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Ashley Tyrer @ashleytyrer.bsky.social · 06/08/2026

13/ I am hugely grateful to everyone on the Visceral Mind Project team for their help, and supervision from @micahgallen.com, without whom this project would not have been possible! Also for the support of our lab @the-ecg.org, @lundbeckfonden.bsky.social, @erc.europa.eu and @au.dk 🙏

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Ashley Tyrer @ashleytyrer.bsky.social · 06/08/2026

9/ We also found negative correlations between markers of myeloarchitecture in the right postcentral gyrus & right superior parietal lobule, and value-free random exploration in short horizon trials - trials in which exploration is NOT beneficial!

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Ashley Tyrer @ashleytyrer.bsky.social · 06/08/2026

8/ We found greater indices of cortical myelination in right superior frontal brain regions - previously linked to impulsivity - to be strongly associated with increased value-free random exploration in long horizon trials, i.e., trials in which exploration is beneficial!

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Ashley Tyrer @ashleytyrer.bsky.social · 06/08/2026

7/ We then employed a TFCE-corrected, whole-brain multiple linear regression pipeline to examine how value-free random exploration relates to indices of brain microstructures (figure from Nikolova et al. 2025: www.jneurosci.org/content/45/3...). 🧠

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Ashley Tyrer @ashleytyrer.bsky.social · 06/08/2026

5/ In line with previous studies led by Magda Dubois and @tobiasuhauser.bsky.social, we found that subjects increased their value-free random exploration in trials where exploration is beneficial (long horizon), compared with trials in which exploration is not beneficial (short horizon). 👀

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Ashley Tyrer @ashleytyrer.bsky.social · 06/08/2026

3/ To investigate this behaviour, we combined the gamified multi-armed bandit task, Maggie’s Farm, with computational modelling to extract subject-specific parameters of exploration behaviours from 122 healthy human volunteers. 🧠

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Ashley Tyrer @ashleytyrer.bsky.social · 06/08/2026

2/ Throughout life, we face decision-making dilemmas such as the exploration-exploitation trade-off. One must choose either the highest-value option (exploitation), or an alternative, lesser-known option which may yield yet greater rewards but at the risk of disappointment (exploration).

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Ashley Tyrer @ashleytyrer.bsky.social · 14/06/2026

So excited for #OHBM2026! Come and say hi, I'll be presenting my recently accepted paper at the poster session ✨ 🗓️ Monday 13:45 - 14:45 and Tuesday 12:30 - 13:30 1393 | "Cortical Microstructural Variations Correlate with Individual Differences in Gamified Exploration-Exploitation Behaviours"

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Ashley Tyrer @ashleytyrer.bsky.social · 11/06/2026

Had an absolutely fabulous time at the Gradients workshop in the stunning Château du Fey! Huge thanks to Daniel Margulies for putting together an amazing programme 😍🧠 Now onto OHBM! #gradients2026 @gradientsworkshop.bsky.social

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Ashley Tyrer @ashleytyrer.bsky.social · 10/06/2026

Very privileged to hear from Tom Nichols about statistical inference of brain gradients! #gradients2026

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Ashley Tyrer @ashleytyrer.bsky.social · 21/05/2026

Really enjoyed giving my DCM for Evoked Responses theory lecture for the first time at this year's SPM Course for M/EEG with @imagingneuroucl.bsky.social! 🧠 And as usual, I'll also be giving my DCM for ERPs Practical Session this afternoon 💪 It's always a pleasure to contribute to the course 🌟

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Ashley Tyrer @ashleytyrer.bsky.social · 15/10/2025

13/ I am hugely grateful to everyone on the Visceral Mind Project team for their help, and supervision from @micahgallen.com and @tobiasuhauser.bsky.social, without whom this project would not have been possible!

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Ashley Tyrer @ashleytyrer.bsky.social · 15/10/2025

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Ashley Tyrer @ashleytyrer.bsky.social · 15/10/2025

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Ashley Tyrer @ashleytyrer.bsky.social · 15/10/2025

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Ashley Tyrer @ashleytyrer.bsky.social · 15/10/2025

5/ In line with previous studies led by Magda Dubois and @tobiasuhauser.bsky.social, we found that participants increased their value-free random exploration in trials where exploration is beneficial (long horizon), compared with trials in which exploration is not beneficial (short horizon). 💡

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Ashley Tyrer @ashleytyrer.bsky.social · 15/10/2025

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Ashley Tyrer @ashleytyrer.bsky.social · 15/10/2025

1/ To explore or to exploit? I’m excited to share my new preprint with @tobiasuhauser.bsky.social and @micahgallen.com, correlating variations in cortical microstructures with individual differences in exploration-exploitation behaviours, using a gamified task! 🧵 www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

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Ashley Tyrer @ashleytyrer.bsky.social · 09/09/2025

Thanks so much to everyone who attended my DCM for Evoked Responses workshop on Saturday for #CPC2025 - it's always a pleasure to contribute 🙏🧠 #CPCZurich2025 #neuroskyence

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Ashley Tyrer @ashleytyrer.bsky.social · 06/09/2025

Looking forward to giving my Dynamic Casual Modelling for Evoked Responses workshop this afternoon, on another beautiful day in Zurich 😍🧠 #CPC2025 #neuroskyence

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Ashley Tyrer @ashleytyrer.bsky.social · 18/08/2025

That's a wrap for #CCN2025! Thanks again to everyone who came to my poster and discussed my research, it was great chatting to you all 😁🧠 #neuroskyence

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Ashley Tyrer @ashleytyrer.bsky.social · 13/08/2025

Gearing up for another day at #CCN2025! Catch me this afternoon at poster B168 in E-Hall where I'll be talking about my recent study on beta blockers and interoception 🧠+🫀🫁+💊

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Ashley Tyrer @ashleytyrer.bsky.social · 21/07/2025

Last Tuesday I was delighted to present my work on noradrenaline, decision-making, and interoception at the CFIN Summer School in Neuroimaging, @au.dk, including work from my most recent preprint! 🧠 💊 Read my preprint here: www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

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Ashley Tyrer @ashleytyrer.bsky.social · 15/07/2025

Last but certainly not least, we had Eryn presenting her elegant modelling of cuttlefish camouflage strategies 🌊 Based on what I've seen from these impressive early career researchers during the OCNC, the future is surely looking bright 🤩

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Ashley Tyrer @ashleytyrer.bsky.social · 15/07/2025

India wowed us with her large-scale fMRI dataset examining cognitive reward sensitivity, with lots of potential for both neural and behavioural modelling! 🧠

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Ashley Tyrer @ashleytyrer.bsky.social · 15/07/2025

Daria presented her stunning work on non-linear dynamics of working memory using human intracranial EEG data 💭

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Ashley Tyrer @ashleytyrer.bsky.social · 15/07/2025

Isabel worked incredibly hard on active inference modelling of her mouse behavioural data from a reversal learning task 🐁

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Ashley Tyrer @ashleytyrer.bsky.social · 15/07/2025

Lucy kicked off the student talks, presenting her modelling work on ocular following responses in marmosets 🐒

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Ashley Tyrer @ashleytyrer.bsky.social · 15/07/2025

Throughout the three weeks, I tutored five wonderful PhD students on their mini-projects completed as part of the course: Lucy Turner of University of Adelaide, Isabel Lau of Oxford University, Daria Kussovska of Columbia University, India Pinhorn of UCL, and Eryn Sale of UT Southwestern 🎓

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Ashley Tyrer @ashleytyrer.bsky.social · 15/07/2025

As well as giving my SPM software tutorial, I thoroughly enjoyed meeting all the students and guest lecturers, including @trackingactions.bsky.social @trackingskills.bsky.social and @tpvogels.bsky.social 🏖️

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Ashley Tyrer @ashleytyrer.bsky.social · 15/07/2025

Same place, seven years apart... For the past three weeks I've had the absolute pleasure of tutoring on the prestigious @oistedu.bsky.social Computational Neuroscience Course OCNC 2025 - seven years after I was selected to participate on the course as a student! 🧠

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Ashley Tyrer @ashleytyrer.bsky.social · 24/05/2025

Thanks so much for having me at the #SPM course for #EEG and #MEG on Thursday to run my DCM for Evoked Responses workshop @imagingneuroucl.bsky.social, always a pleasure to spread the good #DCM news 🧠✨

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Ashley Tyrer @ashleytyrer.bsky.social · 10/03/2025

11/ I am exceedingly grateful for all the help and supervision from @micahgallen.com, without whom this project would not have been possible! Also for the support of our lab @the-ecg.bsky.social, @lundbeckfonden.bsky.social, @erc.europa.eu and CFIN @au.dk 🙏

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Ashley Tyrer @ashleytyrer.bsky.social · 10/03/2025

8/ To better understand these effects, we examined resting ECG data. As expected, both beta-blockers reduced heart rate, increased heart rate variability, and lowered sympathovagal balance compared with placebo, indicating a reduced sympathetic drive and enhanced vagal control.

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Ashley Tyrer @ashleytyrer.bsky.social · 10/03/2025

6/ In the RRST, both drugs increased respiroceptive precision (less variability in breathing judgements) relative to placebo, with no effects on thresholds or metacognition. This suggests that only the consistency of judgements about breathing may be modulated by noradrenaline.

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Ashley Tyrer @ashleytyrer.bsky.social · 10/03/2025

5/ Through hierarchical Bayesian modelling, we found that both drugs increased sensitivity to cardiac sensations (cardioceptive threshold) relative to placebo in the HRDT. Both drugs also increased metacognition for correct judgements, with bisoprolol exerting the strongest effect.

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Ashley Tyrer @ashleytyrer.bsky.social · 10/03/2025

4/ We then assessed individuals' ability to feel their heart rate and their breathing via our two validated interoceptive tasks: the Heart Rate Discrimination Task (HRDT) ♥️ and the Respiratory Resistance Sensitivity Task (RRST). 🌬️

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Ashley Tyrer @ashleytyrer.bsky.social · 10/03/2025

3/ In our within-subject, placebo-controlled study, 50 participants were given one of two different beta-blockers: propranolol (centrally- and peripherally-acting) or bisoprolol (cardioselective, peripherally-acting); or a matched placebo. 💊

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Ashley Tyrer @ashleytyrer.bsky.social · 10/03/2025

1/ We can measure interoception in many aspects, but can we actually manipulate it? I’m excited to share our new study, which shows that blockade of peripheral beta-adrenergic pathways improves cardiac and respiratory interoception in unique ways! 🧵 www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

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Ashley Tyrer @ashleytyrer.bsky.social · 29/10/2024

Last talk of the year done! ✅ Super happy to present some of my recent work with @the-ecg.bsky.social at the NAD Annual Meeting in Copenhagen today 🤩 discussing how central vs peripheral noradrenergic blockade impacts the neural signatures of predictive processing 🧠

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Ashley Tyrer @ashleytyrer.bsky.social · 15/09/2024

Had an absolute blast as always at #CPCZurich2024 - thanks so much to everyone who came to my DCM for Evoked Responses tutorials yesterday 🙏🧠

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Ashley Tyrer @ashleytyrer.bsky.social · 12/09/2024

Delighted to be back in Zurich for the 10th anniversary of the CPC! 🧠 #CPCZurich2024

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Ashley Tyrer @ashleytyrer.bsky.social · 25/06/2024

Thanks so much to everyone who came to my #OHBM poster yesterday and today! It was wonderful to have so many stimulating discussions, really enjoyed speaking to you all 🤩🧠

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Ashley Tyrer @ashleytyrer.bsky.social · 24/06/2024

Elated to give a talk on behalf of @micahgallen.com today at OHBM on #interoception and all the amazing work from @the-ecg.bsky.social 🧠 So grateful for the opportunity 🙏 #ohbm2024

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Ashley Tyrer @ashleytyrer.bsky.social · 23/06/2024

It's that time of year again! Catch me tomorrow (Monday) at 17:45 in Hall D2 giving a talk on behalf of @micahgallen.com on #interoception 🧠 And find my poster #927 at poster sessions on Mon/Tue, with prelim findings from my recent MEG-NA study #ohbm2024

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Ashley Tyrer @ashleytyrer.bsky.social · 26/11/2023

Quick trip to Birmingham over the weekend for the Irish Dance Oireachtas - elated to have bagged the top grade in all three of my dance exams! 💃☘️ Back to the lab again in the morning though 😂 #norestforthewicked

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