LNCD
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lncdpitt.bsky.social
LNCD
@lncdpitt.bsky.social
410 followers 820 following 26 posts
Laboratory of Neurocognitive Development under the mentorship of Dr. Beatriz Luna | University of Pittsburgh
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lncdpitt.bsky.social
LNCD @lncdpitt.bsky.social · Sep 15
Highlights:
- Ultra-high-field 7 T fMRI was used to segment amygdala nuclei
- Fronto-amygdala functional connections develop along distinct trajectories
- Age-related connections relate to affective and cognitive control
- Amygdala nuclei exhibit developmental and functional specialization
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lncdpitt.bsky.social
LNCD @lncdpitt.bsky.social · Sep 15
NEW PAPER ALERT! Check out the recent work of @amarojha.bsky.social "Human amygdala nuclei show distinct developmental trajectories from adolescence to adulthood in functional integration with prefrontal circuitry" now out in Cell Reports! www-sciencedirect-com.pitt.idm.oclc.org/science/arti...
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Reposted by LNCD
lncdpitt.bsky.social
LNCD @lncdpitt.bsky.social · Sep 4
Find us now on insta ! @lncd_pitt
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lncdpitt.bsky.social
LNCD @lncdpitt.bsky.social · Sep 6
Day 3 of #flux2025 !
lncdpitt.bsky.social
LNCD @lncdpitt.bsky.social · Sep 5
The posters are underway! Go check them out #flux2025
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lncdpitt.bsky.social
LNCD @lncdpitt.bsky.social · Sep 5
Flux day 2! Starting it off with a flash talk by @shanemckeon.bsky.social and then 4 posters! #Flux2025
lncdpitt.bsky.social
LNCD @lncdpitt.bsky.social · Sep 4
Find us now on insta ! @lncd_pitt
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lncdpitt.bsky.social
LNCD @lncdpitt.bsky.social · Sep 4
Go Victoria Go! First day of flux is wrapping up with an awesome poster session! #Flux2025
lncdpitt.bsky.social
LNCD @lncdpitt.bsky.social · Sep 4
Happy Flux day 1! Check out Victoria Dionisos’ poster (number T12) today on Developmental Interactions Between Local and Long-Range Connectivity, Gray Matter Microstructure, and Inhibitory Control From Adolescence to Young Adulthood #Flux2025
lncdpitt.bsky.social
LNCD @lncdpitt.bsky.social · Aug 29
Come check out the LNCD lab at #flux2025 !! Cant wait to see you all in Dublin !
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Reposted by LNCD
valeriejsydnor.bsky.social
Valerie Jill Sydnor @valeriejsydnor.bsky.social · Jul 8
How does the human brain coordinate hierarchical cortical development? Our work in Nature Neuroscience identifies a role for thalamocortical structural connectivity in the expression of hierarchical periods of cortical plasticity & environmental receptivity in youth 🧵 www.nature.com/articles/s41...
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lncdpitt.bsky.social
LNCD @lncdpitt.bsky.social · Jun 12
lncdpitt.bsky.social
LNCD @lncdpitt.bsky.social · Jun 12
Poster session 2 is underway at Pitt psychiatry day! Go check out @shanemckeon.bsky.social @amarojha.bsky.social Dan Ashley Destiny and Piya!
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lncdpitt.bsky.social
LNCD @lncdpitt.bsky.social · Jun 12
Happy Psychiatry Day! Check out our labs work at soldiers and sailors at Pitt ! First up this morning we have Abby ! A first year BioE PhD student @abbybeatty.bsky.social
lncdpitt.bsky.social
LNCD @lncdpitt.bsky.social · Mar 14
@nicolenelson.bsky.social would love to be added to your starter pack!
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lncdpitt.bsky.social
LNCD @lncdpitt.bsky.social · Mar 14
@finncalabro.bsky.social
lncdpitt.bsky.social
LNCD @lncdpitt.bsky.social · Mar 14
After searching through bluesky, I realized there wasnt a starter pack for Adolescent Neurocognitive Development (at least I couldnt find one), so decided to start one! Please help me in adding members of the awesome community

go.bsky.app/R8mzr8W
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lncdpitt.bsky.social
LNCD @lncdpitt.bsky.social · Mar 14
This is the bluesky account for the Laboratory of Neurocognitive Development under Dr. Breatiz Luna. We would love to be added !
lncdpitt.bsky.social
LNCD @lncdpitt.bsky.social · Mar 14
@nataliebrito.bsky.social Hi Dr. Brito! This is the bluesky account for the Laboratory of Neurocognitive Development under Dr. Breatiz Luna. We would love to be added to the developmental psych starter pack!
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lncdpitt.bsky.social
LNCD @lncdpitt.bsky.social · Mar 14
Our findings highlight adolescence as a critical period for functional specialization in the brain. As local connectivity decreases, circuits become more independent, higher-dimensional, & optimized for cognition. #Neuroimaging
lncdpitt.bsky.social
LNCD @lncdpitt.bsky.social · Mar 14
Understanding these developmental shifts is key for studying mental health disorders that emerge in adolescence (e.g., schizophrenia, mood disorders). Future work should explore:
🔹 Synaptic pruning mechanisms
🔹 Neural signal dimensionality
🔹 Longitudinal effects on cognition
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lncdpitt.bsky.social
LNCD @lncdpitt.bsky.social · Mar 14
These changes may:
✅ Increase information complexity in neural coding
✅ Support better cognitive flexibility & memory
✅ Reduce variability in motor & executive tasks
Adolescence is when the brain optimizes for efficiency over redundancy!
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lncdpitt.bsky.social
LNCD @lncdpitt.bsky.social · Mar 14
We found ReHo decreases in networks involved in cognitive control & motor regulation, like:
🔹 Cingulo-opercular network (CON) → stabilizing goal-directed actions
🔹 Somatomotor networks → refining movement control
🔹 Frontoparietal networks → supporting executive function
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lncdpitt.bsky.social
LNCD @lncdpitt.bsky.social · Mar 14
Cortical circuits showed increasing segregation, meaning nearby brain areas became more independent. This aligns with:
🔹 Synaptic pruning & refining neural connections
🔹 Increased signal fidelity & computational capacity
🔹 More efficient cognitive processing
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lncdpitt.bsky.social
LNCD @lncdpitt.bsky.social · Mar 14
Our longitudinal study (N=134, ages 10–31) found that through adolescence:
🔹 Local functional connectivity decreases
🔹 Brain circuits become more specialized
🔹 Coding capacity & efficiency increase
This supports the shift toward adult-like cognition.
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