***New preprint from the lab*** showing “Generative replay across hippocampal-neocortical circuits”. In sleep we show spiking sequences in V1 (sensory neocortex!) that represent information that has not been directly experienced www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6... @bndu.ox.ac.uk @ndcnoxford.bsky.social

Generative replay across hippocampal-neocortical circuits

To make flexible decisions, the brain needs to make inferences between events that were not directly experienced together. In sharp-wave ripple (SWR) events, during periods of rest and sleep, spiking ...

biorxiv.org

If an action results in error, each neuron requires an individualized teaching signal that guides change in its output. This is the credit assignment problem of learning. Are there neurons in the brain that can compute such a sophisticated teaching signal? Yes. www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...

Climbing fibers encode the gradient of a loss function for the cerebellum

Neurons in the brain are often many synapses away from motoneurons, yet if a movement results in error, each distant neuron needs a teacher that considers its specific contribution to production of th...

biorxiv.org

SWC & @gatsbyucl.bsky.social are looking to sponsor early career researchers in mechanistic theories of neural computation for external fellowships. Join a collaborative, world-class community at the interface of theory and experiment. Apply by 16 July www.sainsburywellcome.org/content/fell...

Our work on goal-directed theta sweeps is out! We found two different types of theta sweeps in the rat hippocampus. During random foraging, left-right alternating sweeps dominated (Vollan, 25). However, during memory-guided navigation sweeps pointing to hidden goal locations emerged with learning.

The lab is at @fens.org, with 5 posters — spatial & auditory working memory, prefrontal decision-making, dopamine in statistical learning, and a 2-photon rat-brain atlas for BrainGlobe. Unfortunately, I couldn't make it this year, but come find the rest of the lab on Tue, Thurs, & Fri! #FENS2026

Ever wondered how the hippocampal cognitive map is read-out? @changmin-yu.bsky.social @zilong-ji.bsky.social with Jake & John, show that, during navigation, theta sweeps indicate remembered goal-directions (cf. current/next movements or perceptual targets) 1/2 www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Learning shapes neural geometry in the primate prefrontal cortex www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Learning shapes neural geometry in the primate prefrontal cortex - Nature Neuroscience

Learning transforms prefrontal cortex activity from flexible, high-dimensional representations into compact, task-relevant and abstract codes, enabling efficient generalization of learned rules to new...

nature.com

I’ve officially resigned as Associate Editor for Frontiers in Systems Neuroscience. It used to be a reputable journal, but became a case study in how forced automation destroys academic integrity. 👇

Know a brilliant postdoc in neuroscience? Encourage them to apply for the SWC Emerging Neuroscientists Seminar Series - a chance to present to the London neuroscience community. Travel and accommodation covered, no CV’s or references needed. www.sainsburywellcome.org/web/content/...

When I watched Persepolis in 2007, during my PhD in Italy, it felt as if someone had crawled inside my mind, read its deepest memories, griefs & longings, & put them on screen. Nothing about Iran has resonated w me like that since. Her family noted she “died of sadness” after losing her husband 😔💔

Le Monde in English@english.lemonde.fr · 2mo ago

Marjane Satrapi, author of 'Persepolis,' dies at 56

"Support academic institutions under attack" A short correspondence with @sepikeshavarzi.bsky.social and @roozbehkiani.bsky.social -- Defending academic life is not peripheral to the mission of science. It is part of it. www.nature.com/articles/d41...

This is super cool! Monkeys' frontal cortex when drawing: action strokes exhibit 3 features indicating symbolic representation: 1.invariance over low-level motor parameters 2.categorical structure reflecting discrete action types 3.recombination into novel sequences www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Neural representation of action symbols in primate frontal cortex - Nature

A drawing-like task designed to study compositional generalization identifies a specific neural population in the ventral premotor cortex in primates that encodes action symbols.

nature.com

Some incredibly exciting news that still feels a bit surreal: I am starting my research group @mpicybernetics.bsky.social! The best part? We are hiring at all levels! Curious about the science we plan to tackle, read along :) #NeuroSky

Together with @roozbehkiani.bsky.social and @athenaakrami.bsky.social, we published a Nature correspondence highlighting our open letter’s core message: the academic community must speak out against attacks on academic institutions. doi.org/10.1038/d415... Open access version: rdcu.be/fju9B

Sepiedeh Keshavarzi @sepikeshavarzi.bsky.social · 4mo ago

When universities and research institutions become military targets, academics cannot remain silent. I co-initiated an open letter calling for global academic solidarity and support for affected students and scholars. Please share. to read and sign: sites.google.com/view/protect...

New paper from the lab! "Plasticity and language in the anaesthetized human hippocampus" www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Plasticity and language in the anaesthetized human hippocampus - Nature

In the hippocampus, complex processing of sensory stimuli occurs even in the unconscious state.

nature.com

This is incredibly sad. A huge pool of young, fierce talent-living through a 2-month internet blackout, a fragile ceasefire that could break at any moment, practically suspended university classes-turned away from Neuromatch, one of the most noble efforts to democratize education & bridge borders 😔😡

megan peters 🧠@meganakpeters.bsky.social · 3mo ago

Neuromatch has been denied our Office of Foreign Assets Control "Iran license" renewal. We had renewed successfully before, but now our request is “inconsistent with current U.S. foreign policy.” I am absolutely gutted by this denial.

New peer-reviewed paper w/ @mheilbron.bsky.social, @predictivebrain.bsky.social & Jakub Szewczyk! Pre-onset brain encoding has been taken as evidence that brains–like LLMs–predict upcoming words. We show that the same signatures arise in systems that cannot predict. (elifesciences.org) (1/8)

Super excited to (finally!) show our work on identifying cell types! Now in press www.nature.com/articles/s41.... We show how to identify cell types from ephys recordings *without* optotagging. This opens the study of not just individual cell types, but the interacting neural circuit during behavior

A migratory bird brain, the Eurasian blackcap, has been mapped for the first time using high-resolution light microscopy. The open-source software tools developed form a foundation for new brain atlases to be built for any species, providing a valuable resource.

I think this is a super interesting paper from @markhisted.org and co: www.cell.com/neuron/abstr... My personal bet is that the phenomenon seen here would be different for some types of inter-laminar recurrence. #neuroscience 🧪

Recurrent cortical networks encode natural sensory statistics via sequence filtering

The visual cortex receives a stream of high-dimensional sensory input. The role of dense local, recurrent cortical connections in shaping responses to these inputs has been unclear. Here, we show that...

cell.com

For nearly a century, we believed the therapeutic effect of ECT is the seizure. Our latest research suggests we may have been looking at the wrong event. A thread on why cortical spreading depression (CSD) might be the driver of therapeutic benefit. Work led by @therehugolad.bsky.social

Going from neural activity to blood flow just became easier! Two brainwide populations, each with its neurovascular coupling. (But going backwards... is now a tad more complicated.) By @agnesland.bsky.social & team. Thanks @intlbrainlab.bsky.social @wellcometrust.bsky.social @simonsfoundation.org

Agnès Landemard@agnesland.bsky.social · 4mo ago

How does blood flow relate to brain activity? We discovered that it reflects two neural populations affected oppositely by arousal. Together, they explain neurovascular coupling in all brain regions and brain states! Out today in Nature: rdcu.be/fdC2A @uclbrainscience.bsky.social

Very excited to announce that my textbook on “Working Memory” is now available for pre-order! shop.elsevier.com/books/workin... A few thoughts

Working Memory

Working Memory provides a comprehensive examination of the neural basis of working memory, defined as the cognitive ability to maintain information ov

shop.elsevier.com

New preprint! 🧠 How do RNNs learn abstract rules from sequences, independent of specific stimuli? By Vezha Boboeva, with Alberto Pezzotta & George Dimitriadis "From sequences to schemas: low-rank recurrent dynamics underlie abstract relational representations" www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...

Delighted to share our discoveries about one of the brain's neurotransmitter systems: www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6... Together with colleagues at the @alleninstitute.org, we have learned a lot about a tiny cluster of neurons in the brainstem locus coeruleus (LC) that releases norepinephrine (NE). 1

When universities and research institutions become military targets, academics cannot remain silent. I co-initiated an open letter calling for global academic solidarity and support for affected students and scholars. Please share. to read and sign: sites.google.com/view/protect...

Academic friends, It's beyond heartbreaking to watch what's unfolding in Iran & the region. A few of us drafted an open letter calling for protection of civilians & of educational, research, medical & cultural institutions. Please read & sign if you agree: sites.google.com/view/protect... #IranWar

Protect Academic Life in Iran

We, the undersigned academics and researchers from around the world, express our profound concern over recent military strikes on Iran, the retaliatory responses, and the reported impact on civilian l...

sites.google.com

Last night, US/Israeli strikes bombed Sharif University, my alma mater, heavily damaging the IT Center, Philosophy of Science building, EE, and more. Trump spoke of sending Iran "back to the Stone Age." That is the goal of this war. Scientists worldwide should speak up against these atrocities.

Some reports say over 500 schools, 55 libraries, & 25 universities hit. You can debate the numbers, but hitting Sharif University & Beheshti is like hitting MIT & Stanford. I keep wondering: How would the scientific community respond differently if it was those universities? What’s the difference?

Wanna do neuroscience in Paris but can't find interesting lab? Want to come do a sabbatical but don't know who to collaborate? Check this webpage aggregating ~all the neuroscience labs (+200) in Paris. ⚠️only the information of 'verified' profiles is reliable⚠️ Please retweet 🙏 parisneuro.fr