Sign in

Datta Lab

@dattalab.bsky.social
3.8K followers 877 following 69 posts

Neuroscientist @Harvard asking how sensation and action are entwined to facilitate cognition. Natural behavior, circuits for scents and movement, curiosity, biological and artificial intelligence

PostsRepliesMedia
Reposted by Datta Lab
Jim Heys @jim-heys.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
I’m very excited to share our new paper, led by the very talented Jack Bowler, a postdoc in the lab! www.nature.com/articles/s41... We all know that the way we learn something matters. But how does a training curriculum actually shape how the brain learns to solve a problem? a 🧵 1/N
nature.com
Structured experience shapes strategy learning and neural dynamics in the medial entorhinal cortex - Nature Neuroscience
The authors use recurrent neural networks to predict how structured prior experience shapes neural dynamics as mice learn flexible timing strategies during complex context-dependent behavior.
47723
Reposted by Datta Lab
Journal of Experimental Biology @jexpbiol.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
Fruit flies react instantaneously when blown about by gusts of wind to get back on course, but they also recall recent wind conditions when tracking an odour, which shapes their search as they pursue the source of an attractive scent @florisvanbreugel.bsky.social doi.org/10.1242/jeb....
A montage of flying fruit flies. Photo credit: Floris van Breugel.
2174
Reposted by Datta Lab
Venki Murthy @neurovenki.bsky.social · 21/08/2026
This work is now published in @cp-cellreports.bsky.social! Thanks to co-authors H McCalmon, G Cai, C Tsibouris, @noehamou.bsky.social, J Hoskins, F Pashakhanloo, @sueyeonchung.bsky.social and V Kapoor.
cell.com
Sparse input representations explain odor discrimination in complex, concentration-varying mixtures
Detecting a target odor against complex backgrounds requires separating signal from interference. McCalmon et al. show that discrimination performance depends on target odor concentration but not back...
0309
Reposted by Datta Lab
Piali Sengupta @senguptalab.bsky.social · 11/07/2026
🎉 New/updated preprint! From 🌟 GS Kirsten Judge + Most neuronal cilia form during development. Can adult neurons rebuild damaged cilia? Are functions restored? Does regrowth use different pathways from ciliogenesis? Answers (in C. elegans): Yes, yes, and partly. 1/6 www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
biorxiv.org
Neuron-intrinsic and glial pathways regulate sensory cilia regeneration in adult C. elegans
Primary cilia are microtubule-based organelles that mediate cellular responses to environmental cues. Although cilia disassemble and reassemble upon cell cycle entry and exit, respectively, in dividin...
23415
Reposted by Datta Lab
Oded Mayseless @mayseless.bsky.social · 16/06/2026
1/11 Excited to share my postdoc work from @schierlab.bsky.social and Rainer Friedrich! 🐟👃 How does the brain decide whether an odor is good or bad? In larval zebrafish, we find that odor preference is reflected in spatially cohesive neuronal domains of the olfactory bulb. 🧵
26625
Datta Lab @dattalab.bsky.social · 16/06/2026
Terrific opportunity to work with an amazing young PI! - bsky.app/profile/vulc...
051
Reposted by Datta Lab
Pawel Burkhardt @pawelburkhardt.bsky.social · 16/06/2026
How ancient are the building blocks of animal sensory systems? Key components of animal sensory systems evolved before animals. We find that choanoflagellates possess diverse & spatially segregated TRP channels, pointing to ancient origins of sensory specialization. doi.org/10.64898/202...
412058
Datta Lab @dattalab.bsky.social · 19/05/2026
and please RT :)
010
Datta Lab @dattalab.bsky.social · 19/05/2026
We are looking for a new lab manager to join our team! See jobs.smartrecruiters.com/HarvardUnive... or DM if interested - neuroscience background a big plus but not required
jobs.smartrecruiters.com
Research Lab Manager
Company Description: By working at Harvard University, you join a vibrant community that advances Harvard's world-changing mission in meaningful ways, inspires innovation and collaboration, and builds...
11312
Reposted by Datta Lab
Drew Schreiner @schreinerdrew.bsky.social · 13/05/2026
Where, exactly, does learning happen in the brain? Out today in @nature.com, we identify a synaptic locus of birdsong learning and show that the circuit can be tuned to make birds learn faster - but at a cost. Read on👇 #neuroskyence 🧪 #prattle 💬 #bioacoustics Shareable link: rdcu.be/fiyrS
nature.com
A synaptic locus of song learning - Nature
Combining a computational framework and optogenetic and chemogenetic manipulations within and downstream of the cortico-basal ganglia circuit identifies the specific cortico-basal ganglia synapse...
1528095
Datta Lab @dattalab.bsky.social · 02/05/2026
and thanks!!!
020
Datta Lab @dattalab.bsky.social · 02/05/2026
thanks so much!!!!
010
Datta Lab @dattalab.bsky.social · 02/05/2026
but the choice process is noisy, so the stem cell often makes mistakes. However, the choices available to each stem cell are constrained by its position - when it makes a mistake, it tends to pick spatially-related receptors rather than uniformly from a set of possible receptors
131
Datta Lab @dattalab.bsky.social · 02/05/2026
we did a lineage tracing experiment to answer this - below are the ORs emitted by an average stem cell (the X is representing a transcriptional signature of position). What you see (blue) is that it is highly peaked - meaning that each stem cell has a preferred OR related to its spatial position...
141
Datta Lab @dattalab.bsky.social · 29/04/2026
Thanks, Navin!!!
020
Datta Lab @dattalab.bsky.social · 29/04/2026
Thanks, K! We think most of guidance is based upon position in the nose (via the OR promoter), but local segregation depends upon the OR itself; both are likely polymorphic in rat vs mouse (as we show between strains in the paper). Would be cool to KI a mouse locus into the rat and then transplant!
000
Datta Lab @dattalab.bsky.social · 29/04/2026
Thanks so much, Steve! This was incredibly fun and exciting to work on!
010
Datta Lab @dattalab.bsky.social · 29/04/2026
Original thread describing main findings in paper is here - bsky.app/profile/datt...
150
Datta Lab @dattalab.bsky.social · 29/04/2026
Many thanks and congrats to all who participated in this work esp. our collaborators (Tatsuya Tsukahara, @neuroboz.bsky.social , @andreas-t-schaefer.bsky.social , and Alex Fleishmann)!
1112
Datta Lab @dattalab.bsky.social · 29/04/2026
Gratifyingly, a lovely accompanying paper by @dulaclab.bsky.social sees the very same map, and probes the spatial distribution of social odors in the nose (we did general odor chemicals) www.cell.com/cell/fulltex...
cell.com
Spatial organization and detection of social odors in mouse primary olfactory system
Comprehensive atlases of olfactory sensory neuron distribution and axonal projection reveal a precise topographical organization and define spatial domains activated by social odors.
1113
Datta Lab @dattalab.bsky.social · 29/04/2026
It has been really fun talking to folks about how smell was (until now) thought to be fundamentally different from other senses, and what this map might mean www.nature.com/articles/d41...
nature.com
First detailed ‘smell maps’ reveal how noses track odours
Detailed maps of smell receptors in the nose overturn textbook models of olfactory receptor organization in mice.
151
Datta Lab @dattalab.bsky.social · 29/04/2026
The main new thing in the print version (see detailed thread on biorxiv post below) is direct evidence that retinoic acid manipulation physically shifts the map (1000 receptor stripes precisely organized from D to V!) in space, c/w a casual role in positioning www.cell.com/cell/fulltex...
cell.com
A spatial code governs olfactory receptor choice and aligns sensory maps in the nose and brain
Dorsoventral epithelial position induces graded expression of a transcriptional program that maps each of the 1,100 olfactory sensory neuron subtypes to stereotyped spatial distributions in the epithe...
150
Datta Lab @dattalab.bsky.social · 29/04/2026
Excited to see our paper describing a stereotyped receptor map for smell (led by @davidhbrann.bsky.social ) out in the world! See below for short thread with open access link to paper www.nytimes.com/2026/04/29/s...
nytimes.com
Scientists Unveil ‘Long Lost’ Map for Smell
711442
Datta Lab @dattalab.bsky.social · 29/04/2026
it has been really fun talking about how smell seemed so very different from our other senses until it didn't.... www.nytimes.com/2026/04/29/s...
nytimes.com
Scientists Unveil ‘Long Lost’ Map for Smell
000
Datta Lab @dattalab.bsky.social · 29/04/2026
The most important new thing in the published version - the map (~1000 precisely distributed receptor stripes organized in a stereotyped fashion from dorsal to ventral) actually moves in space when you manipulate retinoic acid, suggesting a causal role in positioning. bsky.app/profile/datt...
100
Reposted by Datta Lab
Joel Mainland @jmainland.bsky.social · 17/04/2026
Can we predict what a molecule smells like from its structure? A new exchange in @ChemSenses debates this question. 🧪 @kingfunk.bsky.social
The odor limonene feeding into a neural network to predict the odor.
1123
Reposted by Datta Lab
Bozza Lab @neuroboz.bsky.social · 30/03/2026
Happy to share the latest from the lab! A microbiome-generated metabolite affects male-male aggression and social dominance in mice via the main olfactory system. Gut-Nose-Behavior. www.cell.com/current-biol...
cell.com
A microbiome-derived olfactory signal regulates inter-male aggression and social dominance in mice
Cichy et al. show that trimethylamine (TMA), a gut microbiome-derived metabolite, activates the receptor TAAR5 in the main olfactory system to regulate aggression and social dominance in male mice. Th...
12311
Reposted by Datta Lab
Sam Gershman @gershbrain.bsky.social · 29/03/2026
@jhennig.bsky.social has shown that dopamine exerts a real-time effect on conditioned responding, beyond its role in learning: www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6... Another indication that dopamine is more than a learning signal! A joint effort with @naoshigeuchida.bsky.social and @mhburrell.bsky.social.
06823
Datta Lab @dattalab.bsky.social · 27/03/2026
Thanks Mary Beth!!!!
010
Datta Lab @dattalab.bsky.social · 27/03/2026
Thanks so much, Ben!
010
Datta Lab @dattalab.bsky.social · 27/03/2026
Thanks so much, Ardem - excited to be in such great company!
160
Datta Lab @dattalab.bsky.social · 26/03/2026
Excited to raise a glass with you!!!
010
Datta Lab @dattalab.bsky.social · 25/03/2026
This work plays nicely with a really cool paper just out from our friend @jonwhitlock.bsky.social ; together these papers argue that spontaneous behavior conceptually is organized as a series of self-assigned tasks, rather than being random movement or reflexive. www.cell.com/cell-reports...
cell.com
Prefrontal cortex encodes behavior states decoupled from motor execution
By tracking the natural actions of freely moving rats, Välikangas et al. show that prefrontal cortex encodes abstract behavioral states rather than low-level physical aspects of movement. Prefrontal a...
091
Datta Lab @dattalab.bsky.social · 25/03/2026
In principle, any sequence of behavioral labels can be modeled using shMoSeq (not just MoSeq syllables), and so we think the method could work in any situation where behavior is organized hierarchically. Check out the code and docs here: github.com/dattalab/sta...
github.com
GitHub - dattalab/state-moseq
Contribute to dattalab/state-moseq development by creating an account on GitHub.
170
Datta Lab @dattalab.bsky.social · 25/03/2026
Unlike PFC, motor areas like dorsolateral striatum preferentially encodes syllables and kinematics rather than states. Furthermore lesions to PFC - but not striatum - alter which states a mouse uses, suggesting a causal role in high-order structuring of self-directed behavior.
110
Datta Lab @dattalab.bsky.social · 25/03/2026
One reason we think shMoSeq states are task related is because they dominate activity in prefrontal cortex…and the variables represented in PFC during spontaneous behavior reflect the ongoing importance of each self-selected goal.
110
Datta Lab @dattalab.bsky.social · 25/03/2026
Critically, states are not defined by the expression of a particular syllable or by a specific level of proximity to an object or conspecific; rather, they are specific sequences of syllables that are enriched when mice engage with an affordance or self-assigned task
graph illustrating how syllables and distances are not tied deterministically to a particular state
110
Datta Lab @dattalab.bsky.social · 25/03/2026
When we look at what mice are doing during each state, each appears to capture a distinct goal-oriented behavior, e.g. navigating along a wall or investigating an object, suggesting that mice organize spontaneous behavior around tasks and goals.
graphs illustrating that when particular affordances are present, different behavioral states emerge
110
Datta Lab @dattalab.bsky.social · 25/03/2026
To explore this possibility, Caleb created a new method called shMoSeq (state hierarchical Motion Sequencing) that identifies higher-order behavioral states lasting seconds-to-minutes. Each state is defined by a particular pattern of low-level syllable usage.
110
Datta Lab @dattalab.bsky.social · 25/03/2026
One way to answer this question is by looking for higher-order structure in behavior, which we have traditionally captured as brief action motifs called “syllables”. We wondered whether mice switch from one long-term pattern of syllable use to another during spontaneous behavior.
110
Datta Lab @dattalab.bsky.social · 25/03/2026
Of course, we can make mice express specific actions and pursue explicit goals if we tell them to in a task. But what happens when mice are left to their own devices? Do they still organize their behavior around specific (self-initiated) goals?
110
Datta Lab @dattalab.bsky.social · 25/03/2026
Have you ever wondered why mice do what they do when they are free to do whatever they want? Check out our latest (and this slightly delayed thread about our recent paper, led by Caleb Weinreb and friends...) www.cell.com/neuron/fullt...
cell.com
Spontaneous behavior is a succession of self-directed tasks
Weinreb et al. reveal a hierarchy of timescales in mouse behavior, including low-level syllables and high-level behavioral states. States and syllables are encoded in different brain areas. Prefrontal...
213348
Reposted by Datta Lab
John Tuthill @tuthill.bsky.social · 24/03/2026
🧵 New preprint led by @bingbrunton.bsky.social, @elliottabe.bsky.social, @lawrencehu.bsky.social We gave a worm brain control of a fly body and it walked What did we learn? Nothing, other than deep reinforcement learning is effective We call it the digital sphinx www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
10412151
Reposted by Datta Lab
The Brain Prize @brainprize.org · 05/03/2026
Warm congratulations to The Brain Prize winners 2026, Professor David Ginty and Professor Patrik Ernfors, for their pioneering work on how the nervous system detects and processes touch and pain. Karolinska Institutet HHMI #Neuroscience #BrainPrize2026
18536
Reposted by Datta Lab
Philipp Brand @pbrand.bsky.social · 27/02/2026
@annaryba.bsky.social's paper on the neural underpinnings of intraspecific behavioral variation is now out in @currentbiology.bsky.social Highly recommend! -> Paper identifies neural substrate for variation in promiscuity among Drosophila melanogaster strains🧪 www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
sciencedirect.com
Strain variation identifies a neural substrate for behavioral evolution in Drosophila
Sexual selection acts on heritable differences within species, driving the parallel diversification of signal production in one sex and behavioral res…
03414
Reposted by Datta Lab
Vinny Costa @vincentcostaphd.bsky.social · 27/02/2026
Monitoring gene expression in the brain with a simple blood test? In collaboration with @jerzyszablowski.bsky.social & his lab we figured out how to do it nonhuman primates using noninvasive neuroengineering of synthetic serum markers. nam11.safelinks.protection.outlook.com?url=https%3A...
nam11.safelinks.protection.outlook.com
ScienceDirect.com | Science, health and medical journals, full text articles and books.
56733
Reposted by Datta Lab
Sam Wang @samwang.bsky.social · 25/02/2026
I spoke with Laura Schenkman at The Transmitter about my candidacy for the House! Going from the lab to public life is a huge transition. From a lifetime of research to biotech to democracy to running for office, here’s the story of one scientist: www.thetransmitter.org/policy/is-th...
thetransmitter.org
Meet the neuroscientist running for Congress
Sam Wang, a neuroscientist running for the U.S. House of Representatives, has been interested in “fixing bugs in democracy” for decades.
516460
Reposted by Datta Lab
Carl Zimmer @carlzimmer.com · 18/02/2026
One of the biggest questions in biology is how complex cells evolved about 2 billion years ago. Here's my new story on how scientists are solving the mystery of eukaryotes like us. Gift link: nyti.ms/4qMbo22
A pilot in a submersible vehicle collecting sediments samples in 30 meters of water looking for Asgards (microbial relatives of eukaryotes)
9342105
Reposted by Datta Lab
Athena Akrami @athenaakrami.bsky.social · 16/02/2026
Thrilled to finally share this work! 🧠🔊 Using a new reinforcement-free task we show mice (like humans) extract abstract structure from sound (unsupervised) & dCA1 is causally required by building factorised, orthogonal subspaces of abstract rules. Led by Dammy Onih! www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
biorxiv.org
315752