Exploring the Cytoplasmic Retention of CRISPR-Cas9 in Eukaryotic Cells: The Role of Nuclear Localization Signals and Ribosomal Interactions liebertpub.com/doi/10.1089/cr… Major et al. Mark Zylka lab

Mark Zylka et al. find that facial grimacing in mice is more pronounced when cutaneous and visceral tissues are injured during laparotomy surgery compared to cutaneous injury alone. Learn more in #PainReports bit.ly/4kyDQ4G

A common virus once thought harmless to humans might be linked to Parkinson's disease, a new study says. The germ, Human Pegivirus (HPgV), was found in half the autopsied brains of patients with Parkinson's, but not in any brains from healthy people. 1/

New research suggests autism isn’t just one condition but at least 4 distinct subtypes, each with its own genetic signature and developmental trajectory. The findings could help pave the way for more personalized diagnoses and support. By Giorgia Guglielmi (she/her) bit.ly/4lXfbY7

Mark Zylka et al. find that facial grimacing in mice is more pronounced when cutaneous and visceral tissues are injured during laparotomy surgery compared to cutaneous injury alone. Learn more in #PainReports bit.ly/4kyDQ4G

Studying environmental risks is hard. Typically need to test one chemical at a time, and if no effects seen, massive waste of effort. Inspired by genetic screens, Wenxin Hu in our lab found chemicals that impact brain development in a more effecient manner. Led us to PFOA.

This #EditorsPick “Discovery and development of an oral analgesic targeting the a2B adrenoceptor” was chosen by Allan Basbaum. See why he decided to highlight this article on #PRF. bit.ly/4oI50ch

Single cell seq studies typically use a single mouse strain. To determine how genetic diversity affects brain cell composition, we performed snRNA-seq on 14 different mouse strains. Found that components of neurovascular unit-pericytes and endothelial cells-show greatest

We found that "dead" Cas9 (dCas9) can block transcription, but it doesn't work nearly as well as active Cas9. Moreover, dCas9 works with a strong non-template bias. nature.com/articles/s4200…

🚨NIH is launching a new Autism Data Science Initiative🚨 This initiative will bring together powerful data on genetics, biology, and the environment in new ways—helping scientists better understand autism and find ways to improve lives. Gold standard science is at heart of

I have long suspected it was bad idea for preg women to take acetaminophen/APAP/Tylenol esp given its known narrow therapeutic window and effects on liver; and brain. We studied prenatal APAP exposure briefly but could see that such research would not be funded. Looks like

Dan Tracey This topic has been on my radar for about a decade. The bulk of the epi data supports a link between prenatal APAP exposure and ADHD/ASD risk, as summarized in this 2025 paper from a group at Harvard and Mount Sinai (pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40804730/). Moreover, most epi studies rely on

Incredible! Two groups at UNC received these awards: Jason Stein UNC Neuroscience Center and Laura Klinger UNC Psychiatry. Congrats!