College of Medicine
Padilla-Coreano Lab
Led by Nancy Padilla-Coreano · Neuroscience
What we study
The Padilla-Coreano Lab studies how brain circuits drive social behaviors in mice using behavioral assays, multi-site electrophysiology, and machine learning. Their goal is to develop targeted therapies for social disorders.
What working here is like
- Wet lab
- Computational
- Mice
- Coding helps
- Projects
- 2
- Papers
- 5
Current projects
Differential role of dopamine in the medial prefrontal cortex and nucleus accumbens during social competition and reward learning in mice
The lab studies dopamine signals in two brain areas while mice learn a tone‑reward task and then compete for the reward. The student recorded dopamine with fiber photometry and found the nucleus accumbens helps with learning and that dopamine responses change with competitive success.
From the Spring 2025 UF Undergraduate Research Symposium · abstract book, p. 594
Dominance Influences Dopamine Dynamics in the Medial Prefrontal Cortex and Nucleus Accumbens During Social Interactions in Mice
The lab records dopamine signals in two brain areas of mice while they interact with familiar or new partners. Students use a fluorescent sensor and fiber photometry to see how dopamine changes with social context and dominance status.
From the Spring 2025 UF Undergraduate Research Symposium · abstract book, p. 288
Summaries are written by AI in plain language from public symposium abstracts and may be imperfect.
Recent papers, explained
- Strain-Dependent Network Activity Differences Underlie Social Decision-Making in Male Mice
2026 · eNeuro
Shows how different mouse strains use brain networks for social decisions.
- Paradigm for Social Recognition in Mice for Distinguishing Short- and Long-Term Relationships
2026 · Journal of Visualized Experiments
Builds a test to see if mice remember short- and long-term social relationships.
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- How dopamine guides our social world
2025 · Pharmacological Reviews
- Prefrontal and Subcortical c-Fos Mapping of Reward Responses across Competitive and Social Contexts
2025 · eNeuro
Maps brain activity in mice when competing for rewards in social and non-social settings.
- Separable dorsal raphe dopamine projections mimic the facets of a loneliness-like state
2025 · eLife
Finds brain circuits that create a feeling of loneliness in mice.
Plain-language summaries are AI-written and reviewed by us; check the paper for details.
How to reach out
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