We are a multidisciplinary lab that studies how the brain extracts relevant information from the external world and integrates it with its previous experiences to determine and execute a course of action.

In particular, we aim to characterize the structural organization of motor and limbic neurons of the midbrain and the basal ganglia, to understand the signals that arise from the communication between these neurons, and to integrate all these features in a behavioral framework.

Mechanisms of disease

By understanding the rules of neural interactions, we will target the disordered communication between neurons and circuits that lies at the core of many brain diseases. 

What we do

We use a series of techniques to study how neural circuits are composed and organized, how neuromodulatory neurons interact with other neural systems, and how the dysfunction of specific elements within a circuit lead to aberrant activity across systems. 

Our latest preprints

(No recent preprints!)

Latest publications

Modulation of motor behavior by the mesencephalic locomotor region. Dautan, D., Kovacs, A., Bayasgalan, T., Diaz-Acevedo, M.A., Pal, B. and Mena-Segovia, J. Cell Reports (2021); 36(8):109594.

Whole-brain mapping of monosynaptic inputs to midbrain cholinergic neurons. Huerta-Ocampo I., Dautan D., Gut N.K., Khan B., Mena-Segovia J. Scientific Reports (2021); 11(1):9055.

Cholinergic midbrain afferents modulate striatal circuits and shape encoding of action strategies. Dautan D., Huerta-Ocampo I., Gut N.K., Valencia M., Kondabolu K., Kim Y., Gerdjikov T.V. and Mena-Segovia J. Nature Communications (2020); 11(1):1739.

Distribution of Midbrain Cholinergic Axons in the Thalamus. Huerta-Ocampo I., Hacioglu-Bay H., Dautan D. and Mena-Segovia J. eNeuro (2020). 7(1). pii: ENEURO.0454-19.2019.

Pedunculopontine glutamatergic neurons provide a novel source of feedforward inhibition in the striatum by selectively targeting interneurons. Assous M., Dautan D., Tepper, J.M. and Mena-Segovia J. Journal of Neuroscience (2019). pii: 2913-18.

Dichotomy between motor and cognitive functions of midbrain cholinergic neurons. Gut N.K. and Mena-Segovia J. Neurobiology of Disease (2019) 128:59-66.

Targeted activation of cholinergic interneurons accounts for the modulation of dopamine by striatal nicotinic receptors. Brimblecombe K.R., Threlfell S., Dautan D., Kosillo P., Mena-Segovia J. and Cragg S.J. eNeuro (2018); 5(5). pii: ENEURO.0397-17.2018.

Rethinking the Pedunculopontine Nucleus: From Cellular Organization to Function. Mena-Segovia J. and Bolam J.P. Neuron (2017) 94 (1): 7-18.

Segregated cholinergic transmission modulates dopamine neurons integrated in distinct functional circuits. Dautan D., Souza A.S., Huerta-Ocampo I., Valencia M., Assous M., Witten I.B., Deisseroth K., Tepper J.M., Bolam J.P., Gerdjikov T.V. and Mena-Segovia J. Nature Neuroscience (2016) 19 (8):1025-33.

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