahara N. Phase Angle Is a Potential Novel Early Marker for Sarcopenia and Cognitive Impairment in the General Population. J Cachexia Sarcopenia Muscle. 2025 Jun
Math and biology meet in the cerebellum
Mohammad Amin Fakharian et al., A vector calculus for neural computation in the cerebellum. Science 388, 869-875 (2025)
The emergence and demise of giant sloths
Alberto Boscaini et al. ,The emergence and demise of giant sloths.Science 388,864-868(2025)
Turf algae redefine the chemical landscape of temperate reefs, limiting kelp forest recovery
Shane P. Farrell et al. ,Turf algae redefine the chemical landscape of temperate reefs, limiting kelp forest recovery.Science388,876-880(2025)
Health impacts of exposure to synthetic chemicals in food
Muncke, J., Touvier, M., Trasande, L. et al. Health impacts of exposure to synthetic chemicals in food. Nat Med 31, 1431–1443 (2025)
Eleanor Maguire (1970–2025)
Price, C.J., Zeidman, P. & Callaghan, M.F. Eleanor Maguire (1970–2025). Nat Neurosci (2025).
A dynamic and multimodal framework to define microglial states
Sankowski, R., Prinz, M. A dynamic and multimodal framework to define microglial states. Nat Neurosci (2025)
Widespread brain–body integration during changes of arousal
Widespread brain–body integration during changes of arousal. Nat Neurosci (2025).
A basic role for glia in sleep homeostasis
Kirszenblat, L., van Swinderen, B. A basic role for glia in sleep homeostasis. Nat Neurosci (2025)
Microglia and T Cells Drive White Matter Aging
Monteiro, J.K., Miron, V.E. Microglia conduct the symphony of white matter degeneration in aging through T cell recruitment. Nat Neurosci (2025)
Neuronal Senescence in Dorsal Root Ganglia and Pain
Donovan, L.J., Brewer, C.L., Bond, S.F. et al. Aging and injury drive neuronal senescence in the dorsal root ganglia. Nat Neurosci 28, 985–997 (2025)
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