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Sam Berry

@drberry.bsky.social
333 followers 457 following 20 posts

Postdoc neuroscience researcher at Royal Holloway. Exploring the connections of little brain regions with MRI. Interested in memory, stress, and the interplay between them.

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Reposted by Sam Berry
The Transmitter @thetransmitter.bsky.social · 23/05/2025
Neuroscientists long ignored variability in animals’ behavior in favor of studying differences across groups. But now researchers are studying the brain differences that underlie that variability—and their efforts are beginning to pay off. www.thetransmitter.org/animal-behav...
thetransmitter.org
Escaping groupthink: What animals’ behavioral quirks reveal about the brain
Neuroscientists have long ignored the variability in animals’ behavioral responses in favor of studying differences across groups. But work on the brain differences that underlie that variability is…
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Alex Shackman @ajshackman.bsky.social · 14/03/2025
bjsm.bmj.com/content/57/1...
bjsm.bmj.com
Effectiveness of physical activity interventions for improving depression, anxiety and distress: an overview of systematic reviews
Objective To synthesise the evidence on the effects of physical activity on symptoms of depression, anxiety and psychological distress in adult populations. Design Umbrella review. Data sources Twel...
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Kevin Mitchell @wiringthebrain.bsky.social · 23/02/2025
This looks super interesting!
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Itai Sher @itaisher.bsky.social · 21/02/2025
A blatant assault on academic freedom
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David Ho @davidho.bsky.social · 11/02/2025
We got a message from the university to remove any use of the "DEI", "diversity", "equity", or "inclusion" from all public-facing documents. They said that even "biodiversity" is being flagged by the federal government. We live in the dumbest timeline.
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bioRxiv Neuroscience @biorxiv-neursci.bsky.social · 06/02/2025
Cognitive maps for hierarchical spaces in the human brain www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/202…
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Carl Hodgetts @cjhodgetts.bsky.social · 31/01/2025
@drberry.bsky.social testing his new VR anxiety and exploration paradigm on an unsuspecting @kavishinia.bsky.social!
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CLaE @claeneuro.bsky.social · 25/01/2025
Nature Episodic and associative memory from spatial scaffolds in the hippocampus www.nature.com/articles/s41...
nature.com
Episodic and associative memory from spatial scaffolds in the hippocampus - Nature
A neocortical–entorhinal–hippocampal network model based on grid cell states recapitulates experimental results and reconciles the spatial, associative and episodic memory roles of the hippocampus.
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Sam Berry @drberry.bsky.social · 25/01/2025
Great video from Led By Donkeys laying it all out youtu.be/NjWl_RNDMSA?...
youtu.be
Heil Tesla
YouTube video by Led By Donkeys
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Reposted by Sam Berry
Department of Imaging Neuroscience @imagingneuroucl.bsky.social · 24/01/2025
Happy 30th birthday year to SPM!! 🎈🍰 To get the party started, we are delighted to announce SPM 25.01, a major new version of the open-source neuroimaging software. Read the preprint to discover what's new arxiv.org/pdf/2501.12081 and download SPM for free from Github github.com/spm/spm/rele...
arxiv.org
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Hugo Spiers @hugospiers.bsky.social · 14/01/2025
Coverage of our recent project in an Italian newspaper Always sounds more evocative in Italian! www.ilsole24ore.com/art/neurosci... (see below advert for a PhD scholarship (internationally open) to come work with us)
ilsole24ore.com
Neuroscienze e architettura alleate per ridisegnare il mondo
Il laboratorio Pearl di Londra studia le complesse interazioni tra le persone e l’ambiente.Per progettare sistemi urbani e spazi ottimali
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The Other Kind of Doctor Podcast @tokodofficial.bsky.social · 14/01/2025
New ep! 🎊 this week, @gemmarides.bsky.social & Gaia are joined by Dr Vanita Chamdal, a Teaching Fellow at @royalholloway.bsky.social & therapist. Listen in for advice on how to balance productivity with wellbeing as a PhD student, & what unis & supervisors should be doing to support their students.
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Carl T. Bergstrom @carlbergstrom.com · 07/01/2025
A few months ago I read @philipncohen.com's Citizen Scholar in proof. It's now available in print. To restore public trust in expertise, professors can’t just profess—they need to engage. Citizen Scholar explores how contemporary academics can do this, and why they might choose to.
Front cover of Philip N. Cohen's Citizen Scholar: Public Engagement for Social Scientists.
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Jon Simons @jonsimons.bsky.social · 06/01/2025
Struck by how many reflections here and offline focus on how Eleanor encouraged and supported their science and careers. A reminder that we distinguish ourselves by our kindness to others. Today, before the mayhem of the new year takes over, take a moment to do something kind for someone if you can.
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Jon Simons @jonsimons.bsky.social · 06/01/2025
An online tribute page has been set up to remember Eleanor Maguire: www.online-tribute.com/EleanorMaguire
online-tribute.com
Eleanor Maguire | 1970 - 2025 | Online-Tribute.com
Learning and memory are so fundamental to us, so enmeshed throughout cognition, that ‘solving’ memory, unpacking its neural mechanisms and being able to conceptualise it fully will, I believe, res…
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Alex Shackman @ajshackman.bsky.social · 20/12/2024
www.thelancet.com/journals/ebi...
thelancet.com
Early changes in neural circuit function engaged by negative emotion and modified by behavioural intervention are associated with depression and problem-solving outcomes: A report from the ENGAGE randomized controlled trial
The negative affect circuit may be an important neural target and potential mediator of PST in patients with comorbid obesity.
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Sam Berry @drberry.bsky.social · 14/12/2024
"Rather than avoiding this type of research, our best path forward is to proceed with caution and humility, using the flawed tools we have. Two crucial guide rails can steady our journey: close adherence to the scientific method and a proactive stance against bias." tinyurl.com/5b6nbezv
thetransmitter.org
Males and females show different patterns of risk for brain-based conditions. Ignoring these differences does us all a disservice.
Although studying sex differences in the brain is complex, technically awkward and socioculturally loaded, it is absolutely essential.
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UCL Faculty of Brain Sciences @uclbrainscience.bsky.social · 11/12/2024
We're excited to join BlueSky! Make sure to follow us for the latest news from the UCL Faculty of Brain Sciences! We'll be posting about our cutting edge research, Faculty events and opportunities!
We're on BlueSky
UCL Faculty of Brain Sciences over the top of a BlueSky logo with the picture of a brain inside.
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Sam Berry @drberry.bsky.social · 06/12/2024
I've always struggled to get this properly in my head - happy to read it doesn't, in the end, matter that much (don't kill me statisticians).
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Manos Tsakiris @mtsakiris.bsky.social · 03/12/2024
Our department @rhulpsychology.bsky.social has a starter pack for you all go.bsky.app/9en5Po4
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Sam Berry @drberry.bsky.social · 06/12/2024
Wow this looks interesting! I will add it to my ever expanding list of papers to read.
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Lennart Wittkuhn @lnnrtwttkhn.bsky.social · 06/12/2024
Hey #neuroskyence #compneurosky, et al., I am looking for code examples of reinforcement learning modeling in Python 🐍 I am mainly interested in *code organization* here. Thanks for any pointers to your favorite examples! 💫
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Sam Berry @drberry.bsky.social · 05/12/2024
Rare picture of my dog Archie in his bed. He gets into it about once a month for no longer than 10 minutes at a time.
Black cockapoo curled up in a dog bed.
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sarah jeong @sarahjeong.bsky.social · 03/12/2024
I keep saying i'm korean but it's moments like this that remind me im a korean american. I simply have no idea what the fuck is happening here
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todd gureckis @toddgureckis.bsky.social · 30/11/2024
the rapid transition of academics off x (despite temporarily reducing reach/followers) makes you wonder what’s stopping us from ending the for-profit, closed access publishing industry. it’s, like…. we can just do it? or if not, interesting to consider what the inertial differences are.
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Victor Asal @victorasal.bsky.social · 03/12/2024
Why you should talk to people you disagree with about politics @us.theconversation.com theconversation.com/why-you-shou...
theconversation.com
Why you should talk to people you disagree with about politics
Conversations don’t immediately change people’s minds, but they can eventually. And in the meantime, they help forge real connections across a diverse and complex society.
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Russ Poldrack @russpoldrack.org · 27/11/2024
Welcome @nilearn.bsky.social to Bluesky! Nilearn is an amazing package for neuroimaging analysis in Python - certainly one of the most heavily used packages in our lab.
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Sam Berry @drberry.bsky.social · 27/11/2024
Data management plan. More like data spanagement ham am I right?
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Sam Berry @drberry.bsky.social · 27/11/2024
This is a great start for those scientists new to Bluesky
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Joe Reddington @joereddington.com · 19/11/2024
I built a starter back or whatever for staff at Royal Holloway. Let me know who I've missed and I will add them. Tagging with #RHUL and #AcademicSky. Thanks to the people who did this at other unis and made me think 'okay fine I'll do one'. go.bsky.app/NFKx1U8
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CLaE @claeneuro.bsky.social · 25/11/2024
Nature Human Behaviour The role of the human hippocampus in decision-making under uncertainty www.nature.com/articles/s41...
nature.com
The role of the human hippocampus in decision-making under uncertainty - Nature Human Behaviour
This study examines individuals with autoimmune limbic encephalitis, a condition that impairs the hippocampus, to understand how they evaluate rewards and efforts in uncertain scenarios compared to he...
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Sarah Ruediger @ruedigersarah.bsky.social · 22/11/2024
My lab University College London is looking for an experimental postdoc to join our team. Interested in circuits underlying visually guided behavior, chronic #Neuropixel recordings or 2-photon imaging (Benchtop, #Mini2p)? Then check out our lab homepage www.ruedigerlab.com, apply & spread the word
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Dr Zoë Ayres @zjayres.bsky.social · 19/11/2024
The perils of a postdoc #AcademicMentalHealth What people might be struggling with behind the scenes
This poster explores some of the common stressors that postdoctoral researchers face during their postdoc. Image shows "perils of a postdoc, mental health awareness' with a person climbing a mountain, surrounded by examples of mental health challenges. 


Number 1: Compete or perish. 
With extremely limited tenure positions, postdocs can feel pitted against one another to achieve a permanent faculty position. 

Number 2: Need for independence. 
The need for independence in order to apply for fellowships is high, but stepping out from under a PIs  can be tough. Having a support to pursue an academic career from the PI is often essential. 
With the increasing size of academic cohorts, 

Number 3: Position instability. 
The prevalence of short-term contracts can lead to anxiety and their inabilities to settle down in a particular location, having financial and personal impact.

Number 4: Alt-academia sell-out 
The narrative often is that if you opt to choose an alternative career outside of academia you have failed and sold out. 
Number 5: A star is born. 
Corresponding author positions are often needed to show research independence but achieving this can be difficult without already having had a permanent faculty position. 

Number 6: burnout or drop out. 
The culture of research often implies that if you are not working 24/7 you are not passionate about research resulting in feelings of guilt and ultimately leaving academia. 
Number 7: don't get stuck. 
There is often pressure to not get stuck in a post doc and move on to the next opportunity else you may never make it. 

Number 8: Global challenges. 
The need to be mobile and get experience in different postdocs around the world is often emphasised. This can lead to culture integration issues and separation from loved ones 

Number 9: teaching experience.
To progress in academia teaching experience is needed but opportunities to do so often very limited, ultimately affecting progression. 
…
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Prof Sarah-Jayne Blakemore @sjblakemore.bsky.social · 21/11/2024
**We are recruiting** Seeking a postdoc to work on a Wellcome-funded cohort study focusing on social-cognitive processing in typically developing children and adolescents (aged 8-18 years) and children and adolescents with 22q11.1 deletion syndrome. www.jobs.cam.ac.uk/job/49291/
jobs.cam.ac.uk
Research Assistant/Research Associate (Fixed Term) - Job Opportunities - University of Cambridge
Research Assistant/Research Associate (Fixed Term) in the Department of Psychology at the University of Cambridge.
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Sam Berry @drberry.bsky.social · 23/11/2024
No one laughs at my jokes on here, must be something wrong with my feed.
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Kevin Mitchell @wiringthebrain.bsky.social · 21/11/2024
Huge influx of neuroscientists to BlueSky! 😊 www.thetransmitter.org/community/hu... #neuroscience #neuroskyence
thetransmitter.org
‘Huge influx’ of neuroscientists migrates to Bluesky
Daily neuroscience-related posts on the social-media platform this week have increased more than 400 percent, on average, compared with October.
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Dr Rachel Bynoth @rachelbynoth.bsky.social · 19/11/2024
If anyone is interested in 18th/19th c. anxiety, its connections to other emotions such as love/grief/anger, relationships, familial politics, George Canning, gender, lifecycle, check out my PhD (currently working on turning into a book) researchspace.bathspa.ac.uk/16302/ #skystorians #18c #19c
researchspace.bathspa.ac.uk
Anxious expressions: remote relationships in the Canning correspondence network 1760-1830 - ResearchSPAce
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Sam Berry @drberry.bsky.social · 20/11/2024
I always try to avoid using acronyms in my papers. I call this the Avoiding Acronyms Wherever Humanly Possible Unless It's Strictly Necessary Method, or AAWHPUISNM.
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Current Biology @currentbiology.bsky.social · 19/11/2024
You asked for it...
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Joe Barnby @joebarnby.com · 15/11/2024
Only 10 days left to send us submissions 🌶️ 🔥Join us in Philly for a unique opportunity to cross disciplinary boundaries to define and understand theory of mind ! sites.google.com/view/theory-...
sites.google.com
AAAI 2025 Workshop
Call for papers
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The Transmitter @thetransmitter.bsky.social · 15/11/2024
Expanding the bounds of a fear memory or linking it to a neutral memory can shape a mouse’s fear response, two new studies show. By @claudia-lopez.bsky.social www.thetransmitter.org/memory/stres...
thetransmitter.org
Stress warps fear memories in multiple ways
Expanding the bounds of a fear memory or linking it to a neutral memory can shape a mouse’s fear response, two new studies show.
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Carl Hodgetts @cjhodgetts.bsky.social · 15/11/2024
Happy to share an updated version of our paper, which explores how everyday variability in social and spatial experiences influences how we perceive events. In collab w/ @drberry.bsky.social, Mark Postans, and Angharad Williams. www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1... #neuroskyence #PsychSciSky
biorxiv.org
Individual differences in experiential diversity shape event segmentation granularity
Parsing experience into meaningful events or units, known as event segmentation, may be critical for structuring episodic memory, planning, and navigating the spatial and social world. However, little...
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The Transmitter @thetransmitter.bsky.social · 13/11/2024
The Transmitter turns 1 today 🎂! "It takes a village to build something beautiful—and useful," said editor-in-chief Ivan Oransky: bit.ly/4hJXMAZ. To our staff, freelancers, contributing editors and the entire neuroscience community, thank you for your support!
thetransmitter.org
Happy 1st Birthday, The Transmitter!
It takes a village to build something beautiful—and useful.
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Blake Richards @tyrellturing.bsky.social · 14/11/2024
One of the most interesting debates in #neuroscience in recent years is whether phasic dopamine is about reward prediction errors (as in TD-learning) or movement initiation. This paper seems to provide pretty convincing evidence for the former (prediction errors): www.nature.com/articles/s41... 🧪
nature.com
Dopamine dynamics are dispensable for movement but promote reward responses - Nature
Experiments using conditional RIM1 and RIM2 knockout mice and acute pharmacological manipulations clarify the role of rapid dopamine dynamics, whereby these dynamics are dispensable for...
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Hugo Spiers @hugospiers.bsky.social · 13/11/2024
My dept (UCL Experimental Psychology) has 12 funded PhD studentships for next academic year (Sept 2025 start)! These are only for UK citizens or with right to remain. I would be happy to support applications from students who would like to join my lab. See: www.ucl.ac.uk/pals/researc...
ucl.ac.uk
Thinking about a PhD?
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Mariam Aly @mariamaly.bsky.social · 12/11/2024
Episodic memory is often operationalized as memory for *what* happened, *where* it happened, and *when* it happened. But equally important is *why* that event matters enough to be encoded. Check out this comprehensive review paper by Morales-Calva & Leal, adding "why" into what-where-when memory.
link.springer.com
Tell me why: the missing w in episodic memory’s what, where, and when - Cognitive, Affective, & Behavioral Neuroscience
Endel Tulving defined episodic memory as consisting of a spatiotemporal context. It enables us to recollect personal experiences of people, things, places, and situations. In other words, it is made u...
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Jayne Morriss @jmorriss.bsky.social · 13/11/2024
⚡ I recently did a podcast about Intolerance of Uncertainty for Anxiety UK, a leading national charity helping to support people living with anxiety-related conditions. Link to the podcast on the Anxiety UK website below: www.anxietyuk.org.uk/get-involved...
anxietyuk.org.uk
Podcasts & webinars - Anxiety UK
Podcasts & webinars Nov 24 – In this episode we talk to Dr Jayne Morriss from the School of Psychology at the university of Southampton about the tolerance of uncertainty. Aug 24 – We are joined by Jo...
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Prof Sarah-Jayne Blakemore @sjblakemore.bsky.social · 13/11/2024
New paper! Increased threat learning after social isolation in human adolescents Very proud of @emilyanntowner @KirstenThomas64 @livia_tomova who ran this mammoth study during the pandemic Emily Towner’s thread on X copied below (with permission) royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/...
royalsocietypublishing.org
Increased threat learning after social isolation in human adolescents | Royal Society Open Science
In animal models, social isolation impacts threat responding and threat learning, especially during development. This study examined the effects of acute social isolation on threat learning in human a...
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Blake Richards @tyrellturing.bsky.social · 04/10/2024
This paper may be very important: www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1... tl;dr: if you repeatedly give an animal a stimulus sequence XXXY, then throw in the occasional XXXX, there are large responses to the Y in XXXY, but not to the final X in XXXX, even though that's statistically "unexpected". 🧠📈 🧪
biorxiv.org
Stimulus history, not expectation, drives sensory prediction errors in mammalian cortex
Predictive coding (PC) is a popular framework to explain cortical responses. PC states that the brain computes internal models of expected events and responds robustly to unexpected stimuli with predi...
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