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Batten, S. R.

Publications and source records attributed to Batten, S. R..

2 recordsLinked to original sources
bioRxiv2025

Dopamine and serotonin transients predict depressive symptom relief following deep brain stimulation of human subcallosal cingulate cortex

Recent advances in deep brain stimulation (DBS) of the subcallosal cingulate (SCC) show promise in mitigating the symptoms of treatment-resistant depression (TRD) in humans1-3. Monoamines, such as dopamine and serotonin, mediate the effects of pharmacological treatments of depression. However, their roles in recovery following DBS remain elusive, largely due to technical limitations of measuring these neurotransmitters in the living human brain. Here, by leveraging machine learning-enhanced electrochemistry4-7, we show that dopamine and serotonin signaling following DBS to the SCC predicted later depressive symptom relief in humans with TRD. We found that both dopamine and serotonin levels increased following subtherapeutic intraoperative SCC stimulation, with each neurotransmitter showing selective responses to distinct decision-making tasks. Furthermore, acute dopamine increases predicted later mood improvements during a social decision-making task, while serotonin enhancement predicted faster responses during a non-social learning task longitudinally. Critically, changes in dopamine and serotonin levels during the social decision-making task jointly predicted depressive symptom remission at 6-month follow-up. These findings illustrate the contribution of both dopamine and serotonin signaling in predicting behavioral improvement and depressive symptom remission in humans with TRD. Such neurochemical plasticity may serve as potential mechanistic biomarkers for SCC DBS mechanism and TRD treatment response. Significance statementO_LIDopamine and serotonin levels increased following acute DBS to the SCC in humans. C_LIO_LIAcute dopamine and serotonin changes predicted later mood and response speed changes. C_LIO_LISustained TRD recovery was predicted by acute increases in both dopamine and serotonin estimates. C_LI

neuroscience↗
bioRxiv2025

Octopamine and tyramine dynamics predict learning rate phenotypes during associative conditioning in honey bees

Biogenic amines are fundamental for physiological homeostasis and behavioral control in both vertebrates and invertebrates. Monoamine neurotransmitters released in target brain regions conjointly regulate adaptive learning and plasticity. However, our understanding of these multi-analyte mechanisms remains nascent, in part due to limitations in measurement technology. Here, during associative conditioning in honey bees, we concurrently tracked sub-second fluctuations in octopamine, tyramine, dopamine, and serotonin in the antennal lobe, where plasticity influences odorant representations. By repeatedly pairing an odorant with subsequent sucrose delivery, we observed individual differences in the conditioned response to odor, which occurred after a variable number of pairings (learners) or not at all (nonlearners). The distinction between learners and non-learners was reflected in neurotransmitter responses across experimental conditions. Remarkably, the speed of learning - the number of pairings prior to a proboscis extension reflex - could be predicted from monoamine opponent signaling (octopamine-tyramine), from both the first presentation of the odorant alone, prior to any pairing with sucrose, and from the first conditioned response to the odorant, coming after a number of sucrose pairings. These results suggest monoamine signaling phenotypes may relate directly to the now widely-reported socially-relevant genetic differences in honey bee learning.

neuroscience↗