#JNeurosci: Findings from van Geen et al. support an integrated view of decision-making where mnemonic and value-based systems interact even in basic learning contexts, and highlight age-related disruptions in the transfer of info across brain regions. https://doi.org/10.1523/JNEUROSCI.1459-25.2026

New paper out in @sfnjournals.bsky.social ! Precise memory is an often under-appreciated determinant of accurate choice - on a foraging trip, I really need to remember if the poisonous mushroom was pink or white before I choose one for dinner. How does the brain do this? doi.org/10.1523/JNEU...

The precision of hippocampal representations predicts incremental value-learning across the adult lifespan

Correctly assigning value to different options and leveraging this information to guide choice is a cornerstone of adaptive decision-making. Reinforcement learning (RL) has provided a computational fr...

jneurosci.org

New preprint! We show low arousal states promote hippocampal ripple genesis in sleep and wake. This bridges rodent work, where ripples predominate during sleep, with human studies reporting ripples during active behavior, identifying low arousal as a common mechanism www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...

Arousal state modulates human hippocampal ripples

Hippocampal ripples are transient, high-frequency oscillations linked to memory replay and consolidation. Ripples are well-characterized in rodents to occur during periods of behavioral inactivity (i....

biorxiv.org

Our experiences have countless details, and it can be hard to know which matter. How can we behave effectively in the future when, right now, we don't know what we'll need? Out today in @nathumbehav.nature.com , @marcelomattar.bsky.social and I find that people solve this by using episodic memory.

Episodic memory facilitates flexible decision-making via access to detailed events - Nature Human Behaviour

Nicholas and Mattar found that people use episodic memory to make decisions when it is unclear what will be needed in the future. These findings reveal how the rich representational capacity of episod...

nature.com

Super happy to see this review out! We ask why people are so reluctant to abandon goals and how this commitment could be understood computationally. Work with Jill O'Reilly & @yaelniv.bsky.social

Trends in Cognitive Sciences@cp-trendscognsci.bsky.social · 9mo ago

Online Now: The adaptive value of stubborn goals

New preprint! Statistical structure skews object memory toward predictable successors. Model simulations show how this bias can arise from the backward expansion of hippocampal representations. w/co-first @codydong.bsky.social , @marlietandoc.bsky.social & @annaschapiro.bsky.social osf.io/yuxb6_v1

We had a great crew this morning working on signs before they headed out to @standupforscience.bsky.social in Philly! STEM-related activities account for 40% of the US GDP and are a main economic driver for Philadelphia. Science makes America great.

🤯

Jonathan Nicholas@jonathannicholas.bsky.social · last yr.

Excited to share a new paper with Daphna Shohamy & @nathanieldaw.bsky.social! Using fmri reactivation, we measured *when* people build preferences from memory. We found that people tend to do so before a choice, but that they also wait until choice time when options are linked to multiple memories

excited to (finally!) share :) www.jneurosci.org/content/45/6...

Lesions to Different Regions of the Frontal Cortex Have Dissociable Effects on Voluntary Persistence in Humans

Deciding how long to keep waiting for uncertain future rewards is a complex problem. Previous research has shown that choosing to stop waiting results from an evaluative process that weighs the subjec...

jneurosci.org