Mike Yassa

On Failure and “Pathological Persistence” in Science If you look at a CV, academic life can appear very linear. Degrees lead to positions. Grants lead to papers. Papers lead to promotions…

It felt like the right time for a reminder. This is based on an older interview but almost too relevant today. “On Failure and “Pathological Persistence” in Science“ by Michael Yassa on Medium: medium.com/@myassa_6289...

Slot-Based Writing: The Cure for Scientific Paper Paralysis If you’re a scientist and you’ve ever opened a blank doc to start a paper and immediately regretted your life choices, you’re not alone…

If you’re a scientist and you’ve ever opened a blank doc to start a paper and immediately regretted your life choices, you’re not alone. Here's my method. Read "Slot-Based Writing: The Cure for Scientific Paper Paralysis" on Medium medium.com/@myassa_6289...

#ACNP2026 - Wednesday afternoon @biancaleonard.bsky.social will present a computational model-driven motivational conflict challenge that identifies novel, *opposing* influences of early-life unpredictability and anhedonia @mikeyassa.bsky.social @hartleylabnyu.bsky.social @malejandra.bsky.social

Incandescently happy to spend an evening with friends and colleagues at @ucirvine.bsky.social & the Center for the Neurobiology of Learning and Memory for the 2026 Barclay Lecture. @mikeyassa.bsky.social, it's an honor. Join us Jan 28. Registration: cnlm.uci.edu/emilyjacobs/
@ucsb.bsky.social

Mnemonic Similarity Task: A Tool for Assessing Hippocampal Integrity

How do brains manage it? For a long while, the hippocampus has been known to be involved (thanks to @brockkirwan.com, @mikeyassa.bsky.social and others) - eg individuals with hippocampal damage are impaired at tasks like the Brady task.

doi.org/10.1016/j.ti...
/3

Landed at #SfN and we have lots of fun new results to share. See below for Yassalab poster presentations. If you want to talk #Alzheimers or #mentalhealth come chat with us.

#SfN25 #neurosky #neuroskyence #academicchatter

New paper in Imaging Neuroscience by Dana M. Parker, Michael A. Yassa, et al:

NODDI-derived measures of microstructural integrity in medial temporal lobe white matter pathways are associated with Alzheimer’s disease pathology and cognition

doi.org/10.1162/IMAG...

A Combined Neuroanatomy, Ex Vivo Imaging, and Immunohistochemistry Defined MRI Mask for the Human Paraventricular Nucleus of the Thalamus Existing definitions of the human paraventricular nucleus of the thalamus (PVT) differ between histological and MRI atlases; this study addresses this conflict by leveraging MRI and histology in the ...

Published! to NAIL human paraventricular thalamus, we imaged & aligned postmortem human thalamus labeled c calretinin. Finally a gold standard allowing mouse, rat human comparisons onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/... @ted-satterthwaite.bsky.social @flagel-lab.bsky.social @mikeyassa.bsky.social l

Thank you Nicole. I was definitely channeling your thinking as I was writing it. Loved your weather analogy for this. www.thetransmitter.org/the-big-pict...

Curing Alzheimer’s disease requires a radically different approach. Read my latest piece in @thetransmitter.bsky.social

He's right. "Nothing short of devastating"
By @holdenthorp.bsky.social @science.org
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

Gary lynch rocking a huge crowd talking about th 50 years of LTP @cnlm.bsky.social @serenadudette.bsky.social @ucirvine.bsky.social
@mikeyassa.bsky.social 🧪🧠 #memory @franklandlab.bsky.social

UC Irvine CNLM spring meeting fully in session! Celebrating decades of work on synaptic plasticity: From Molecules to Memory @ucirvine.bsky.social

The brilliant artwork by @neurobatool.bsky.social

Confessions of a Reformed DEI Officer (opinion) We need to distinguish between good DEI and bad DEI, Michael A. Yassa writes.

DEI is under fire… but may be we need something better. I spent five years as a diversity officer in academia and this is what I’ve learned. Read my take at @insidehighered.com www.insidehighered.com/opinion/view...

Ecstatic to receive my PhD today!! So incredibly thankful to my PI @mikeyassa.bsky.social for all his encouragement in growing my scientific career and endeavors. Also thankful to family, friends, and other mentors/collaborators! 😍🧠🎉
@elizabethhead.bsky.social
@chrastil.bsky.social