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Hugo Spiers

@hugospiers.bsky.social
7.3K followers 1.4K following 1.4K posts

Prof of Cognitive Neuroscience & Vice Dean at UCL, Fellow of the Royal Inst. of Navigation. I study how we remember, navigate & imagine space Photo: Our upcoming field research in the Marshall Islands spierslab.wixsite.com/wavesandwayfi…

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Reposted by Hugo Spiers
Barry C Smith @barrycsmith.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
The future will not be (entirely) digital
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Centre for the Sciences of Place and Memory @memoryplace.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
Memory, critique and democracy: Prof Mihaela Mihai (Edinburgh) opens the new Connecting Memories Podcast series with “Critique as Political Care: Democracy, Memory, Theory”. Out now: open.spotify.com/show/0aLeSSJ...
open.spotify.com
The Connecting Memories Podcast
Podcast · Paul Leworthy · In this podcast series, Paul Leworthy will be talking to leading academics about memory. As well as presenting some aspect of their research, each episode's guest speaker wil...
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Michael Spicer @michaelspicer.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Most TV is just this now.
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neurologicpodcast.bsky.social @neurologicpodcast.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
Some of our past conversations remain just as relevant today. Dr. Buckley discusses women's brain health and Alzheimer's disease, exploring how menopause, hormones, and genetics may influence risk and resilience. 🎧 youtu.be/ydJ91i_7XY4?... #BrainHealth #AlzheimersResearch #Podcast #Neuroscience
youtu.be
Why Women's Brain Health Deserves a Closer Look in Alzheimer's Research with Dr. Rachel Buckley
YouTube video by Neuro Logic Podcast
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Hugo Spiers @hugospiers.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
Effects of street greenery and seasonality on health and wellbeing of cyclists: a Virtual Reality experiment www.nature.com/articles/s41...
nature.com
Effects of street greenery and seasonality on health and wellbeing of cyclists: a Virtual Reality experiment - Scientific Reports
Scientific Reports - Effects of street greenery and seasonality on health and wellbeing of cyclists: a Virtual Reality experiment
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Sainsbury Wellcome Centre @sainsburywellcome.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
Applications are now open for the SWC Systems Neuroscience PhD Programme. Join us in London! 🎓 World-class neuroscience training 💰 Fully funded 4-year programme 🖥️Close links to @gatsbyucl.bsky.social Apply by 9 Nov: www.sainsburywellcome.org/web/content/...
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Benjamin @benjaminschneider.ch · 30/09/2026
Werner Herzog will be the last human being whose next word no language model can predict
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bioRxiv Neuroscience @biorxiv-neursci.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Awake sharp-wave ripples coincide with rhythmic cortical synchronization www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/20…
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Kensy Cooperrider @kensycoop.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Which top 5 is of course not the same as my **personal** top 5—but I don't talk about that! (Unless you ask me in person, in which case I'll gladly talk your ear off about it.)
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Many Minds podcast @manymindspod.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
For more top episodes organized around our main themes, see our "starter pack" post. And do let us know if you have different suggestions! manymindspodcast.substack.com/p/many-minds...
manymindspodcast.substack.com
Many Minds podcast: A starter pack
A guide for new listeners
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Brad Postle @bradpostle.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Really chuffed about this one. It's impt for our efforts to understand neural and computational bases of controlling the contents of WM. It also highlights a control-related signal in the beta band that is NOT "inhibitory" in the way often assumed doi.org/10.1523/JNEU...
doi.org
Prioritization in Working Memory Reduces Interference via Beta Band-Linked Stimulus Transformations
We studied the effects of prioritization in a two-step retrocuing task in which male and female humans hold two items in working memory, and the item not cued by the first cue cannot be dropped becaus...
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Will Sebag-Montefiore @wsebag.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
The Far Right's response to RAF Fairford (whilst I make poached eggs) Let me know if you'd like to see more of me cooking whilst talking about politics I am REALLY good at one of those things
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Andrew Reid @reid-lab.org · 11/09/2026
www.reid-lab.org/blog/22 My (interactive) blog post focused on how #EEG #MEG signals are generated. Aimed at anyone interested in learning about these methods on a biophysical level. Let know what you think -- and share if you think it may interest your followers! #neuroscience #Neuroskyence
reid-lab.org
Learning about EEG (part 1) | Andrew's Blog
This is a teaching-oriented post about the fundamental concepts underlying electroencephalography (EEG), and to some extent magnetoencephalography (MEG). I explore how electromagnetic fields are gener...
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Jörn Alexander Quent @jaquent.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Fantastic work and an interesting set of analyses.
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Swathi Kiran@Center for Brain Recovery at BU @swathikiran.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
💡New research from CBR published in Brain Communications Researchers: Isaac Falconer, Maria Varkanitsa, Anne Billot, and Swathi Kiran Read the full article: doi.org/10.1093/brai... Thread by Dr. Swathi Kiran:
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Hugo Spiers @hugospiers.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Interesting insights into spatial memory and hippocampal function in humans: Navigation strategies predict spatial memory and hippocampal recruitment Work Zita Patai (who I wish was still in my lab!) www.cell.com/cell-reports...
cell.com
Navigation strategies predict spatial memory and hippocampal recruitment
Patai, E.Z. et al. show via analyzing spontaneous navigation behavior that humans are idiosyncratic, flexibly adapt strategies to variable degrees to achieve learning, and that strategies do not refle...
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Chris Baldassano @chrisbaldassano.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Columbia Psychology is hiring for a Cognitive Science/Neuroscience Assistant Professor position as part of our ongoing push to expand our Cognitive research program (including two hires last year). We'll be starting application reviews next week so get materials in asap! apply.interfolio.com/193975
apply.interfolio.com
Apply - Interfolio {{$ctrl.$state.data.pageTitle}} - Apply - Interfolio
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Current Biology @currentbiology.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
In our newest issue, we interview Jennifer Mather, whose work involves cephalopod behaviour and human–animal interactions at the University of Lethbridge. Read the Q&A to find out what drew Jennifer to cephalopods and more! www.cell.com/current-biol...
cell.com
Jennifer Mather
Interview with Jennifer Mather, whose work involves cephalopod behaviour and human–animal interactions at the University of Lethbridge.
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UCL NeuroAI @ucl-neuroai.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
For our next talk, we will have Arno Onken @arnoonken.bsky.social from the University of Edinburgh, who’ll talk about: "Vision transformer models for predicting neural responses: insights and challenges." 🧠🤖 🗓️Wed 14 October 2026 ⏰1-2pm BST via zoom Register: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/ucl-neuroa...
eventbrite.co.uk
UCL NeuroAI Talk Series
A series of NeuroAI themed talks organised by the UCL NeuroAI community. Talks will continue on a monthly basis.
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Francesco Gobbo @franzgbb.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Overall, our work shows the ability of our brain to flexibly allocate resources to solve memory based tasks!
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Francesco Gobbo @franzgbb.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
When they used allocentric coordinates instead, space respresentation was more accurate. Furthermore, inhibiting hippocampal activity during decision making increased the number of errors in identifying the position of their rewards.
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Francesco Gobbo @franzgbb.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
When rats used egocentic, or self-centred coordinates, hippocampal representations were less precise, suggeting that rats were making little use of them to decide about their goals.
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Francesco Gobbo @franzgbb.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
After a long journey it's finally out! My work on navigation strategy-dependent hippocampal representations during plnning with Richard Morris is out on @natcomms.nature.com ! rdcu.be/iS72dYSzBxya
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Adrian Duszkiewicz @adrian-du.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
Interesting new study from the Frank lab: Hippocampal representations of alternative possibilities are flexibly generated to meet cognitive demands
cell.com
Hippocampal representations of alternative possibilities are flexibly generated to meet cognitive demands
Comrie et al. show that the hippocampus flexibly represents different alternative possibilities—including paths ahead, behind, and far away—to meet distinct cognitive demands related to decision-makin...
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Bodo Winter @bodowinter.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
New tenure track position call for cognitive science at UCSD: apol-recruit.ucsd.edu/JPF04633
apol-recruit.ucsd.edu
Assistant Professor in Cognitive Science
University of California, San Diego is hiring. Apply now!
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Earl K. Miller @earlkmiller.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
Brain state transitions are not uniform switches. The regions that trigger a transition may differ from those that define the resulting state. The brain’s moment-to-moment dynamics deserve as much attention as its states. www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6... #neuroscience
biorxiv.org
Sharp and smooth state transitions during resting state brain dynamics
Resting-state fMRI is routinely described in terms of a small set of recurring whole-brain states. Far less is known about what happens between them. Two pictures compete. In one, the brain toggles : ...
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PessoaBrain @pessoabrain.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
𝗕𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻’𝘀 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴-𝘀𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄𝗲𝗱 𝗮𝘀 𝗱𝘆𝗻𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗰 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝗼𝗳 𝗱𝘆𝗻𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗰𝘀? We find evidence of both smooth and sharp transitions; latter sharply altered brain dynamics in as few as 1 time step. Link below -->
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Many Minds podcast @manymindspod.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
Often an adolescent female chimpanzee will, one day, strike off from her home territory and try to join the neighbors. She may face rejection and violence and yet try to stay. Why? Just one of the topics discussed in our latest episode, w/ @rachnare.bsky.social! Listen: disi.org/coming-of-ag...
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Jeff Zacks @jzacks.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
The call for participation for the first inaugural Event Cognition Conference is live! franco.nd.edu/events/confe... franco.nd.edu/assets/67910...
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Ethan Solomon @esolomon.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
Excited to share a new discovery from @stanfordpntlab.bsky.social about the effects of neurostimulation on brain activity. www.medrxiv.org/content/10.6... With our colleagues at the University of Iowa, we explored how intermittent theta burst stimulation (iTBS) changes neural excitability. A 🧵
medrxiv.org
iTBS induces a suppression-rebound pattern in human cortical excitability
Intermittent theta burst stimulation (iTBS) is a widely used form of brain stimulation, developed on the premise that it promotes long-term potentiation (LTP) and neural excitation. However, this is n...
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UCL PhD for the Ecological Study of the Brain @ecologicalbrain.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
We are excited to welcome applications for studentships in the Ecological Study of Brain and Behaviour pathway within the UBEL DTP. Take the next step in your research journey with us. Pre-Registration is now open - apply here!
ucl.smapply.io
UBEL DTP 2027 Entry: ESRC Main Studentships Competition - UCL-led Doctoral Training Entities and Partnerships
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Hugo Spiers @hugospiers.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
Applications for our PhD programme now open:
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Philipp Kanske @kanske.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
10 more days to apply 👇
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Nanthia Suthana @suthanalab.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
New tenure-track faculty position at Duke! The Neurobiology department is looking for a computational neuroscientist. Join a highly collaborative & interdisciplinary community. My time at Duke has been amazing so far & we would love the opportunity to collaborate with you! Applications due Dec 1.
academicjobsonline.org
Duke University, Neurobiology
Job #AJO32697, Tenure Track Assistant Professor - AI/ML Neurobiology, Neurobiology, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, US
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David Ho @davidho.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
I resigned from ExxonMobil today. I spent the last three years doing fossil fuel extraction research at both BP and ExxonMobil. Neither company is acting responsibly. They are racing to maximize extraction while the window to act closes, and gambling with our lives. More below.
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Simon Fisher @profsimonfisher.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
If you're having a stressful day, why not sit back, relax & immerse yourself in the reconstructed soundscape of a Jurassic forest. Based on ingenious analyses of the fossilized wings of extinct insects, from a paper in latest issue of @pnas.org. www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/... (Sound up, obviously.)🦗🔊🧪
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Gabriella Vigliocco @gabriellavigliocco.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
How does the architecture of a city shape the way we think, talk, and draw space?
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UCL Faculty of Brain Sciences @uclbrainscience.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
Nearly 1 million people in the UK are living with dementia. Researchers at @uclpsychiatry.bsky.social are exploring innovative ways to reduce risk, using personalised digital interventions to support healthier lifestyles and better brain health. #WorldAlzheimersMonth ➡️ www.ucl.ac.uk/brain-scienc...
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Prof Lisa Schipper 🌍🍉💪 @lisaschipper.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
I want to advertise our MSc in Geography of Environmental Risks and Human Security that we organise jointly with UNU-EHS. It is an amazing, international programme with fantastic participants. The application deadline is 31 October - have a look here. www.uni-bonn.de/en/studying/...
uni-bonn.de
Geography of Environmental Risks and Human Security
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Ian Kremer @wolverinebear.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
Inside the brain: Rethinking the mechanisms of Alzheimer’s disease theconversation.com/inside-the-b... #Alzheimers #dementia #science #neuroscience #NeuroSkyence
theconversation.com
Inside the brain: Rethinking the mechanisms of Alzheimer’s disease
Our understanding of the causes of Alzheimer’s disease is evolving. Recent discoveries have revealed the important role of the cerebral vascular system.
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Ben Hayden @benhayden.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
New paper from the Neurosurgery Research Team at BCM! “Neural geometry in the human hippocampus enables generalization across spatial position and gaze” led by @assiachericoni.bsky.social! 🧵 www.cell.com/neuron/abstr...
cell.com
Neural geometry in the human hippocampus enables generalization across spatial position and gaze
Chericoni et al. show that neurons in the human hippocampus track the positions of multiple agents in a simple pursuit-based video game. They identified place codes for each agent and for gaze. The co...
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Hugo Spiers @hugospiers.bsky.social · 06/09/2026
Our giant maze nearly set, next week the data collection begins!
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Hugo Spiers @hugospiers.bsky.social · 06/09/2026
Still places available to take part:
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Mariam Aly @mariamaly.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
How do we prevent memories from competing to guide attention? More distinct hippocampal representations for competing memories are linked to precise preparatory coding in visual cortex & more accurate eye movements to target locations. Thrilled to share this work by the incomparable Serra Favila!
nature.com
Hippocampal mechanisms underlying the resolution of competition in memory and perception - Nature Communications
Memory and perception both require selecting behaviorally relevant information. Here, the authors show that more distinct hippocampal memories are linked to precise anticipatory signals in visual cort...
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Enny van Beest @ennyvb.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
Textbook: tracking position during navigation is primarily the job of the hippocampus. Recent findings suggest a more complicated story. Recording >20k neurons brainwide, we indeed find spatial representations in every region! With @kenneth-harris.bsky.social and @carandinilab.net
Brainwide representations of a virtual corridor
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Dan Levenstein @dlevenstein.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
Really enjoyed this conversation with @braininspired.bsky.social!
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Hugo Spiers @hugospiers.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
Based on a range of evidence it seems likely (but insanely hard to prove) that over-reliance on GPS is going to lower your hippocampal functional capacity and have for some increase risk of Alzheimer's disease so below is a good plan, but even better if its with a road atlas
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Russ Poldrack @russpoldrack.org · 03/09/2026
We are searching for a tenure-track Assistant Professor position, with a research focus on developmental and/or social psychology. Please apply or forward to anyone who might be interested! facultypositions.stanford.edu/jobs/assista...
facultypositions.stanford.edu
Assistant Professor, Psychology - Stanford University, California, United States
The Department of Psychology at Stanford University is seeking applicants for a tenure-track Assistant Professor position, with a research focus on developmental and/or social psychology. In addition ...
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Mara Mather @maramather.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
My first official day at my new job!
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ebbsociety.bsky.social @ebbsociety.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
📢 Symposia submissions for the EBBS 2027 Meeting are now open! Thinking of organizing a symposium? You can now submit your proposal! 📅 Submission deadline: 16 Nov. 2026 📍 Dublin, Ireland | 29 Jun–2 Jul. 2027 👉 Find all the information here: ebbs2027.azuleon.org/welcome
ebbs2027.azuleon.org
EBBS 2027 :: Welcome
The website of the 52nd EBBS Meeting :: EBBS 2027
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