iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Ignacio Saez, PhD @ignaciosaezphd.bsky.social · 06/10/2026

Check out this issue for my review on the emerging field of cognitive brain-computer interfaces www.cell.com/trends/cogni...

030

Ignacio Saez, PhD @ignaciosaezphd.bsky.social · 06/10/2026

I'm thrilled to see my concept on the cover of @cp-trendscognsci.bsky.social this month! It was a fun challenge to illustrate the overlapping brain networks underlying cognition and highlight the complexity that future cBCIs must navigate to restore mental function in real time 🧠

2236

Ignacio Saez, PhD @ignaciosaezphd.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

Thanks to @nicolecrust.bsky.social for visiting Sinai and giving such an incredible talk! Appreciate you highlighting all the great work going on across our teams here 🙌

041

Ignacio Saez, PhD @ignaciosaezphd.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

How does a signal that guides our choices shape what we remember? See our recent preprint for an examination of the relationship between reward learning and memory directly in the human brain. Congrats to first author, @qasimetal.bsky.social!

0123

Ignacio Saez, PhD @ignaciosaezphd.bsky.social · 04/09/2026

📣 We're hiring! The Saez Lab at Mount Sinai is seeking a postdoctoral researcher with experience in intracranial recordings, electrophysiology, BCIs, mood disorders, and/or computational modeling, to explore the neural basis of human cognition. 🗓️ Apply by September 30, 2026. Please share widely!

02223

Reposted by Ignacio Saez, PhD

The Friedman Brain Institute @sinaibrain.bsky.social · 21/08/2026

DEADLINE | SEPTEMBER 1st! Senior #Postdocs in all fields of #Neuroscience are encouraged to apply for this INCREDIBLE OPPORTUNITY to present your research at #MSNseminars, visit @mountsinainyc.bsky.social & meet w faculty/trainees! APPLY NOW 👉 docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F... or use QR code on flyer!

023

Ignacio Saez, PhD @ignaciosaezphd.bsky.social · 18/08/2026

Congrats to Saez Lab grad student @emanuelmcoleman.bsky.social for presenting our work at the #GRC-FrontalCortex & GRS! By examining intracranial recordings in the hippocampus & amygdala across longitudinal timescales, Manny is exploring electrophysiological markers of fluctuations in wellbeing 🧠

021

Ignacio Saez, PhD @ignaciosaezphd.bsky.social · 05/08/2026

Attending #CCN2026 in NYC? Be sure to visit Gelana Tostaeva's poster on Thursday! Gelana will be presenting our recent work exploring how the human hippocampus can track locations in abstract social space 🧠 Read her full abstract here: 2026.ccneuro.org/poster/?id=y...

032

Reposted by Ignacio Saez, PhD

The Transmitter @thetransmitter.bsky.social · 23/07/2026

Beyond their ability to restore function, brain-computer interfaces provide a window into the neural signals that underlie decision-making, speech and other cognitive processes. #neuroskyence By @claudia-lopez.bsky.social, @rebeccasky.bsky.social www.thetransmitter.org/brain-comput...

0182

Ignacio Saez, PhD @ignaciosaezphd.bsky.social · 23/07/2026

Future BCIs could provide treatment for widespread disorders like depression, anxiety, PTSD, and OCD. Thanks to @neurosciencenews.bsky.social for covering the key takeaways and open questions from my recent review on the emerging field of cognitive BCIs. neurosciencenews.com/bci-depressi...

neurosciencenews.com

How Closed-Loop BCIs Will Treat Depression, Anxiety, and PTSD - Neuroscience News

A new study outlines closed-loop cognitive BCIs for depression, PTSD, and OCD.

052

Ignacio Saez, PhD @ignaciosaezphd.bsky.social · 22/07/2026

Thanks, @nicolecrust.bsky.social! I’d love to hear your thoughts on the potential role of cBCIs in the future of precision medicine.

010

Ignacio Saez, PhD @ignaciosaezphd.bsky.social · 21/07/2026

What’s holding us back from developing a clinical BCI for mental health? My new review in @cp-trendscognsci.bsky.social outlines a roadmap to overcome the unique hurdles facing cognitive BCIs by integrating & expanding on existing neurotech methods. Read here: authors.elsevier.com/a/1nSLK4sIRv...

22311

Ignacio Saez, PhD @ignaciosaezphd.bsky.social · 20/07/2026

Thanks to @thetransmitter.bsky.social, @claudia-lopez.bsky.social, and @rebeccasky.bsky.social for their collaboration, and Edward Chang and @evfedorenko.bsky.social for their insights. Finally, thank you to the patient volunteers who make this research possible, and my amazing team, featured here!

141

Ignacio Saez, PhD @ignaciosaezphd.bsky.social · 20/07/2026

Where does cognition end & communication begin? 🧠 By mapping multi-region brain activity, we can see the complex circuitry behind speech and the thoughts that precede it. The next milestone? BCIs that restore cognition itself. Full video here: www.thetransmitter.org/brain-comput...

193

Ignacio Saez, PhD @ignaciosaezphd.bsky.social · 15/07/2026

Thanks to @bipolardiscoveries.org for supporting our work on the circuit-level basis of bipolar disorder! By uniting neurosurgery, neuroscience, and psychiatry, our unique multidisciplinary team is unlocking vital new insights into how the human brain works. More to come soon!

032

Ignacio Saez, PhD @ignaciosaezphd.bsky.social · 10/07/2026

Thoughtful insights from Michael Mager of @precisionneuro.bsky.social on what finally made commercial neural interfaces viable, and the potential future impact of BCIs on mental health. Read the interview at Rebellion Research: www.rebellionresearch.com/precision-ne...

rebellionresearch.com

Precision Neuroscience Co-Founder & CEO Michael Mager Sits Down With Rebellion Research

031

Ignacio Saez, PhD @ignaciosaezphd.bsky.social · 09/06/2026

I commend mental health advocate Amanda Geisinger for sharing her personal experience with treatment-resistant depression and deep brain stimulation. Patients like Amanda are pioneers in neuropsychiatry, paving the way for new therapeutic avenues.

010

Ignacio Saez, PhD @ignaciosaezphd.bsky.social · 09/06/2026

Our understanding of depression is incomplete, leaving millions without effective treatment. I joined @hmarusak.bsky.social on her BrainSTEM podcast to discuss how my lab maps the mechanisms underlying the disease to develop better therapies. Listen here ⬇️ open.spotify.com/episode/2nX3...

1123

Ignacio Saez, PhD @ignaciosaezphd.bsky.social · 01/06/2026

Congratulations to lead author @christinamaher.bsky.social, @qasimetal.bsky.social, @angelaradulescu.bsky.social, and all co-authors. Many thanks to the patients who volunteered to take part in this work 🙏 14/14

010

Ignacio Saez, PhD @ignaciosaezphd.bsky.social · 01/06/2026

🔑 This work provides a mechanistic framework for how the brain solves the “curse of dimensionality” during learning by dynamically coordinating attention and valuation systems. 13/

120

Ignacio Saez, PhD @ignaciosaezphd.bsky.social · 01/06/2026

Together, these findings suggest that: • Selective attention shapes local prefrontal value representations • Oscillatory synchronization coordinates interactions between regions • These mechanisms support compressed state representations during learning 12/

120

Ignacio Saez, PhD @ignaciosaezphd.bsky.social · 01/06/2026

Finally, single neurons in the OFC encoded both: 💰 expected value 🎯 the task-relevant feature dimension Importantly, the directionality of single-unit value coding mirrored the population-level HFA signals, linking local activity to neural computations across scales. 11/

110

Ignacio Saez, PhD @ignaciosaezphd.bsky.social · 01/06/2026

Local LPFC value encoding was linked to broad circuit dynamics. LPFC high-frequency activity (HFA) value signals predicted theta-band LPFC-OFC coordination, which was modulated by attention. Thus, attention-dependent local computations are coordinated across prefrontal circuits. 10/

120

Ignacio Saez, PhD @ignaciosaezphd.bsky.social · 01/06/2026

At the circuit level, theta-band LPFC ↔️ OFC coordination also depended on attentional strategy. In high-attention subjects: ➡️ value-related LPFC-OFC coordination emerged before choice In low-attention subjects: ⬅️ value-related LPFC-OFC coordination emerged after choice 9/

110

Ignacio Saez, PhD @ignaciosaezphd.bsky.social · 01/06/2026

OFC value signals were transient and centered around decisions. LPFC value signals were sustained across the decision epoch and strongly modulated by attentional strategy. Stronger selective attention was linked to earlier and stronger LPFC expected-value representations. 8/

120

Ignacio Saez, PhD @ignaciosaezphd.bsky.social · 01/06/2026

Both the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) and lateral prefrontal cortex (LPFC) encoded the expected value in: ⚡ high-frequency activity (60–200 Hz) 🌊 theta-band activity (3–8 Hz) But the temporal dynamics and attentional dependence of these signals differed across regions. 7/

110

Ignacio Saez, PhD @ignaciosaezphd.bsky.social · 01/06/2026

Participants with stronger selective attention to the relevant dimension (i.e., a more compressed task state) performed better and responded faster. Using this data, our behavioral models provided insight into how attentional strategy shapes neural computations. 6/

110

Ignacio Saez, PhD @ignaciosaezphd.bsky.social · 01/06/2026

Participants performed a reinforcement learning(RL) task in which stimuli varied across multiple feature dimensions. They were instructed which feature dimension was relevant, but still had to learn which feature predicted reward through trial and error. 5/

110

Ignacio Saez, PhD @ignaciosaezphd.bsky.social · 01/06/2026

To test this, we studied behaving humans undergoing intracranial monitoring, combining: 📈 Computational cognitive modeling ⚡ Local field potential (LFP) recordings in OFC and LPFC 🎯 Single-unit recordings 4/

110

Ignacio Saez, PhD @ignaciosaezphd.bsky.social · 01/06/2026

We hypothesized that this process emerges through interactions between multiple brain regions: • Lateral prefrontal cortex (LPFC) → selective attention • Orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) → value representation 3/

110

Ignacio Saez, PhD @ignaciosaezphd.bsky.social · 01/06/2026

Unlike many learning problems used in traditional research, real-world problems are high-dimensional. To learn efficiently in these complex scenarios, the brain needs to compress the environment into what is task-relevant, focusing on what matters and ignoring what doesn’t. 2/

static.klipy.com

Graphic Traffic

ALT: Graphic Traffic

110

Ignacio Saez, PhD @ignaciosaezphd.bsky.social · 01/06/2026

How does your brain filter out the noise and focus enough to learn efficiently? In our newest preprint, we use intracranial recordings + computational modeling to explore how selective attention shapes learning and state representations in the human brain 🧠 www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6... 1/🧵

bioRxiv preprint titled 'Coordinated human prefrontal dynamics sustain task-state representations during learning'

24115

Reposted by Ignacio Saez, PhD

Protocol Labs @protocollabs.bsky.social · 12/05/2026

“What the technology allows us to do… is to decouple the invasiveness of the surgery from the total amount of information that you can exchange with the brain.” Full conversation with Ben Rapoport of @precisionneuro.bsky.social on the Juan Benet Podcast >>> bit.ly/49puuoC

031

Ignacio Saez, PhD @ignaciosaezphd.bsky.social · 22/05/2026

So happy to see @christinamaher.bsky.social recognized by the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai with the Award for Outstanding Research in Neuroscience AND the Hausfeld Award honoring an exceptional PhD student! 🎉 Read more about Christina’s journey & all the 2026 awardees: icahnhonors.com

033

Reposted by Ignacio Saez, PhD

Neuroscience and Beyond @neuroandbeyond.bsky.social · 07/05/2026

How do scientists measure memory? Unlike mood, memory has objective “ground truth” - you either saw it before or you didn’t. Nicole Rust explains why that makes memory easier to study across species. linktr.ee/neuroscience... #Memory #Neuroscience

061

Ignacio Saez, PhD @ignaciosaezphd.bsky.social · 15/05/2026

Thanks to @xiaosigu.bsky.social, @angelaradulescu.bsky.social, and Helen Mayberg for being fantastic co-mentors and collaborators on this journey!

010

Ignacio Saez, PhD @ignaciosaezphd.bsky.social · 15/05/2026

Congratulations to the Icahn Mount Sinai Class of 2026! 🎓🥳 A special shout-out to Drs. Qi Xiu Fu and Christina Maher on their hooding. Watching Qi Xiu and Christina grow into exceptional researchers and mentors has been a joy.

131

Ignacio Saez, PhD @ignaciosaezphd.bsky.social · 04/05/2026

Our findings indicate that DA neurons explicitly encode reward expectations in humans, revealing a new neurobiological dimension of reward learning in the dopaminergic system. Read more: www.cell.com/iscience/ful...

000

Ignacio Saez, PhD @ignaciosaezphd.bsky.social · 04/05/2026

In addition to this neural expectation effect, we observed a behavioral consequence of rewards: participants responded faster following rewarded trials - suggesting an invigorating effect of rewards (and potentially DA signaling).

110

Ignacio Saez, PhD @ignaciosaezphd.bsky.social · 04/05/2026

This adds a new dimension to the known role of DA neurons in encoding post-outcome information (e.g., reward prediction errors) and shows that expectations are also reflected in SN neuron firing in humans.

100

Ignacio Saez, PhD @ignaciosaezphd.bsky.social · 04/05/2026

We found that reward outcomes had a lasting effect on putative DA neuron spiking. Computational modeling showed that prior trial outcomes influence subsequent choices. Even more interestingly, DA neuron activity reflected this through increased spiking following rewarded trials.

100

Ignacio Saez, PhD @ignaciosaezphd.bsky.social · 04/05/2026

We examined the firing of individual neurons while patients played a reward-learning task (choosing between two slot machines 🎰), and examined the influence of reward expectations on single-neuron activity.

100

Ignacio Saez, PhD @ignaciosaezphd.bsky.social · 04/05/2026

We leveraged surgical interventions in Parkinson’s Disease patients to record neuron spiking in the Substantia Nigra (SN) - a key source of dopaminergic projections.

100

Ignacio Saez, PhD @ignaciosaezphd.bsky.social · 04/05/2026

Excited to share new work now published in @cp-iscience.bsky.social Using single-neuron recordings in humans, we show that dopamine neurons encode reward expectations derived from past experience––giving us a new look into how reward learning unfolds in the human brain 🧵👇

1135

Ignacio Saez, PhD @ignaciosaezphd.bsky.social · 28/04/2026

Excited to be attending #SOBP2026 with my incredible team of trainees. Join us on the poster floor to learn about our current projects!

Details of Saez lab posters at the SOBP 2026 Annual Meeting.
Wednesday: Maren Cukor - Characterizing Aperiodic Components and Beta Oscillations in the Basal Ganglia (E-Poster V9)
Thursday: Henry Asher - Decreased Frontal Theta Coherence as a Depression Marker in Patients With Comorbid Epilepsy (Poster T141)
Friday: Dr Qi XIu Fu - Dopamine and Serotonin Transients Predict Depressive Symptom Relief Following DBS of Human Subcallosal Cingulate Cortex (Poster F121)
Saturday: Emanuel Coleman - Chronic Intracranial Recordings Reveal Frequency-Specific Correlates of Quality of Life in Epilepsy (Poster S153)

082

Reposted by Ignacio Saez, PhD

juanbenet @juanbenet.bsky.social · 08/04/2026

Excited to launch a new podcast on the future of neurotech, computing, intelligence, and more. First guest: @maxhodak.bsky.social founder & CEO of @science.xyz building PRIMA, a retinal prosthetic restoring meaningful vision for patients with AMD. www.youtube.com/watch?v=24CM...

youtube.com

Max Hodak — Restoring Sight, Growing Neurons on Silicon, and Expanding Human Intelligence

YouTube video by Juan Benet Podcast

1166

Ignacio Saez, PhD @ignaciosaezphd.bsky.social · 07/04/2026

We are bridging the gap between real-time brain function and the molecular mechanisms that drive it. Molecular insights into neurotransmission offer a major step toward precision treatments for psychiatric and neurological conditions. www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Header image for Molecular Psychiatry article: A transcriptional program associated with neurotransmission in the living human brain

032

Ignacio Saez, PhD @ignaciosaezphd.bsky.social · 02/04/2026

Thanks to @onemindorg.bsky.social for consistently championing the importance of community. Whether in the lab or through the arts, the power of connection is vital to transforming mental health care.

045

Ignacio Saez, PhD @ignaciosaezphd.bsky.social · 24/03/2026

Grateful for the opportunity to start two new collaborations through the #FBIScholars awards. These projects use a cross-species approach to explore mechanisms underlying human brain states and cognition. Thank you to the Nash and Friedman families for empowering boundary pushing neuroscience! 🧠✨

042

Ignacio Saez, PhD @ignaciosaezphd.bsky.social · 16/03/2026

Massive congratulations to Dr. @christinamaher.bsky.social on a brilliant defense! 👏 Christina is a force of nature, and her work is incredibly exciting. It’s been a true joy to co-mentor her alongside @angelaradulescu.bsky.social. Stay tuned for Christina’s papers dropping soon! 🎓🚀

1166