Biology subjects

Andrade, J. E.

Publications and source records attributed to Andrade, J. E..

2 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2026

Dopamine projections to the basolateral amygdala enable reward prediction

Reward predictions are critical to both adaptive learning and decision making. Such predictions are supported by environmental cues that signal the availability and identity of rewarding events. Here we used fiber photometry, cell-type and pathway-specific optogenetic inhibition, Pavlovian cue-reward conditioning, and decision-making tests in male and female rats to reveal that ventral tegmental area dopamine (VTADA) projections to the basolateral amygdala (BLA) support cue-reward predictions. Reward-predictive cues trigger dopamine release in the BLA that encodes the value of the predicted reward. This cue-evoked VTADA[->]BLA activity mediates the ability of cue-reward predictions to bias action selection and adapt cue-response decisions based on the current value of the predicted reward. Cue-evoked VTADA[->]BLA activity also mediates the constraining influence of cue-reward predictions on new learning. Thus, cue-evoked BLA dopamine supports the reward predictions that both enable adaptive decision making and constrain learning.

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2021

Mechanics of live cell elimination

Cell layers eliminate unwanted cells through the extrusion process, which underlines healthy versus flawed tissue behaviors. Although several biochemical pathways have been identified, the underlying mechanical basis including the forces involved in cellular extrusion remain largely unexplored. Utilizing a phase-field model of a three-dimensional cell layer, we study the interplay of cell extrusion with cell-cell and cell-substrate interactions, in a monolayer. Independent tuning of cell-cell versus cell-substrate adhesion forces in the model reveals that a higher cell-substrate adhesion leads to a lower number of total extrusion events. We find extrusion events to be linked to both half-integer topological defects in the orientation field of the cells and to five-fold disclinations in cellular arrangements. We also show that increasing the relative cell-cell adhesion forces translates into a higher likelihood for an extrusion event to be associated with a five-fold disclination and a weaker correlation with +1/2 topological defects. We unify our findings by accessing mechanical stress fields: an extrusion event acts as a mechanism to relieve localized stress concentration.

biophysics↗