Reposted by Duncan AstleRik Henson @rhens.bsky.social · 25/09/2026So thankful to the University of Cambridge for enabling a new chapter in the long history of the APU/CBU (since MRC decided to close all its units…) 45718
Reposted by Duncan AstleUniversity of Cambridge @cam.ac.uk · 25/09/2026Cambridge University announces a new Cambridge Mind and Brain Institute focused on understanding and improving brain health across our lifespan, from early childhood through to old age. Find out more 👉 bit.ly/4hpgZsl @mrccbu.bsky.social 13311
Reposted by Duncan AstleFrancesco Poli @francescopoli.bsky.social · 13/07/2026New Preprint! We gave neural networks infant-like curiosity and let them free to explore. They grew brain-like architecture, followed human synaptic development, and even started to display compositional thought. So we think curiosity doesn't just come from a complex mind... it helps us build one 👇biorxiv.orgCuriosity shapes brain-like architectures and functionsHow does complex cognition emerge from simpler underlying processes? We show that two components are sufficient: infant-like curiosity and brain-like biophysical constraints jointly drive the emergenc... 17628
Reposted by Duncan Astlecheslieklein.bsky.social @cheslieklein.bsky.social · 05/07/2026New #preprint by @francescopoli.bsky.social, @duncanastle.bsky.social and colleagues. Infant-like curiosity and brain-like organisation drive the complexity of human #cognition. Exciting finding for #AI! Thanks for including Charlotte and me in the project! 075
Reposted by Duncan AstleKayson Fakhar @kayson.bsky.social · 02/06/2026We're organizing a full-day Neuro-AI workshop at OHBM with a 90-minute-long hands-on session to cover all the nitty-gritty of it. If you're around, come join us. Besides the practical aspects, we have a stellar line-up of speakers to learn from and discuss with: kuffmode.github.io/OHBM2026Neur... 12612
Reposted by Duncan AstleTim Kietzmann @timkietzmann.bsky.social · 26/05/2026Our NeuroAI study made it onto the cover of Nature Machine Intelligence ❤️. In it, we demonstrate that a developmentally-inspired visual diet can drastically improve the robustness of ANN-based vision systems. www.nature.com/articles/s42... open access, open code, open weights, open science. 08927
Reposted by Duncan AstleKayson Fakhar @kayson.bsky.social · 18/05/2026🚨 The actual paper is now out on @cp-trendscognsci.bsky.social: www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti... In this opinion piece, @duncanastle.bsky.social and I explore the human brain through the lens of optimality and Pareto-optimality theory.sciencedirect.comEmbracing the suboptimal organization of the human brainHuman brain architecture is guiding brain-inspired artificial intelligence (AI) and has been treated as an optimal template, whose deviations could ma… 13814
Reposted by Duncan AstleSara Mehrhof @saramehrhof.bsky.social · 08/05/2026Excited to share our new paper asking a simple question: Why do mental and metabolic health so often go hand in hand? We (@camillanord.bsky.social @hugofleming.bsky.social) tested whether shared neurocognitive signatures play a role in this relationship www.nature.com/articles/s41...nature.comComputational phenotyping of effort-based decision-making in type-2 diabetes on and off semaglutide - NeuropsychopharmacologyNeuropsychopharmacology - Computational phenotyping of effort-based decision-making in type-2 diabetes on and off semaglutide 12510
Duncan Astle @duncanastle.bsky.social · 01/05/2026University of Sussex overturns £585,000 fine as high court rejects free speech breach claim www.theguardian.com/education/20...theguardian.comUniversity of Sussex overturns £585,000 fine as high court rejects free speech breach claimRuling is blow to Office for Students after it issued record fine for allegations over professor’s trans rights views 091
Reposted by Duncan AstleCentre for Research in Autism and Education @craeioe.bsky.social · 25/02/2026This defines success of the SEND reforms not in specific accommodations, “but by whether neurodivergent children fundamentally feel that they belong and are wanted in school, and that they are supported to achieve, attain and prepare for adulthood. 042
Reposted by Duncan AstleCentre for Research in Autism and Education @craeioe.bsky.social · 25/02/2026Alongside the government's #SENDwhitepaper the The Neurodivergence Task and Finish Group have published their recommendations for mainstream education. assets.publishing.se... 132
Reposted by Duncan AstleRik Henson @rhens.bsky.social · 05/02/2026A bit old now, but great Registered Report by Maya Raza (not on here) 063
Reposted by Duncan AstleProf Rachel Oliver @profrachelgan.bsky.social · 01/02/2026Quite apart from the policy issues here, why did UKRI choose to release this important letter on a Sunday teatime??? 2163
Reposted by Duncan AstleIdo Shalev @idoshal.bsky.social · 16/12/2025New preprint 🎉 Psych constructs are complex. Symptoms overlap, people rarely fit neat categories, and patterns are non-linear. Most methods compromise this richness. Self-Organising Maps don't. We provide a step-by-step tutorial with annotated R code to make them accessible. doi.org/10.31234/osf... 13013
Reposted by Duncan AstleKayson Fakhar @kayson.bsky.social · 15/12/2025🚨new work with the dream team @danakarca.bsky.social @loopyluppi.bsky.social @fatemehhadaeghi.bsky.social @stuartoldham.bsky.social @duncanastle.bsky.social We use game theory and show the brain is not optimally wired for communication and there’s more to its story: www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6... 56930
Reposted by Duncan AstleThe Washington Post @washingtonpost.com · 11/12/2025A new study shows brain development isn’t as linear as expected. After analyzing nearly 4,000 scans from ages 0–90, researchers found major structural shifts at ages 9, 32, 66, and 83 — dividing life into five distinct phases. wapo.stNew study shows how your brain changes at four key ages: 9, 32, 66 and 83New research finds that brain development is not linear. There are distinct phases with unique characteristics. 23712
Reposted by Duncan AstleKatie Insel @katieinsel.bsky.social · 11/12/2025Had a great time talking to Maggie Penman about new research on lifespan brain development led by @alexamousley.bsky.social in @duncanastle.bsky.social's group. This is a great summary of the study and a broader discussion of what brain research can teach us about important developmental phases. 1184
Reposted by Duncan AstleProf. Alex Woolgar @alexwoolgar.bsky.social · 09/12/2025Utterly delighted to have been awarded 5 years of research funding from the ERC to study low-activity brain states that could underpin flexible rule use. Let’s see what "pinging" can tell us about how task sets are assembled and changed! 10543
Reposted by Duncan AstleJon Seal @antsymbiosis.bsky.social · 09/12/2025Impact of demographic change in one image. 115938
Reposted by Duncan AstleNew Scientist @newscientist.com · 29/11/2025Our brain wiring seems to undergo four major turning points at ages 9, 32, 66 and 83, which could influence our capacity to learn and our risk of certain conditionsnewscientist.comYour brain undergoes four dramatic periods of change from age 0 to 90Our brain wiring seems to undergo four major turning points at ages 9, 32, 66 and 83, which could influence our capacity to learn and our risk of certain conditions 0116
Reposted by Duncan AstleDan Jagger @auditorynerves.bsky.social · 25/11/2025Open access link to new study in Nature Communications: Topological turning points across the human lifespan. 🧪🧠 #neuroskyence www.nature.com/articles/s41...nature.comTopological turning points across the human lifespan - Nature CommunicationsResearchers discovered five phases of brain rewiring across the lifespan. The eras of childhood, adolescence, adulthood, early aging, and late aging each have characteristic rewiring of structural con... 173
Reposted by Duncan AstleDan Jagger @auditorynerves.bsky.social · 25/11/2025The human brain goes through distinct phases in life, with turning points at ages 9, 32, 66 & 83, scientists have revealed. ~4,000 people up to the age of 90 had scans to reveal the connections between their brain cells. We "peak" in our early 30s ... 🧪🧠 #neuroskyence www.bbc.com/news/article...bbc.comFour pivotal ages in your brain's development revealed in new scientific studyBrain scans on thousands of people reveal the dramatic shifts the brain goes through between birth and death. 42510
Reposted by Duncan AstleSpringer Nature @springernature.com · 28/11/2025One of our top-rated posts on @altmetric.com this past week was published open access in @natcomms.nature.com. You can read 'Topological turning points across the human lifespan' here: spklr.io/63329BX7zL #Neuroskyence #neuroimaging 🧠spklr.ioTopological turning points across the human lifespan - Nature CommunicationsResearchers discovered five phases of brain rewiring across the lifespan. The eras of childhood, adolescence, adulthood, early aging, and late aging each have characteristic rewiring of structural connections across the whole brain. 1165
Reposted by Duncan AstleProf Sarah-Jayne Blakemore @sjblakemore.bsky.social · 26/11/2025New @mrccbu.bsky.social @campsydept.bsky.social study by Alexa Mousley, Richard Bethlehem, Fang-Cheng Yeh & @duncanastle.bsky.social shows four pivotal ages during brain development bbc.com/news/article... www.nature.com/articles/s41...bbc.comFour pivotal ages in your brain's development revealed in new scientific studyBrain scans on thousands of people reveal the dramatic shifts the brain goes through between birth and death. 2216
Reposted by Duncan AstleOlaf Hauk @olafhauk.bsky.social · 23/09/2025Now it's the @mrccbu.bsky.social's @duncanastle.bsky.social's turn to excite our #COGNESTIC audience. No problem when you are "Building networks to understand neurodevelopment". 051
Reposted by Duncan AstleDuncan Astle @duncanastle.bsky.social · 25/07/2025*New Paper* How genes for IQ shape brain organisation. Amazing work led by Alicja Monaghan @mrccbu.bsky.social reveals 2 ways. First, they’re associated w/ the ‘costs’ of network formation. Second, they define ‘high value’ areas within the network. How she did it…🧵 doi.org/10.1162/IMAG...doi.orgBrain wiring economics, network organisation and population-level genomicsAbstract. What role do our genes play in shaping the structural organisation of the living human brain? Across a sample of 2,153 children (9–11 years old), we address this question, focusing on common... 1218
Duncan Astle @duncanastle.bsky.social · 25/07/2025*New Paper* How genes for IQ shape brain organisation. Amazing work led by Alicja Monaghan @mrccbu.bsky.social reveals 2 ways. First, they’re associated w/ the ‘costs’ of network formation. Second, they define ‘high value’ areas within the network. How she did it…🧵 doi.org/10.1162/IMAG...doi.orgBrain wiring economics, network organisation and population-level genomicsAbstract. What role do our genes play in shaping the structural organisation of the living human brain? Across a sample of 2,153 children (9–11 years old), we address this question, focusing on common... 1218
Reposted by Duncan AstleDamien Fair @drdamienfair.bsky.social · 29/06/2025Alert! ... for the child development world! @fluxsociety.bsky.social @fitngin.bsky.social The Healthy Brain and Child Development (HBCD) Study has released its first data wave - it’s massive. Check here: docs.hbcdstudy.org and here: nbdc-datahub.org Here’s why it matters 🧠🍼 115979
Reposted by Duncan AstleLoic Menzies @loicmnzs.bsky.social · 25/06/2025Absolute honour to chair this panel of superstars @royalsociety.org yesterday, including @duncanastle.bsky.social & @tamsinford.bsky.social 241
Reposted by Duncan AstleImaging Neuroscience @imagingneurosci.bsky.social · 11/06/2025New paper in Imaging Neuroscience by Alicja Monaghan, Danyal Akarca, and Duncan E. Astle: Brain wiring economics, network organisation and population-level genomics doi.org/10.1162/IMAG... 095
Reposted by Duncan AstleAmin Saberi @amnsbr.bsky.social · 05/06/2025🧠⚖️📉 How does the cortical excitation-inhibition ratio mature during adolescence? We asked this in our new paper just out in #ScienceAdvances ✨ “Adolescent maturation of cortical excitation-inhibition ratio based on individualized biophysical network modeling” 📄 www.science.org/doi/full/10.... 🧵⤵️science.orgAdolescent maturation of cortical excitation-inhibition ratio based on individualized biophysical network modelingIndividualized simulations reveal a decrease in excitation-inhibition ratio in association areas throughout adolescence. 34419
Reposted by Duncan Astleaejbowen.bsky.social @aejbowen.bsky.social · 29/05/2025Opportunity to do a PhD in developmental science alongside some absolutely fantastic scientists!! Share widely! 022
Reposted by Duncan AstleGiacomo Bignardi @bignardi.bsky.social · 27/05/2025Amazing funded phd opportunity with great supervisors👇👇👇👇👇 001
Reposted by Duncan AstleStuart Oldham @stuartoldham.bsky.social · 28/05/2025Do you like brain network hubs?🧠🌐✳️Do you like genes?🧬What about neurodevelopment?👶What if I told you the latest work by @garedaba.bsky.social and myself combined all of these?🤯🤯🤯 See Gareth's thread for a primer of our findings, then read the paper for the details! www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...biorxiv.orgTranscriptomic divergence of network hubs in the prenatal human brainConnections in the human brain are not uniformly distributed; instead, a dense network of long-range projections converge on highly connected hub regions located in transmodal, paralimbic, and associa... 02813
Reposted by Duncan AstleFrancesco Poli @francescopoli.bsky.social · 27/05/2025This is a really cool project! Please repost to anyone interested at the intersection between developmental cognitive neuroscience and education! 0136
Reposted by Duncan AstleProf Sarah-Jayne Blakemore @sjblakemore.bsky.social · 27/05/2025PhD studentship available in developmental cognitive neuroscience, in Cambridge - please publicise. Open to women candidates, as the student will be based at Newnham College. 22628
Duncan Astle @duncanastle.bsky.social · 27/05/2025Funded PhD opportunity with @sjblakemore.bsky.social and I, at Cambridge. We are looking for someone interested in developmental science, to start in the coming academic year. Please share it with anyone you think might be interested (see details attached 😁). drive.google.com/file/d/1RIvg...drive.google.comFunded PhD opportunity.pdf 24558
Reposted by Duncan AstleRebeca Ianov @rebecaianov.bsky.social · 13/05/2025New study out now (doi.org/10.1111/ejn....)! Modelling MEG dynamics with RNNs reveals how reduced inhibition may shape neural signatures in ZDHHC9-linked neurodivergence!🧠🧬 Thanks to all co-authors! @achterbrain.bsky.social @danakarca.bsky.social @kbgenesbrains.bsky.social @duncanastle.bsky.socialdoi.orgSynaptic Function and Sensory Processing in ZDHHC9‐Associated Neurodevelopmental Disorder: A Mechanistic AccountIn the current study, we employed a bottom-up approach to study the impact of synaptic-level alterations associated with ZDHHC9 variants on cortical function in healthy and ZDHHC9-deficient participa... 0102
Reposted by Duncan AstleDuncan Astle @duncanastle.bsky.social · 10/01/2025We are hiring! We're looking for a great project manager to help with a large-scale Wellcome funded study. If you know of anyone that this might appeal to, please share. www.jobs.cam.ac.uk/job/49880/jobs.cam.ac.ukProject Manager (Part Time, Fixed Term) - Job Opportunities - University of CambridgeProject Manager (Part Time, Fixed Term) in the MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit at the University of Cambridge. 02427
Duncan Astle @duncanastle.bsky.social · 10/01/2025We are hiring! We're looking for a great project manager to help with a large-scale Wellcome funded study. If you know of anyone that this might appeal to, please share. www.jobs.cam.ac.uk/job/49880/jobs.cam.ac.ukProject Manager (Part Time, Fixed Term) - Job Opportunities - University of CambridgeProject Manager (Part Time, Fixed Term) in the MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit at the University of Cambridge. 02427
Reposted by Duncan AstleEstherina Trachtenberg @estherina.bsky.social · 02/01/2025New year, a new chapter 🎇. I am super excited to begin my postdoctoral fellowship at the @mrccbu.bsky.social with @duncanastle.bsky.social 's incredible 4D group, where I'll continue studying aspects of how the social environment affects brain networks and health 🧠 🧑🔬🧪 #posdoc #Cambridge_Uni 061
Duncan Astle @duncanastle.bsky.social · 14/12/2024Incredible visit to Wimpole Hall Christmas lights. Genuinely magical. @nationaltrust.bsky.social 0100
Duncan Astle @duncanastle.bsky.social · 06/12/2024Fish and chip shop called... "FRYING NEMO" You're welcome. 5182
Reposted by Duncan AstleProf 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.ukResearch Assistant/Research Associate (Fixed Term) - Job Opportunities - University of CambridgeResearch Assistant/Research Associate (Fixed Term) in the Department of Psychology at the University of Cambridge. 29983
Reposted by Duncan AstleOmar Rafael Regalado Fernández @mathchaos.bsky.social · 25/11/2024*standing applause* I agree with the sentiment in this blog. The Royal Society and by extension its members are tacitly endorsing Elon Musk by him being a fellow, and will be associated with him by the public too. FRS is the fourth word of his Wikipedia entry. 2205
Reposted by Duncan AstleCarl T. Bergstrom @carlbergstrom.com · 25/11/2024Dorothy Bishop explains why Elon Musk’s membership in the Royal Society devalues the entire organization. 740099
Duncan Astle @duncanastle.bsky.social · 25/11/2024When principles trump prestige. Thank you @deevybee.bsky.social. 0111