Oct 2026

Lateral hypothalamic control of the striatal dopamine landscape during consummatory behavior published in Neuron

Our paper on how lateral hypothalamic neurons shape striatal dopamine during consumption has been published in Neuron. The work comes from my postdoc in the Stuber Lab at the University of Washington. We found that LHA GABAergic and glutamatergic neurons scale their activity in opposite directions with solution value, and that their balance sets a spatial dopamine gradient along the striatum's anterior-posterior axis. Dopamine in anterior subregions tracks solution value and recent history, while dopamine in posterior subregions track sensorimotor features, and dopamine release reinforces the initiation of licking rather than its maintenance.

Gordon A.G. et al. (2026). Lateral hypothalamic control of the striatal dopamine landscape during consummatory behavior. Neuron. DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2026.09.002

Sep 2026

Gordon Lab opening at Rutgers University

We are thrilled to announce that the Gordon Lab will open in the Department of Psychology at Rutgers University starting Fall 2026.

Our lab studies the neural circuit mechanisms of motivated behaviors, with a particular focus on lateral hypothalamus (LHA) circuits and their regulation of striatal dopamine signaling. We are interested in how these circuits are recruited and transformed throughout the development of substance use disorder.

We are actively recruiting at all levels:

  • Graduate students

  • Postdoctoral fellows

  • Research technicians

Aug 2026

Head-fixed drug self-administration protocol published in Nature Protocols

Our protocol for intravenous and oral drug self-administration in head-fixed mice has been published in Nature Protocols, in collaboration with co-first authors Elizabeth Doncheck and Rachel Clarke from the Otis Lab. The approach makes self-administration, the gold-standard preclinical model of substance use disorder, compatible with head-fixed techniques such as two-photon imaging.

Doncheck E.M.*, Clarke R.E.*, Gordon A.G.*, Boquiren J., Manusky L.M., Baek J., Paniccia J.E., Dinu I.E., Dereschewitz E.B., Grant R.I., Stuber G.D., Otis J.M. (2026). Drug self-administration in head-fixed mice. Nature Protocols. DOI: 10.1038/s41596-026-01406-1
*co-first

Sep 2024

Adam Gordon awarded K99/R00 from NIDA

Adam Gordon has been awarded a NIDA K99/R00 Pathway to Independence Award (K99DA059612, 2024–2029) to support his research on hypothalamic and dopamine circuit mechanisms of reinforcement.

The award will fund studies investigating how lateral hypothalamus (LHA) GABA and glutamate neuron subpopulations, and their downstream dopamine circuitry, regulate motivation for opioids.

The K99 phase supports completion of postdoctoral training at the University of Washington, while the R00 phase will fund the first years of the independent lab at Rutgers University.

Sep 2024

OHRBETS platform paper published in eLife

Our paper describing OHRBETS (Open-source Head-fixed Rodent Behavioral and Electrophysiology Testing System) has been published in eLife.

“This important study presents a low-cost, open-source platform for measuring action elicitation and consummatory behavior in head-fixed animals. The authors present exceptional evidence that this platform allows animals to perform a truly voluntary action whilst their head is held still.” — eLife assessment

OHRBETS enables a range of head-fixed behavioral paradigms including instrumental conditioning for sucrose, multiple-solution brief access taste tasks, intracranial self-stimulation, and real-time place preference. The platform has been implemented by over 10 labs and is freely available.

Gordon-Fennell A., Barbakh J.M., Utley M.T., Singh S., Bazzino P., Gowrishankar R., Bruchas M.R., Roitman M.F., Stuber G.D. (2023). An open-source platform for head-fixed operant and consummatory behavior. eLife. DOI: 10.7554/eLife.86183