Simone Papa

Neurobehavioral meaning of pupil size Grujic et al. summarize the optical, neural, and behavioral consequences, as well as mechanisms, of pupil-linked arousal. They incorporate novel findings and identify gaps in the literature while prov...

Your Pupils, Your Mind 👁️🧠

Pupil size isn’t just light reflex: it tracks “pupil-linked arousal” shaped by neuromodulators (NA, ACh, 5-HT, orexin). The piece argues pupils are a 1D readout of multidimensional brain states.

#Neuroscience #Arousal #Pupillometry #Orexin
www.cell.com/neuron/fullt...

Rethinking the centrality of brain areas in understanding functional organization - Nature Neuroscience Parcellation of the cortex into functionally modular brain areas is foundational to neuroscience. Here, Hayden, Heilbronner and Yoo question the central status of brain areas in neuroscience from the ...

A perspective piece questions the #ArealizationParadigm (the idea of neatly bounded brain areas with single functions). Anatomical, genetic, and connectivity maps often disagree, and large-scale recordings suggest cognition is widely distributed.
www.nature.com/articles/s41... #neuroscience

I am pleased to share that I have commenced my Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) program in Neuroscience at @ethz.ch Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule Zürich!
#ETH #PhD #Neuroscience #DHest

Mapping Stress in the Teenage Brain and How Neurons Communicate Scientific Horizons is your gateway to expert-driven insights, uncovering the latest breakthroughs in healthcare, biotech and scientific research Mapping Stress in the Teenage Brain and Body: The Conn...

A new Scientific Horizons article by Öykü Nur Kesek and Nicolas Hubacz explores how adolescent stress shapes the brain, alongside new insights into neuronal communication.

Emerging links between mental health, neural development, and information processing.
www.linkedin.com/pulse/mappin...

Non-invasive temporal interference stimulation of the hippocampus suppresses epileptic biomarkers in patients with Epilepsy: biophysical differences between kilohertz and amplitude modulated stimulati... Medication-refractory focal epilepsy creates a significant clinical challenge, with approximately 30 % of patients deemed ineligible for surgery due t…

www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

Non-invasive temporal interference #stimulation can quiet deep epileptic networks.

In MTLE patients, TI targeting the #hippocampus reduced seizure biomarkers and limited spread, with lasting effects beyond stimulation, offering a promising option for drug-resistant #epilepsy without surgery.

Cortico-basal oscillations index naturalistic movements during deep brain stimulation - PubMed The basal ganglia and sensorimotor cortex are essential nodes of a network that supports motor control. In Parkinson's disease, disruptions in this network lead to rigidity and slowness during movement execution. Deep brain stimulation (DBS) of the basal ganglia has proven effective in alleviating P …

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41399243/

A new #Brain study shows cortico-basal oscillations track real-world movement in #Parkinson’s patients with #DBS.

These rhythms change predictably during daily actions. Measuring brain signals in natural settings could enable adaptive, personalized stimulation beyond the clinic (Michael S Oku)

A colleague’s new study in #Biomolecules compares β- and γ-synuclein aggregation across vertebrates.
It reveals species-specific differences in aggregation propensity and copper sensitivity, offering new insights into #synuclein dynamics and mechanisms.

www.mdpi.com/2218-273X/15...

A new #fluorescent sensor, iGluSnFR3, reveals #glutamate release at #synapses in real time 🧠✨

Developed by teams from the Allen Institute, HHMI, and UC San Diego, it makes the brain’s fastest signals visible, enabling deeper insight into how #neurons communicate across networks.

Season’s greetings from the microscopy world!

A festive YFP-labeled neuron lights up an enlightened mouse brain from the Noé Rodriguez collection, with creative work by Stanislav Pelekhov (Ksena Longrin)

Happy holidays! #microscopy #neuroscience #neuron

I attended “Spremuta di Cervelli” on #education and the future of learning, focusing on how #neuroscience and #AI intersect.

The discussion explored how attention, memory, motivation, and emotion shape learning, and how algorithms may transform #teaching without losing sight of #brain complexity.

Over a year of #FluorescenceFriday showcased biology in true 3D, from intact human tissues to neural and immune networks, tumors, and vasculature.

Structure, context, and relationships. In biology, context isn’t optional, it’s ground truth (Alpenglow Biosciences)

The article is based on an fMRI study assessing brain activity during performance, which I simply reported. Here, the arrogance seems entirely on your side, commenting in a condescending tone, presenting yourself as a “mentor” to researchers… while accusing others of arrogance? Come on.

Synaptic and functional plasticity is itself a form of brain reprogramming, from individual cells to entire circuits, and underlies learnin, musical or otherwise.

#Bioinformatics is a fast-growing market: $10.1B in 2022, projected to reach $18.7B by 2027 (13% CAGR)

Growth is driven by public and private funding, while high equipment costs remain a barrier. Emerging markets offer major opportunities, and data security will define long-term winners.

Music Improvisation Rewires the Brain in Real Time - Neuroscience News Creativity is notoriously difficult to study as it unfolds, but musical improvisation offers a rare chance to watch spontaneous idea-generation in action.

Music improvisation rewires the brain in real time.

Jazz studies show that creative freedom boosts auditory, motor coupling and salience networks, while structured tasks engage evaluative control systems.

Creativity emerges from dynamic shifts.
neurosciencenews.com/music-improv...

This Thursday we’re hosting an event on #Education at the intersection of #neuroscience and #AI.

We’ll explore how brains and algorithms learn through error, feedback, and adaptation, and what this means for attention, memory, teaching practices, and the future role of educators.

Researchers from the Allen Institute and Japan’s University of Electro-Communications used supercomputer Fugaku to simulate the full mouse cortex, 10M neurons and 26B synapses.

Built on open data, this virtual brain lets scientists explore how disorders emerge.
alleninstitute.org/news/one-of-...

Tracking non-motor regions of the motor cortex with navigated TMS for the treatment of chronic pain

Sure :) www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

A new study introduces high-plex spatial RNA imaging in a single round using color-intensity barcodes and standard microscopes, enabling scalable transcript mapping.
Open textbook Principles of Light Microscopy, accessed over 44,000 times (Volodymyr Nechyporuk-Zloy).
www.nature.com/articles/s41...

A new study shows motor cortex stimulation eases chronic pain not via motor circuits, but through non-motor networks in the precentral gyrus.

nTMS mapping can target these regions precisely, enabling more personalized and effective treatments for pain. (Nicolas Hubacz, M.S)

#ChronicPain #TMS

I attended “Brain Aging - How time shapes the brain,” exploring how aging alters memory, attention, and connectivity, while plasticity and circuit reorganization support resilience👨‍🦳🧠.
#BrainAging

Attended the seminar “What can we learn from stochastic parrots?” at UPF Barcelona, great insights on LLMs and cognition (Jarosław R. Lelonkiewicz).

Also visited IMIM’s Neurosciences Department, focused on mental and neurodegenerative disorders and the misuse of psychoactive substances.
#neuro

Your Brain Quietly Rewires Itself at 9, 32, 66 and 83 - Neuroscience News Researchers identified five major phases of human brain wiring that unfold from birth to old age, marked by four major turning points at ages 9, 32, 66, and 83.

New research finds the brain moves through five wiring epochs, with key shifts at ages 9, 32, 66, and 83. The biggest change in the early 30s ends adolescent-like connectivity and begins adult stability, shaping learning, cognition, and vulnerabilities.
neurosciencenews.com/brain-aging-...

The inflammatory reflex shows how the brain regulates immunity through the vagus nerve: signals reach the spleen, activate T cells, and release acetylcholine to reduce TNF-α.

Inflammation isn’t only chemical, it’s electrical, with the brain telling the immune system when to calm down (James Durham)

Researchers mapped the genetic architecture of the corpus callosum using an AI tool that detects it across MRI types. Studying 50k people, they identified genes shaping its size and links to neuropsychiatric disorders (by Anna Sara Liberati)
www.nature.com/articles/s41...

New work shows that temporarily silencing the amblyopic #retina can reopen visual pathways in adults.

Restoration depends on T-type calcium channel–driven bursting, offering a potential therapy that avoids blocking the stronger eye (by Eveline Ruehlin).
neurosciencenews.com/vision-resto...

I attended a talk on how dopamine prediction-error mechanisms mirror the way modern algorithms learn, anticipate, and shape our desires.

We explored the links between reward, addiction, daily habits, and AI-from chocolate to notifications and emerging algorithmic “bubbles”.

#BrAIns #Dopamine

Stunning work from the Lichtman Lab & Google Connectomics: a true 3D EM reconstruction of a single cortical neuron, with every yellow dot marking a synapse.

AI tools trace thousands of spines, revealing the micro-architecture of cortical computation. One cell, an entire universe (Nicolas Hubacz)