Not sure that this qualifies as fast ;) but thanks for the inspiration and discussion Richard! I think this really highlights the power of computational models and new tools to ask experimental questions
Does aperiodic activity index neural excitability?
Single-unit and LFP recordings during optogenetic interneuron suppression show that aperiodic activity scales with firing, but it depends on context and oscillatory power. New preprint with @juliaveit.bsky.social.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
WTI's research facility, BrainWorks, has launched two social media channels to take a closer look at its welcoming environment, state-of-the-art tools, and community outreach.
Follow along on:
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New paper alert 📣 #Neuroskyence
"Rhythmic sampling of multiple decision alternatives in the human brain" @natcomms.nature.com
together with @ycaoneuro.bsky.social @maryamtohidi.bsky.social @donnerlab.bsky.social @ktsetsos.bsky.social
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
🧵1/
Ripple oscillations are central for memory and sleep.
But ripple detection in humans remains challenging. Here we introduce a simulation approach in @natcomms.nature.com as common ripple detectors mainly pick up 1/f noise and not genuine oscillations
👇
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
#neuroskyence
𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝗶𝘀𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻?
Almost always we average responses thus equating response variability with noise.
Well, we shouldn't because variability is also signal, not noise to be entirely discarded.
#neuroskyence
doi.org/10.1016/j.ne...
We show that population-level analyses are feasible in human iEEG and that evidence accumulation expands the neural space. Within this enlarged neural repertoire, it is easier to differentiate sensory stimuli based on the context, which hallmarks behavior and enables flexible behavior (4/4).
We specifically asked whether evidence integration is driven by a noise reduction or by increased pattern separability. Our results reveal that an enlarged neural space (more activity in a larger distributed network) supports integration by rendering sensory representations more distinct (3/4)
Previously, we showed that overlapping neural representations elicit behavioral costs, which can be reduced by subspace partitioning to separate distracting information. www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/.... We now asked how behaviorally-relevant information is integrated in population activity (2/4)
Conjunctive population coding integrates sensory evidence to guide adaptive human behavior. New work led by @jonasterlau.bsky.social in @pnas.org. We used human intracranial EEG to understand how coordinated population activity supports context-dependent behavior. www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/.... (1/4)
Understanding the mind takes many ways of seeing.
Faculty at the Wu Tsai Institute are working across neuroscience, engineering, and psychology to study how the mind works. A look inside the institute’s new home shows how shared spaces and new tools are supporting discovery through collaboration.
A cautionary tale that aperiodic activity is also prone to the Fourier fallacy. Spectral estimates are difficult to interpret when pathologic waveforms are present. Likely relevant for other clinical conditions as well (as expertly reviewed by @tomdonoghue.bsky.social in @ejneuroscience.bsky.social)
Aperiodic activity reflects pathological waveforms in epilepsy (and not necessarily hyper-excitability or altered E/I-balance). The 1/f slope goes up *or* down as function of waveforms during seizures. New work by Laura Heidiri and Frank van Schalkwijk from the lab: www.jneurosci.org/content/45/5...
Our new paper is out in @natneuro.nature.com
How do large-scale brain networks route information about where/what to attend at fast timescales?
High-frequency bursts facilitate fast communication for human spatial attention
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
This work adds a new perspective on the role of neural variability for human behavior and contributes to resolving the evoked response paradox that Buzsaki elegantly described in his @sfn.org autobiography: Variability and its consequences differ at opposite ends of the cortical hierarchy (4/4)
To provide additional mechanistic insight, we reanalyzed a large intracranial electrical stimulation dataset published by @dorahermes.bsky.social, which provided causal evidence for the idea that neural variability captures recurrent connectivity along the cortical hierarchy (3/4)
This work builds on the insight that behavior needs variability by Waschke, @nielskloosterman.bsky.social, @jonasobleser.bsky.social and @garrettneuro.bsky.social and seminal NHP work by Churchland on neural quenching. It resolves how variability is related to different facets of cognition (2/4)
New work from the lab published in @cp-neuron.bsky.social by @jonasterlau.bsky.social and Jan Martini. We describe that trial-by-trial variability indexes recurrent connectivity across the cortical hierarchy, which supports reliable and flexible coding www.cell.com/neuron/abstr... (1/4)
Too kind. Thanks @colinwhoy.bsky.social
For postdocs: Check out the WTI postdoc program (wti.yale.edu/initiatives/...) - great opportunity to join the Yale community. Application deadline is Nov 10. I'll also be posting more postdoc opportunities in my lab in the coming weeks (for spring '26). Please reach out if you want to learn more
For PhD students: I’ll be accepting new students (fall 2026) either through the Psychology program (psychology.yale.edu/graduate/adm...) or the Interdisciplinary neuroscience program (medicine.yale.edu/inp/academic...). The application deadline is December 1st. Reach out if you have any questions.
New position, new social media account. After 5 fantastic years in Tuebingen, I moved to @yale.edu and the @wutsaiyale.bsky.social this summer - which means that I’ll be recruiting PhD students and postdocs. Please help me to spread the word and see current opportunities below 👇