Constantinople lab
@constantinoplelab.bsky.social
Researching the neural basis of computations that guide economic decision-making at the Center for Neural Science at NYU.
Reposted by Constantinople lab
A new study led by Simons Collaboration on the Global Brain investigator @carlosbrody.bsky.social tracked decision-making in rats to pinpoint the precise moment the animals commit to a decision: https://www.simonsfoundation.org/scientists-pinpoint-the-moment-of-decision-in-the-rat-brain/ #science
Scientists Pinpoint the Moment of Decision in the Rat Brain
Simons Collaboration on the Global Brain researchers found a synchronized shift in neural activity that signals the moment when animals commit to a decision.
www.simonsfoundation.org
November 26, 2025 at 7:11 PM
A new study led by Simons Collaboration on the Global Brain investigator @carlosbrody.bsky.social tracked decision-making in rats to pinpoint the precise moment the animals commit to a decision: https://www.simonsfoundation.org/scientists-pinpoint-the-moment-of-decision-in-the-rat-brain/ #science
Reposted by Constantinople lab
Thank you for the great summary, @thetransmitter.bsky.social, and the shout-outs from scientists we admire. There is so much we don’t know about how sex hormones modulate behavior and we’ll keep exploring!
“It’s giving mechanistic insight into how estrogen modulates reinforcement learning—all the way down to the molecular mechanism,” says Ilana Witten.
By @avaskham.bsky.social
#neuroskyence
www.thetransmitter.org/sex-hormones...
By @avaskham.bsky.social
#neuroskyence
www.thetransmitter.org/sex-hormones...
Sex hormone boosts female rats’ sensitivity to unexpected rewards
During the high-estradiol stages of their estrus cycle, female rats learn faster than they do during other stages—and than male rats overall—thanks to a boost in their dopaminergic response to reward…
www.thetransmitter.org
November 26, 2025 at 3:25 PM
Thank you for the great summary, @thetransmitter.bsky.social, and the shout-outs from scientists we admire. There is so much we don’t know about how sex hormones modulate behavior and we’ll keep exploring!
Reposted by Constantinople lab
“It’s giving mechanistic insight into how estrogen modulates reinforcement learning—all the way down to the molecular mechanism,” says Ilana Witten.
By @avaskham.bsky.social
#neuroskyence
www.thetransmitter.org/sex-hormones...
By @avaskham.bsky.social
#neuroskyence
www.thetransmitter.org/sex-hormones...
Sex hormone boosts female rats’ sensitivity to unexpected rewards
During the high-estradiol stages of their estrus cycle, female rats learn faster than they do during other stages—and than male rats overall—thanks to a boost in their dopaminergic response to reward…
www.thetransmitter.org
November 26, 2025 at 2:36 PM
“It’s giving mechanistic insight into how estrogen modulates reinforcement learning—all the way down to the molecular mechanism,” says Ilana Witten.
By @avaskham.bsky.social
#neuroskyence
www.thetransmitter.org/sex-hormones...
By @avaskham.bsky.social
#neuroskyence
www.thetransmitter.org/sex-hormones...
NaTuRaL BeHaViOR
November 25, 2025 at 3:42 PM
NaTuRaL BeHaViOR
Reposted by Constantinople lab
Thanks, Adrian! I’m excited to be starting a lab at the University of Utah (theluolab.org)!
We’re recruiting at all levels.
If you’re excited about neural computation, large-scale multi-region recordings, and machine learning, let’s talk!
And yes, the mountains are as incredible as they say!
We’re recruiting at all levels.
If you’re excited about neural computation, large-scale multi-region recordings, and machine learning, let’s talk!
And yes, the mountains are as incredible as they say!
November 20, 2025 at 8:51 PM
Thanks, Adrian! I’m excited to be starting a lab at the University of Utah (theluolab.org)!
We’re recruiting at all levels.
If you’re excited about neural computation, large-scale multi-region recordings, and machine learning, let’s talk!
And yes, the mountains are as incredible as they say!
We’re recruiting at all levels.
If you’re excited about neural computation, large-scale multi-region recordings, and machine learning, let’s talk!
And yes, the mountains are as incredible as they say!
Who wore it better? Our new paper shows that rat OFC supports Bayesian inference of hidden states! With neural correlates of inferred state transitions at the level of single neurons and population-level latent factors. www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
November 17, 2025 at 6:06 PM
Who wore it better? Our new paper shows that rat OFC supports Bayesian inference of hidden states! With neural correlates of inferred state transitions at the level of single neurons and population-level latent factors. www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Check out our posters at #SfN25 this Saturday!
@aqperkins.bsky.social @adiraj95.bsky.social @goldenneurons.bsky.social
@aqperkins.bsky.social @adiraj95.bsky.social @goldenneurons.bsky.social
November 12, 2025 at 2:26 PM
Check out our posters at #SfN25 this Saturday!
@aqperkins.bsky.social @adiraj95.bsky.social @goldenneurons.bsky.social
@aqperkins.bsky.social @adiraj95.bsky.social @goldenneurons.bsky.social
Ecstatic to announce our exciting new paper! Rat-mon y Cajal found a new friend to help him learn. Introducing, Dr. Tutor-us!
November 11, 2025 at 2:47 PM
Ecstatic to announce our exciting new paper! Rat-mon y Cajal found a new friend to help him learn. Introducing, Dr. Tutor-us!
Reposted by Constantinople lab
Inspired by discussions at several recent foraging-related seminar series and conferences, our review in @cp-trendsneuro.bsky.social explores an expanded role for foraging as a framework in neuroscience and discusses future directions for the field. Do check it out.
doi.org/10.1016/j.ti...
doi.org/10.1016/j.ti...
October 7, 2025 at 1:10 PM
Inspired by discussions at several recent foraging-related seminar series and conferences, our review in @cp-trendsneuro.bsky.social explores an expanded role for foraging as a framework in neuroscience and discusses future directions for the field. Do check it out.
doi.org/10.1016/j.ti...
doi.org/10.1016/j.ti...
Reposted by Constantinople lab
What happens in your brain when you make up your mind?
Postdoc (soon faculty at U. of Utah) @thomas-zhihao-luo.bsky.social and ex-grad student (now Shanahan Fellow at Allen Institute) @timkimd.bsky.social have some answers in this new paper out in Nature!
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
🧵 1/6
Postdoc (soon faculty at U. of Utah) @thomas-zhihao-luo.bsky.social and ex-grad student (now Shanahan Fellow at Allen Institute) @timkimd.bsky.social have some answers in this new paper out in Nature!
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
🧵 1/6
September 19, 2025 at 1:01 PM
What happens in your brain when you make up your mind?
Postdoc (soon faculty at U. of Utah) @thomas-zhihao-luo.bsky.social and ex-grad student (now Shanahan Fellow at Allen Institute) @timkimd.bsky.social have some answers in this new paper out in Nature!
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
🧵 1/6
Postdoc (soon faculty at U. of Utah) @thomas-zhihao-luo.bsky.social and ex-grad student (now Shanahan Fellow at Allen Institute) @timkimd.bsky.social have some answers in this new paper out in Nature!
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
🧵 1/6
Rats vs. Chats, round 1: bomb safety
September 2, 2025 at 6:52 PM
Rats vs. Chats, round 1: bomb safety
Reposted by Constantinople lab
Happy to have some good science news - our new study with @aqperkins.bsky.social is out in @plosbiology.org!
dx.plos.org/10.1371/jour...
dx.plos.org/10.1371/jour...
Orbitofrontal cortex computes gaze-dependent comparisons between attributes rather than integrated values
When choosing between options with multiple attributes, the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) is thought to integrate across those attributes, aiding in value comparisons. This study shows in monkeys that OF...
dx.plos.org
August 7, 2025 at 8:13 PM
Happy to have some good science news - our new study with @aqperkins.bsky.social is out in @plosbiology.org!
dx.plos.org/10.1371/jour...
dx.plos.org/10.1371/jour...
Rat-mon y Cajal, our lab mascot, is a pro at our task because he went to kindergarten first. His nemesis, Le Chat GPT, just copied off everyone else’s homework.
www.nature.com/articles/s42...
www.nature.com/articles/s42...
June 19, 2025 at 2:35 PM
Rat-mon y Cajal, our lab mascot, is a pro at our task because he went to kindergarten first. His nemesis, Le Chat GPT, just copied off everyone else’s homework.
www.nature.com/articles/s42...
www.nature.com/articles/s42...
Reposted by Constantinople lab
Scientists based in New York - do you want to help raise awareness about attacks on science & science funding? We are organizing low-effort outreach events in the city. Some amazing NYUers did a test run in Washington Square Park already.
Sign up for more info here! docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...
Sign up for more info here! docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...
Standing Up for Science in NYC
This form is for organizing the fight against attacks on science and science funding through "Ask-A-Scientist" and other outreach events around NYC. Find and contribute to plans here: https://docs.goo...
docs.google.com
June 11, 2025 at 2:01 PM
Scientists based in New York - do you want to help raise awareness about attacks on science & science funding? We are organizing low-effort outreach events in the city. Some amazing NYUers did a test run in Washington Square Park already.
Sign up for more info here! docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...
Sign up for more info here! docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...
Reposted by Constantinople lab
Wild!
Stephen, Praneel and their team use fluorescence lifetime imaging and various manipulations to show that, in male mice, both mating drive and hypothalamic tonic dopamine release drop after a successful mating and gradually recover over the next week, paralleling the recovery in sperm count.
Stephen, Praneel and their team use fluorescence lifetime imaging and various manipulations to show that, in male mice, both mating drive and hypothalamic tonic dopamine release drop after a successful mating and gradually recover over the next week, paralleling the recovery in sperm count.
I am excited to share our preprint on how hypothalamic dopamine neurons govern slow changes in motivation over days! Below are our findings:
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Slow-Timescale Regulation of Dopamine Release and Mating Drive over Days
The rise and fall of motivational states may take place over timescales as long as many days. We used mouse mating behavior to model how the brain orchestrates slow-timescale changes in motivation. Ma...
www.biorxiv.org
June 2, 2025 at 7:26 PM
Wild!
Stephen, Praneel and their team use fluorescence lifetime imaging and various manipulations to show that, in male mice, both mating drive and hypothalamic tonic dopamine release drop after a successful mating and gradually recover over the next week, paralleling the recovery in sperm count.
Stephen, Praneel and their team use fluorescence lifetime imaging and various manipulations to show that, in male mice, both mating drive and hypothalamic tonic dopamine release drop after a successful mating and gradually recover over the next week, paralleling the recovery in sperm count.
Reposted by Constantinople lab
The war on science in the US is already having an effect on private sector research like AlphaFold. Bears repeating but the private sector builds on top of things created by academic research for the public good. This hurts everyone.
May 28, 2025 at 10:18 AM
The war on science in the US is already having an effect on private sector research like AlphaFold. Bears repeating but the private sector builds on top of things created by academic research for the public good. This hurts everyone.
Common reviewer comment: "Why do they have so many rats?"
Because it's NYC b*tch.
Because it's NYC b*tch.
May 28, 2025 at 2:06 PM
Common reviewer comment: "Why do they have so many rats?"
Because it's NYC b*tch.
Because it's NYC b*tch.
During Q&A, whenever someone asks a question about our "mice."
May 22, 2025 at 4:58 PM
During Q&A, whenever someone asks a question about our "mice."
David Hocker’s paper about compositional pretraining for RNNs that efficiently produces animal-like behaviors! Modeling cognitive tasks in RNNs requires thinking about latent abilities that animals bring to an experiment. Funded by NIH/CRCNS. www.nature.com/articles/s42...
Compositional pretraining improves computational efficiency and matches animal behaviour on complex tasks - Nature Machine Intelligence
Hocker et al. demonstrate a method for training recurrent neural networks, which they call ‘kindergarten curriculum learning’, involving pretraining on simple cognitive tasks to improve learning effic...
www.nature.com
May 21, 2025 at 5:59 PM
David Hocker’s paper about compositional pretraining for RNNs that efficiently produces animal-like behaviors! Modeling cognitive tasks in RNNs requires thinking about latent abilities that animals bring to an experiment. Funded by NIH/CRCNS. www.nature.com/articles/s42...
Reposted by Constantinople lab
Reposted by Constantinople lab
This is such a mistake - these alternative ways of testing aren't good enough "models" to evaluate new drugs. People will suffer and die because of this.
I never thought that I wouldn't be able rely on the US FDA for safety and effectiveness. What a sad era ...
I never thought that I wouldn't be able rely on the US FDA for safety and effectiveness. What a sad era ...
FDA plans to phase out animal testing requirement for drug testing and replace it with “AI-based computational models of toxicity” and organoid toxicity testing www.fda.gov/news-events/...
FDA Announces Plan to Phase Out Animal Testing Requirement for Monoclonal Antibodies and Other Drugs
FDA Plans to Phase Out Animal Testing Requirement
www.fda.gov
April 12, 2025 at 1:18 PM
This is such a mistake - these alternative ways of testing aren't good enough "models" to evaluate new drugs. People will suffer and die because of this.
I never thought that I wouldn't be able rely on the US FDA for safety and effectiveness. What a sad era ...
I never thought that I wouldn't be able rely on the US FDA for safety and effectiveness. What a sad era ...
Reposted by Constantinople lab
Groundbreaking work by Dr. Soohyun Lee from the National Institute of Mental Health at NIH
The brilliant young scientist faces termination.
Science like this leads to discoveries that can revolutionize how we understand the brain.
doi.org/10.1038/s415...
#neuroscience #neuroskyence
The brilliant young scientist faces termination.
Science like this leads to discoveries that can revolutionize how we understand the brain.
doi.org/10.1038/s415...
#neuroscience #neuroskyence
Brain-wide presynaptic networks of functionally distinct cortical neurons - Nature
Behavioural-state-dependent pyramidal neurons have a distinct pattern of long-range glutamatergic inputs, with a larger proportion of thalamic versus motor cortex inputs compared with non-behavio...
doi.org
March 6, 2025 at 10:03 PM
Groundbreaking work by Dr. Soohyun Lee from the National Institute of Mental Health at NIH
The brilliant young scientist faces termination.
Science like this leads to discoveries that can revolutionize how we understand the brain.
doi.org/10.1038/s415...
#neuroscience #neuroskyence
The brilliant young scientist faces termination.
Science like this leads to discoveries that can revolutionize how we understand the brain.
doi.org/10.1038/s415...
#neuroscience #neuroskyence