Colin Hoy

This is by n large my take. I hope innovations in #neurotech + computational psychiatry will break through in ways that decades of cog neuro haven't.

That said, I've come around to the (complimentary) clinical/engineering perspective: iterating on therapies can make progress w/o full understanding.

Ooooh been waiting to read this one from all-star @debyee.bsky.social !! Conflating non-reward with punishment is a big blind spot for so many studies, so really excited to dig into a study that carefully picks apart reward, punishment, and their effects on cognitive control!

Dense Phenotyping of Human Brain Network Organization Using Precision fMRI The advent of noninvasive imaging methods like functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) transformed cognitive neuroscience, providing insights into large-scale brain networks and their link to cog...

Why do brain networks vary? Do these differences shape behavior? If every 🧠 is unique, how can we detect common features of brain organization?
@rodbraga.bsky.social and I dig in, in @annualreviews.bsky.social (ahead of print):
go.illinois.edu/Gratton2025-...

#neuroskyence #psychscisky #MedSky
🧵👇

That said, % cong is a weaker manipulation, which might be why we didn't see pre-trial theta predicting behavior or clear modulations of coherence/connectivity. Cued designs are probably better to drive the system and explore those effects, though claiming it's proactive vs reactive gets messy. 2/2

This looks really nice, sorry we didn't cite it! I like that implicit block-level expectations in our non-cued design can drive pre-trial MPFC theta boost, so good evidence supporting it as a proactive control signal. 1/2

Thanks! I'd say MPFC seems to reflect that preparation of control, and I think we need follow ups to test its causal role (ie how much does the pre-trial MPFC signal matter?). Our data can't really speak to the learning that leads to that anticipation, but both regions are reacting in the moment.

I believe in PAC generally, but it's so persnickety! In human iEEG, you can find that one, beautiful black swan contact that matches exactly what you predict, but it rarely pans out at the group level. Maybe it's just sampling bias, and denser recordings or intentional targeting would find it?

Side note: Kris Anderson & @vipiai.bsky.social started this study before I even joined my PhD lab in 2014!!! >10 years y'all...

Science is slow & the road is bumpy, but working w/ good people and persevering pays off. So grateful to @anask07.bsky.social, Bob Knight, Nicole Bentley, & the whole team

Punch line: We found that MPFC theta increased just before trial onset when conflict was expected, revealing a putative mechanism for proactive control!

I future studies will explore and even manipulate this proactive theta signal in MPFC to test causal relevance for cognitive control.
5/5

Interestingly, all these signals were amplified when participants reacted to unexpected conflict, and they were suppressed when they anticipated (common) conflict. Pretty cool to see these canonical conflict signals nearly disappear when proactive control is prepared!
4/5

In both regions, we confirmed classic control signals where conflict boosted theta (4–8 Hz) & local high-frequency activity. We also saw that conflict modulated beta (13–30 Hz) rhythms and suppressed theta after the response.
3/5

Many studies show cognitive control signals in MPFC & LPFC, but how these regions adapt their dynamics when control shifts from reactive (conflict-triggered) to proactive (anticipatory) is less clear.
To study this, we recorded iEEG during proportion congruent manipulations in a Stroop task.
2/5

Ever slam on the brakes after seeing a speed trap? Or better yet, slow down ahead in anticipation?

In our new paper w/ @anask07.bsky.social in @cp-iscience.bsky.social, we use #iEEG to study the neural basis of reactive and proactive control in medial and lateral PFC.
tinyurl.com/4bbwbffv

Randolph is fantastic, and this will be an incredible opportunity to work on cutting edge science! Definitely consider applying

I strongly believe modeling behavior will be critical for understanding mental health well enough to develop new interventions, but the gap between task-based and naturalistic behavior is MASSIVE. Some great ideas here for bridging that gap!

Hi Malu, thanks for sharing! The language seems pretty broad, but do you know if they're open to human subjects neuroscience research?

Hell yeah, congrats Richard!! Can't wait to see what you get up to

Really incredible work to tease apart the contributions of theta oscillations and hippocampal replay! Great evidence that theta is coordinating pairs and populations of neurons, which is necessary for learning

I agree this feels like an "intuitive" result, but I can imagine how formalizing strongly predictive mappings between arousal and current brain state dynamics (esp for human brains) might help parse large-scale activity into ongoing dynamics ("noise") and target mental processes

Please share with anyone who cares about NSF support for graduate students and take 30 seconds to sign and leave a comment.

The deadline for the 2025 Graduate Research Fellowship Program is about one month away and literally no one can apply. #NSFGRFP

jasonjwilliamsny.github.io/grfp2025/

Promotional image for the Dana Foundation featuring details of the Neuroscience & Society Bridge Funding Program with a deadline of October 10. Contact email provided as RapidResponse@dana.org.

(1/2) The Dana Foundation has launched a rapid response bridge funding opportunity for work impacted by recent shifts in federal funding. We encourage scholars, practitioners, and teams doing work that falls within the Foundation's mission area of neuroscience and society to apply. #neurosky

Data only shows associations. Turning those into claims about mechanism or causation? That requires a Rosetta Stone of prior knowledge + theory. Resting-state fMRI is purely observational; correlation is its currency. From this, plenty of "theoretical toys" about brain function can be built...

How many years (and tears?) would Al Patching have saved you in your PhD? Asking retrospectively for a friend...

It’s a great honor and pleasure to join Dr. Kühn on the next live episode of the Stimulating Brains talk series!

The podcast always provides a great feeling for the science and the people behind the science. The questions are the secret sauce, so please tune in and join the fun!

Cerebellar Contributions to Action and Cognition: Prediction, Timescale, and Continuity The cerebellum is implicated in nearly every domain of human cognition, yet our understanding of how this subcortical structure contributes to cognition remains elusive. Efforts on this front have ten...

The cerebellum isn’t just about coordinating movement. It’s implicated in nearly every domain of cognition—from language to social behavior.

But how exactly does the cerebellum contribute to action and cognition? 🧵

Check out our new paper w/ Rich Ivry.
arxiv.org/abs/2509.09818

Ah ok, thanks. Then agreed, seems like habituation, which is very interesting and fits with anecdotal reports of quick gains (aka lost weight) then stagnation!

For me, I bet there's a killer story on within-week behavioral effects on impulsivity and decision making... just sayin ;)

Unless you dosed again, I think that's probably just the time course of the effect. The people I've talked to said they notice a strong effect ~1 day after a dose, then it drops off towards the end of the week. This is a great topic to study, cool stuff!

Some very interesting articles in this issue!

Happy my abstract was accepted to #IEEE #NER25! Looking forward to sharing my work on "An integrated platform for identifying and targeting neural biomarkers of reward processing: Towards adaptive deep brain stimulation for mood in Parkinson’s disease" with the #neurotech #BCI #iBCI community

Honored to be awarded the Weill Neurohub Fellowship! It was fun thinking/writing about how neural signals tracking reward learning and facial expressions can help lead towards adaptive deep brain stimulation for mood, and it's really nice to get some good news these days