Matt Euler

I’m writing a post that explores the value of psychology. One way to frame the question is to ask: If there were no psychologists, what would the rest of the world miss out on? Anyone?

If you looked for examples within specific sub-disciplines, I bet you would come up with a long list of valuable insights from psychological research (amidst all the trivial stuff!).

Fascinating topic, but the question may be too broad to stimulate clear thinking. Just within clinical, two examples of meaningful recent progress are (1) the effectiveness of exposure-based treatments for anxiety and trauma, and (2) the evidence that suicide is typically impulsive, not reasoned.

Fascinating! This reminds me of the concept of "soft assembly" in the dynamical systems lit.

Let me try to explain why it's important to study the foundations of quantum mechanics. (1/n)

(Have to do some breathing exercises, b/c to me it's blindingly obvious that "understanding the most important theory in physics" is something physicists should care about, but apparently opinions differ.)

The abstract submission deadline for the pre-Psychonomics symposium on individual differences in cognition (SIDIC), to be held on Nov. 20, is due on Friday, August 1, TWO DAYS FROM TODAY!

Here's the direct link to the abstract submission information:
caliberlab.wixsite.com/sidic2025/su...

Very interesting thread!

Brain Surfaces of 70 primate species

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To predict the behaviour of a primate, would you rather base your guess on a closely related species or one with a similar brain shape? We looked at brains & behaviours of 70 species, you’ll be surprised!

🧵Thread on our new preprint with @r3rt0.bsky.social , doi.org/10.1101/2025...

📣Today is a turning point in what we know about brain health.

The results from the U.S. POINTER trial provide the rigorous data needed to say with confidence that healthy behaviors can meaningfully protect brain health across diverse populations in the U.S.
#AAIC25 alz.org/USPOINTERresults

A randomized trial (N>2,100 participants, multi-center) of structured vs self-guided lifestyle interventions in older adults shows the former improved cognitive function jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...

A human brain network linked to restoration of consciousness after deep brain stimulation - Nature Communications In people with severe brain injuries, stimulation restored consciousness by engaging a deep brain circuit for wakefulness—revealing a target that may also guide treatment in stroke and epilepsy.

Just dropped in @natcomms.nature.com: we show that re-engaging a thalamic–ventral tegmental circuit with deep brain stimulation can reignite consciousness in patients with severe brain injury. Work led by Aaron Warren, with @andreashorn.org @foxmdphd.bsky.social @ others! tinyurl.com/4kz8j89b

The development of aperiodic neural activity in the human brain header

How is prefrontal neural activity refined as we age?

Out today in @nathumbehav.nature.com‬! This study, from Elizabeth Johnson, uncovers how subtle changes in neural 'noise' impact our attention, memory, and cognition through development.

Proud to have contributed!

www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Superman from 2025 but with a mortar board on his head.

THREAD

Universities and Researchers Save The World All the Time

In July 2025 Superman once again saved the world on the big screen. Luckily for us, humanity's ranks are filled with real superheroes who are saving the world every day (to less cinematic fanfare.)

Here are 5 massive wins:


1/8

Happy 107th Birthday, Brenda Milner! Her contributions to neuropsychology shaped the way we understand the human brain. From surviving two world wars and two pandemics, to paving the way for future generations of researchers, Milner’s legacy continues. @mcgill.ca @cusm-muhc.bsky.social

Journals are increasingly concerned about AI-written peer reviews. I'm curious what folks think about this: What if journals performed an LLM-based review (using private models to protect confidentiality) and then provided that to reviewers, signalling that they are looking for more from the humans?

Good idea -especially if the LLMs are focused on triaging papers with major issues before they go out to human reviewers. False positives are a concern, but reducing reviewer burden and changing incentives around submitting junk seem like the most important systemic issues right now.

🧠💻 We (a bunch of colleagues at @cimcyc.bsky.social) just released a programming guide for psych & cog neuro students. Instead of a tutorial, this is a starting point: a collection of reflections, examples, and recommendations.

👉 Still growing, but ready to explore: wobc.github.io/programming_book/

It is Dr. Brenda Milner Day in the #neuropsychology universe!

Check out our editorial team’s vision for Neuropsychology in the coming years!

The Strain on Scientific Publishing Home page for the paper ‘The Strain on Scientific Publishing’ by Mark A Hanson, Dan Brockington, Paolo Crosetto and Pablo Gomez Barreiro

Thanks to @iansample.bsky.social from @theguardian.com for highlighting this issue.

For The strain on scientific publishing, see our website (including blog, depressing publishing text-based games, and data explorer!)

the-strain-on-scientific-publishing.github.io/website/

Are a few people ruining the internet for the rest of us? Why does the online world seem so toxic compared with normal life? Our research shows that a small number of divisive accounts could be responsible – and offers a way out

Only a small % of people engage in toxic activity online, but they’re responsible for a disproportionate share of hostile or misleading content on nearly every platform

Because super-users are so active, they dominate our collective impression of the internet www.theguardian.com/books/2025/j...

Which Kind of Science Reform What hope is there for science reform, if we can't agree on what to reform? Right now, principles are more important than practices.

How can we reform science? I have some ideas. But I am not sure you’ll like them, because they don’t promise much. elevanth.org/blog/2025/07...

Education Shapes the Link Between EEG Aperiodic Components and Cognitive Aging
Sara Lago, Sara Zago, Sonia Montemurro, Rocco Salvatore Calabrò, Maria Grazia Maggio, Serena Dattola, Ilaria Casetta, Giorgio Arcara
bioRxiv 2025.07.02.662700; doi: doi.org/10.1101/2025...
@giorgioarcara.bsky.social

neuroscience of burrito

New paper in Imaging Neuroscience by Marta Xavier, Patrícia Figueiredo, et al:

Consistency of resting-state correlations between fMRI networks and EEG band power

doi.org/10.1162/IMAG...

happy that our article about mu & alpha rhythm waveform shape in development is now finally out in the open: doi.org/10.1162/jocn...

oscillation frequency changes across development (one of the most robust findings in the oscillation world). in this work, we also look at waveform shape changes.

Neuropsychology's updated aims are now live. The new aims honor the journal's rich history and introduce fresh areas of emphasis, including culture/social factors, everyday functioning, transdiagnostic constructs, and open science. www.apa.org/pubs/journal... @apajournals.bsky.social

academic journals must up their games - forwarding papers to editors and reviewers is just not good enough ; just waisted 45 min for clearly AI generated BS @apertureohbm.bsky.social @fmri-today.bsky.social

I have been editor for many Registered Reports and many traditional articles, and it is truly amazing how null results suddenly appear all over the place in Registered Reports. Almost as if there is some problem with our traditional approach. Someone should look into that.

The history and future of resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging - Nature This Review provides an overview of the history of resting-state functional MRI research, which has helped to reveal the spatiotemporal organization of the brain, and discusses how it can contribute f...

When I first started working with resting state fMRI as a postdoc, there was a lot of skepticism about what we could learn from it. 20 years later, it's hard to imagine where the field of neuroscience would be without it. Here's a summary 🧠 www.nature.com/articles/s41...