Ben Hayden
@benhayden.bsky.social
Professor of Neurosurgery, Baylor College of Medicine
Reposted by Ben Hayden
Hardee’s Slimer Sundae (1989-1989): Vanilla soft-serve topped with a green, bubblegum-flavored sauce. This sundae was released as part of a massive promotion for "Ghostbusters II", and the sauce was meant to evoke the thick, viscous ectoplasm from the film
November 25, 2025 at 12:36 PM
Hardee’s Slimer Sundae (1989-1989): Vanilla soft-serve topped with a green, bubblegum-flavored sauce. This sundae was released as part of a massive promotion for "Ghostbusters II", and the sauce was meant to evoke the thick, viscous ectoplasm from the film
Reposted by Ben Hayden
if I was president my plan to inspire national unity would be to make the lore from National Treasure real. our country would be a much less divisive place if everyone thought there was a secret treasure map on the back of the Declaration of Independence
November 25, 2025 at 12:36 PM
if I was president my plan to inspire national unity would be to make the lore from National Treasure real. our country would be a much less divisive place if everyone thought there was a secret treasure map on the back of the Declaration of Independence
Reposted by Ben Hayden
A history of the cigarette. Touches on mass production, marketing, media, addiction, and public health.
November 25, 2025 at 12:19 AM
A history of the cigarette. Touches on mass production, marketing, media, addiction, and public health.
Reposted by Ben Hayden
The Civil Rights Movement.
EYES ON THE PRIZE is solid, but over forty years old. There's been a lot of great work on the movement since then. And while EYES leaned heavily on interviews with participants, a new series could make use of that scholarship to get beyond the Montgomery-to-Memphis arc.
EYES ON THE PRIZE is solid, but over forty years old. There's been a lot of great work on the movement since then. And while EYES leaned heavily on interviews with participants, a new series could make use of that scholarship to get beyond the Montgomery-to-Memphis arc.
I figure Ken Burns has one, maybe two big documentary series in him before he fully retires. What do you think they should be? My votes include Football, Hip-Hop, World War 1, Reconstruction (though Skip Gates did this one well), Iraq/Afghanistan, 19th Century Expansionism.
November 25, 2025 at 12:25 AM
The Civil Rights Movement.
EYES ON THE PRIZE is solid, but over forty years old. There's been a lot of great work on the movement since then. And while EYES leaned heavily on interviews with participants, a new series could make use of that scholarship to get beyond the Montgomery-to-Memphis arc.
EYES ON THE PRIZE is solid, but over forty years old. There's been a lot of great work on the movement since then. And while EYES leaned heavily on interviews with participants, a new series could make use of that scholarship to get beyond the Montgomery-to-Memphis arc.
Reposted by Ben Hayden
😅
In case it makes you feel better, here is an excerpt from my recent breakfast conversation: "Mom, don't say that! This is so 2023!"
In case it makes you feel better, here is an excerpt from my recent breakfast conversation: "Mom, don't say that! This is so 2023!"
November 25, 2025 at 12:21 AM
😅
In case it makes you feel better, here is an excerpt from my recent breakfast conversation: "Mom, don't say that! This is so 2023!"
In case it makes you feel better, here is an excerpt from my recent breakfast conversation: "Mom, don't say that! This is so 2023!"
Reposted by Ben Hayden
My kid explaining over breakfast that I probably don't get 6-7 because Gen-X is not one, not two, but actually three generations removed. How's your Monday?
November 24, 2025 at 1:49 PM
My kid explaining over breakfast that I probably don't get 6-7 because Gen-X is not one, not two, but actually three generations removed. How's your Monday?
Reposted by Ben Hayden
I figure Ken Burns has one, maybe two big documentary series in him before he fully retires. What do you think they should be? My votes include Football, Hip-Hop, World War 1, Reconstruction (though Skip Gates did this one well), Iraq/Afghanistan, 19th Century Expansionism.
November 24, 2025 at 11:46 PM
I figure Ken Burns has one, maybe two big documentary series in him before he fully retires. What do you think they should be? My votes include Football, Hip-Hop, World War 1, Reconstruction (though Skip Gates did this one well), Iraq/Afghanistan, 19th Century Expansionism.
Reposted by Ben Hayden
Turns out interest in Metaverse had about a ~9 month half life.
November 23, 2025 at 8:51 PM
Turns out interest in Metaverse had about a ~9 month half life.
Reposted by Ben Hayden
Reposted by Ben Hayden
bring back graphs like this
November 24, 2025 at 1:56 PM
bring back graphs like this
Reposted by Ben Hayden
I had exactly the same question about embedding/intrinsic + nonlin manifold! But don’t have a good story for why center-out would had a more linear manifold, so still buy it.
BTW they found >75 dims for 90% variance — bigger than 12 (or 30), def smaller than the 1000 neurons they recorded.
BTW they found >75 dims for 90% variance — bigger than 12 (or 30), def smaller than the 1000 neurons they recorded.
November 24, 2025 at 2:24 AM
I had exactly the same question about embedding/intrinsic + nonlin manifold! But don’t have a good story for why center-out would had a more linear manifold, so still buy it.
BTW they found >75 dims for 90% variance — bigger than 12 (or 30), def smaller than the 1000 neurons they recorded.
BTW they found >75 dims for 90% variance — bigger than 12 (or 30), def smaller than the 1000 neurons they recorded.
Reposted by Ben Hayden
also, I think that was with PCA —correct me if I'm wrong—, and PCA estimates the embedding dimensionality of a manifold not its intrinsic dimensionality, so it's an upper bound to the actual dimensionality
This paper explains it very nicely doi.org/10.1016/j.co...
This paper explains it very nicely doi.org/10.1016/j.co...
Redirecting
doi.org
November 24, 2025 at 2:17 AM
also, I think that was with PCA —correct me if I'm wrong—, and PCA estimates the embedding dimensionality of a manifold not its intrinsic dimensionality, so it's an upper bound to the actual dimensionality
This paper explains it very nicely doi.org/10.1016/j.co...
This paper explains it very nicely doi.org/10.1016/j.co...
Reposted by Ben Hayden
this is a very interesting paper, but quoting from the paper:
"Analysis used a relatively high (30) dimensional space to ensure trajectory differences were not lost."
I'd argue that 30 is not very high compared to the millions of neurons in motor cortex...
"Analysis used a relatively high (30) dimensional space to ensure trajectory differences were not lost."
I'd argue that 30 is not very high compared to the millions of neurons in motor cortex...
November 24, 2025 at 2:17 AM
this is a very interesting paper, but quoting from the paper:
"Analysis used a relatively high (30) dimensional space to ensure trajectory differences were not lost."
I'd argue that 30 is not very high compared to the millions of neurons in motor cortex...
"Analysis used a relatively high (30) dimensional space to ensure trajectory differences were not lost."
I'd argue that 30 is not very high compared to the millions of neurons in motor cortex...
Reposted by Ben Hayden
Reposted by Ben Hayden
In fact, in some recent work, we showed that transiently blocking some proprioceptive feedback *increases* the dimensionality of dynamics along a direction orthogonal to the task manifold, with only *weak* effects on behavioral trajectories.
Motor Cortical Output Integrates Distorted Proprioceptive Feedback
Proprioceptive feedback from muscles is essential for continuous monitoring and precise control of limb movement, yet how such peripheral feedback is integrated into ongoing descending motor cortical ...
www.biorxiv.org
November 24, 2025 at 1:16 AM
In fact, in some recent work, we showed that transiently blocking some proprioceptive feedback *increases* the dimensionality of dynamics along a direction orthogonal to the task manifold, with only *weak* effects on behavioral trajectories.
Reposted by Ben Hayden
In fact, that last paper clearly distinguishes between ongoing dynamics and behavioral readouts, which are simply different sub-blocks of the combined neural-behavioral system dynamics. These can act on entirely different dimensions or have overlap! One could be low-d and the other not!
November 24, 2025 at 1:16 AM
In fact, that last paper clearly distinguishes between ongoing dynamics and behavioral readouts, which are simply different sub-blocks of the combined neural-behavioral system dynamics. These can act on entirely different dimensions or have overlap! One could be low-d and the other not!
Reposted by Ben Hayden
Or from optimal motor control.
A model of neural population dynamics for flexible sensorimotor control
Modern large-scale recordings have revealed that motor cortex activity during reaching follows low-dimensional dynamics, thought to reflect sensorimotor computations underlying muscle activation. Howe...
www.biorxiv.org
November 24, 2025 at 1:16 AM
Or from optimal motor control.
Reposted by Ben Hayden
Low-dimensional activity for simple tasks is a clear prediction from basic coding arguments
A theory of multineuronal dimensionality, dynamics and measurement
In many experiments, neuroscientists tightly control behavior, record many trials, and obtain trial-averaged firing rates from hundreds of neurons in circuits containing billions of behaviorally relev...
www.biorxiv.org
November 24, 2025 at 1:16 AM
Low-dimensional activity for simple tasks is a clear prediction from basic coding arguments
Reposted by Ben Hayden
Not directly related to @neurograce.bsky.social’s comment here but to the thread: I am baffled by the number of people who seem to think the claim is that all brain computation is low-d vs. the *emprical* finding that task-related neural activity is (linear) low-d in many (not all) cases.
This kind of stuff is why I say that I worry that the tools of neuroscience are not properly vetted
“Our findings challenge the conventional focus on low-dimensional coding subspaces as a sufficient framework for understanding neural computations, demonstrating that dimensions previously considered task-irrelevant and accounting for little variance can have a critical role in driving behavior.”
November 24, 2025 at 1:16 AM
Not directly related to @neurograce.bsky.social’s comment here but to the thread: I am baffled by the number of people who seem to think the claim is that all brain computation is low-d vs. the *emprical* finding that task-related neural activity is (linear) low-d in many (not all) cases.
Reposted by Ben Hayden
Wegmans stores with a Xerox document center and Kodak photo department in the 90's were like a Rochester megazord
January 17, 2025 at 3:08 PM
Wegmans stores with a Xerox document center and Kodak photo department in the 90's were like a Rochester megazord
Reposted by Ben Hayden
If not for the posts in the pond, it would be hard to tell which way is up and which is down.
November 23, 2025 at 10:15 PM
If not for the posts in the pond, it would be hard to tell which way is up and which is down.
Reposted by Ben Hayden
Calvert Cliffs - beautiful anyway - but the fossil and shark teeth hunting are also amazing fun 🤩
November 23, 2025 at 11:01 PM
Calvert Cliffs - beautiful anyway - but the fossil and shark teeth hunting are also amazing fun 🤩
Reposted by Ben Hayden
“Our findings challenge the conventional focus on low-dimensional coding subspaces as a sufficient framework for understanding neural computations, demonstrating that dimensions previously considered task-irrelevant and accounting for little variance can have a critical role in driving behavior.”
Neural dynamics outside task-coding dimensions drive decision trajectories through transient amplification
Most behaviors involve neural dynamics in high-dimensional activity spaces. A common approach is to extract dimensions that capture task-related variability, such as those separating stimuli or choice...
www.biorxiv.org
November 23, 2025 at 1:38 PM
“Our findings challenge the conventional focus on low-dimensional coding subspaces as a sufficient framework for understanding neural computations, demonstrating that dimensions previously considered task-irrelevant and accounting for little variance can have a critical role in driving behavior.”
Reposted by Ben Hayden
I wrote a little bit about the "missing heritability" question and several recent studies that have brought it to a close. A short 🧵
The missing heritability question is now (mostly) answered
Not with a bang but with a whimper
theinfinitesimal.substack.com
November 21, 2025 at 10:34 PM
I wrote a little bit about the "missing heritability" question and several recent studies that have brought it to a close. A short 🧵
Reposted by Ben Hayden
I had to spend an hour uninstalling the latest three Windows updates on my tablet as it created a glitch where Word refused to move away from page 3 in a document 🤪
November 22, 2025 at 10:12 AM
I had to spend an hour uninstalling the latest three Windows updates on my tablet as it created a glitch where Word refused to move away from page 3 in a document 🤪