Reposted by Mark H JohnsonNick Holmes @thehandlab.bsky.social · 03/10/2026Neuroscience & mental health: 4.4% success rate for #MRC #UKRI grants assessed in Spring 2026 Years & years & years of wasted effort 👇 0119
Reposted by Mark H Johnsoningmarvisser.bsky.social @ingmarvisser.bsky.social · 28/09/2026This was a fantastic team effort across 30+ labs 🌍 Paper (open access), data & code all public. > 📄 doi.org/10.1111/desc... > 💻 github.com/manybabies/m... > #ManyBabies #InfantCognition #OpenScience #DevSci, lead team: Andreea Geambaşu, Melanie Soderstrom, and Claartje Leveltdoi.orgManyBabies 3: A Multi‐Lab Study of Infant Algebraic Rule LearningThe ability to learn and apply rules lies at the heart of cognition. In a seminal study, Marcus et al. (1999) reported that 7-month-old infants learned abstract rules over syllable sequences and were... 34022
Reposted by Mark H JohnsonPLOS Biology @plosbiology.org · 21/09/2026How do the brain's anatomical architecture & functional activity patterns become established during early life? This study of developmental changes in the #brain from perinatal to toddlerhood reveals the organization of networks & #cognitive development @plosbiology.org 🧪 buff.ly/UESbFve 01711
Reposted by Mark H JohnsonProf Anthony Isles @profantisles.bsky.social · 10/08/2026🧠🧬 doi.org/10.1038/s415...nature.comThe need to consider complexity in the future of behavioral genetics - Nature GeneticsHuman behavior is often framed around the ‘nature versus nurture’ debate, but a ‘this or that’ dichotomy does not reflect the current research in genetics and hinders meaningful dialogue. We describe ... 153
Reposted by Mark H JohnsonFreddy Kamps @fkamps.bsky.social · 29/07/2026New paper! We found basic scene selectivity arises across the scene network early in infancy (i.e., by ~3.5 months old), prior to independent navigation experience www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...pnas.orgThe cortical scene processing network emerges in infancy, prior to independent navigation experience | PNASSighted people rely on vision to recognize and navigate the local environment. By adulthood, human cortex contains at least three regions that resp... 27333
Reposted by Mark H JohnsonRicard Solé @ricardsole.bsky.social · 18/07/2026Is the human brain really an optimal template for AI? Probably not. The connectome is a compromise among competing objectives, shaped by evolution, development, and biological constraints. Check this @cp-trendscognsci.bsky.social paper www.cell.com/trends/cogni... @brigan.bsky.social 13713
Mark H Johnson @markhjoh.bsky.social · 07/07/2026Further evidence for chronogeneity just out: heterogeneity in autism may be partly explained by distinct developmental trajectories with early or later onset. And intriguingly this associates with stages of brain processing. onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...onlinelibrary.wiley.comDistinct Temporal Stages of Infant Brain Processing Associate With Early Versus Later Autism DiagnosisThe expression of autism traits sufficient to meet criteria for a diagnosis can occur early (by 3 years) or later (from mid-childhood onwards). It remains unknown whether variation in age of onset i... 010
Reposted by Mark H JohnsonEv Fedorenko @evfedorenko.bsky.social · 30/06/2026I am so excited about this finding from @pengrui-han.bsky.social and @andreadevarda.bsky.social, also with Jacob Andreas! Perhaps modularity is inevitable in intelligent systems, biological or in silico. :) 0336
Reposted by Mark H JohnsonProfessor John R. Hutchinson @johnrhutchinson.bsky.social · 23/06/2026Review of CH Waddington's influence on developmental biology and evo-devo: journals.biologists.com/dev/article/... includes supp info with his 50th birthday songs!journals.biologists.comC.H. Waddington's lasting achievements in development and evolutionABSTRACT. C.H. Waddington (1905-1975) was a British biologist and perhaps the major figure in developmental biology between the 1940s and 1960s. He is one of the few pre-molecular-age developmental bi... 23425
Reposted by Mark H JohnsonCambridge Psychology Department @campsydept.bsky.social · 08/06/2026New podcast alert 🎧👶 The Baby Fact Check sees science communicator Greg Foot (BBC's Sliced Bread) investigate popular claims about babies and parenting, separating evidence from myth in an accessible and engaging way. #BabyFactCheck #Parenting #ChildDevelopment #Psychologyyoutube.comWelcome to The Baby Fact Check with Greg Foot - TrailerYouTube video by The Baby Fact Check 151
Reposted by Mark H JohnsonUta Frith @utafrith.bsky.social · 08/05/2026Is this a model of how the brain works? 1175
Reposted by Mark H JohnsonMRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge @mrccbu.bsky.social · 01/05/2026The University approves plans for the Cambridge Mind and Brain Institute (CMBi). An evolution of the renowned CBU, bridging across Schools and Departments, the new Institute will integrate discovery science with clinical innovation to transform brain health. #Neuroscience #MentalHealth 0204
Mark H Johnson @markhjoh.bsky.social · 24/04/2026Our review of 103 studies of the neonatal brain at rest shows group-level developmental changes in functional connectivity, but also evidence for significant inter-individual variability. www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...sciencedirect.comThe neonatal brain at rest: A systematic review of task-free functional connectivity in the first 100 daysOver the first 100 days post-partum human brain functions may undergo rapid changes, with plasticity peaking. Studies of task-free functional connecti… 052
Reposted by Mark H JohnsonPLOS Biology @plosbiology.org · 30/03/2026How do #prenatal & #postnatal periods shape the developing human #cortex? This study uses #neonatal MRI to show that time in the womb drives widespread, uniform maturation, whereas time after birth produces more region- & depth-specific changes across the cortex @plosbiology.org 🧪 plos.io/47o6rpk 178
Reposted by Mark H JohnsonUniversity of Cambridge @cam.ac.uk · 24/02/2026How does the brain adapt when a child is born with an upper limb difference? Research from @mrccbu.bsky.social @durham.ac.uk reveals widespread changes across the brain, highlighting its remarkable ability to reorganise and support adaptation to the world around them. Find out more: bit.ly/3Ov88dTbit.lyChildren born with upper limb difference show the incredible adaptability of the young brainChildren born with upper limb difference show the incredible adaptability of the young brain 042
Reposted by Mark H JohnsonTCD School of Psychology @tcdpsychology.bsky.social · 09/02/2026"Babies can categorise objects better at two months than previously known." - Professor Rhodri Cusack from Trinity College Institute of Neuroscience and co-author of the research speaks to NewsTalk. Listen to the interview: ow.ly/MqA650Y8ZbB @rhodricusack.bsky.social @trinityneuro.bsky.socialow.lyBabies can categorise objects better at two months than previously known | NewstalkBabies as young as two-months-old can categorise objects in their brains, which is far younger th... 0229
Mark H Johnson @markhjoh.bsky.social · 06/02/2026Results almost exactly as predicted by the two-process theory: pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25454353/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.govThe two-process theory of face processing: modifications based on two decades of data from infants and adults - PubMedJohnson and Morton (1991. Biology and Cognitive Development: The Case of Face Recognition. Blackwell, Oxford) used Gabriel Horn's work on the filial imprinting model to inspire a two-process theory of the development of face processing in humans. In this paper we review evidence accrued over the pas … 121
Mark H Johnson @markhjoh.bsky.social · 30/01/2026I'm very fortunate to have been continuously funded by the MRC for most of my career despite some funding squeezes. However, things now look dire; first cutting all proper unit funding, then scrapping programme grants, and now circa 2% funding rate: www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-r...researchprofessionalnews.comMRC instructs grant review boards to slash funding rates - Research Professional NewsBoards asked to recommend just three applications for funding, as BBSRC also suspends calls 052
Reposted by Mark H JohnsonStephan Krohn @skrohn.bsky.social · 08/01/2026Thrilled to share our paper on the formation of brain shape in human newborns, just out @natneuro.nature.com: tinyurl.com/2ty4ef43 Using #fractal analysis of #MRI data from the developing Human Connectome Project (lnkd.in/dxeHbJX6), we show that brain shape closely captures infant age and genetics ⬇️ 1208
Mark H Johnson @markhjoh.bsky.social · 13/01/2026After her death I imagined what her last lecture would have been like: www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...sciencedirect.comAnnette’s last lecture: A work of informed imagination 000
Reposted by Mark H JohnsonInstitute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience @kingsioppn.bsky.social · 12/01/2026Subtle changes in the body may reveal how the #brain develops before behaviours emerge. In their new blog, Drs Chloe Wong & Laurel Fish explore how #DNA methylation is linked to the pupillary light reflex, offering insight into #autism development. 🔗 www.kcl.ac.uk/what-the-eye...kcl.ac.ukWhat the eyes may reveal about the epigenetics of early autism…Subtle changes in the body can reveal a great deal about early brain development. One such change is the pupillary light reflex (PLR): the automatic constriction of the pupil in response to… 034
Reposted by Mark H JohnsonKevin Mitchell @wiringthebrain.bsky.social · 10/12/2025Direct Fit to Nature: An Evolutionary Perspective on Biological and Artificial Neural Networks www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti... - thought-provoking (2019) paper from @urihasson.bsky.social and colleaguessciencedirect.comDirect Fit to Nature: An Evolutionary Perspective on Biological and Artificial Neural NetworksEvolution is a blind fitting process by which organisms become adapted to their environment. Does the brain use similar brute-force fitting processes … 3155
Reposted by Mark H JohnsonMarc L Seal @parkvillegeek.bsky.social · 27/11/2025Mapping the Developmental Trajectory of Functional Brain Networks in Early Infancy: Insights into Typical Maturation | bioRxiv www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1... 042
Reposted by Mark H JohnsonValerie Jill Sydnor @valeriejsydnor.bsky.social · 11/11/2025Happy to share our review "Investigating hierarchical critical periods in human neurodevelopment” in @npp-journal.bsky.social! We examine neurobiological, environmental & behavioral evidence for human critical periods in sensory and association cortex +discuss new research directions rdcu.be/eMkVU 🧵 49344
Reposted by Mark H JohnsonLynda Boothroyd @drboothroyd.bsky.social · 09/11/2025Annette Karmiloff-Smith. She ended every seminar/keynote I ever saw with a picture of her kids and grandkids as a note on what's important and that succesful women in academia can have a family too. I told her the second time how inspirational I'd found that and she was absolutely lovely. 3216
Mark H Johnson @markhjoh.bsky.social · 03/11/2025Sound advice, but perhaps our objective should be to eliminate the dreaded word completely and replace it with new scientific terminology. In this respect, I disagreed with my co-authors of "Rethinking Innateness" - as noted in the Preface. 111
Reposted by Mark H JohnsonLiz Simpson @simpson.bsky.social · 31/10/2025First human newborn paper from my NSF CAREER Award! Automated detection of mouth opening in newborn infants - with our amazing @umiamipsych.bsky.social team: Guangyu Zung, Yeojin Amy Ahn, @tiffany6390.bsky.social, @semaylott.bsky.social, Arushi Malik, @dmessinger.bsky.social doi.org/10.3758/s134...doi.orgAutomated detection of mouth opening in newborn infants - Behavior Research MethodsAutomated behavioral measurement using machine learning is gaining ground in psychological research. Automated approaches have the potential to reduce the labor and time associated with manual behavio... 2179
Reposted by Mark H JohnsonElisabetta Versace @elisabettaversace.bsky.social · 12/10/2025The world through infant eyes: Evidence for the early emergence of the cardinal orientation bias www.pnas.org/doi/full/10....pnas.orgThe world through infant eyes: Evidence for the early emergence of the cardinal orientation bias | PNASThe structure of the environment includes more horizontal and vertical (i.e. cardinal) orientations than oblique orientations, meaning that edges t... 073
Reposted by Mark H JohnsonVarun Warrier @vw1234.bsky.social · 01/10/2025And a very helpful and informative commentary on the paper by @tuckerdrob.bsky.social www.nature.com/articles/d41...nature.comEarly- and late-diagnosed autism are genetically distinctAnalyses of symptoms and genomic data indicate that autism that manifests in early childhood is distinct from autism that is diagnosed later in development. 1124
Mark H Johnson @markhjoh.bsky.social · 20/09/2025I was one of those academics who benefited from an H1B visa, and I like to think the US benefited from this also. I can't imagine many US universities can afford to cough up 100k extra for recruitment, so sad to see this.... 030
Reposted by Mark H JohnsonThe Transmitter @thetransmitter.bsky.social · 19/08/2025𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐰𝐞 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 “Steven Rose obituary: Vituperative neuroscientist,” in 𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝑇𝑖𝑚𝑒𝑠 www.thetimes.com/uk/obituarie...thetimes.comSteven Rose obituary: Vituperative neuroscientistAcademic who showed little tolerance for IQ testing, but made steps towards a treatment for Alzheimer’s, dies aged 87 084
Reposted by Mark H JohnsonCambridge Psychology Department @campsydept.bsky.social · 12/08/2025Join our #NewBONDS study at #Cambridge #Babylab ✨ Expectant and young parents are invited take part investigating what effect early interactions have on developing brain🔎🧠🐣 📨Get in touch to learn more! #developmental #psychology #neuroscience #research #family #interaction 012
Reposted by Mark H JohnsonCambridge Neuroscience @camneuro.bsky.social · 07/08/2025Join us for a 2-day international conference "Interventions & Recovery"🧠 bit.ly/46QQ1WG We'll cover cell & gene therapies, pharmaceutical innovations, and cutting-edge neurotechnology Check out our Programme!👇https://neuroscience.cam.ac.uk/camneuro-events/8th-cambridge-neuroscience-symposium/?tab=2 023
Mark H Johnson @markhjoh.bsky.social · 01/08/2025Finally got around to this interesting exchange. Much to like! However, in my view neonate cortex is building a foundation model while sub-cortical sensorimotor routes support newborn behaviours and, importantly, bias the inputs to the foundation model (e.g. orienting toward faces). 011
Reposted by Mark H JohnsonLaurel Joy Gabard-Durnam @laurelgd.bsky.social · 29/07/2025thrilled to share this project over a decade in the making out now in @pnas.org! We show that precocious GABA boosting in neonates by early sevoflurane/propofol anesthetic exposure accelerates visual cortical maturation in human infants www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...pnas.orgPNASProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), a peer reviewed journal of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) - an authoritative source of high-impact, original research that broadly spans... 23815
Mark H Johnson @markhjoh.bsky.social · 13/07/2025Excellent work from my colleague Daniel Wechsler showing that "Mother–child autism trait similarity positively predicted both social functioning and psychological well-being in children..". Trait similarity may act as a protective or promotive factor. acamh.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...acamh.onlinelibrary.wiley.com<em>Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry</em> | ACAMH Pediatric Journal | Wiley Online LibraryBackground There is a pressing need for research on neurodevelopmental conditions to focus on predictors of resilient or positive outcomes, rather than core symptoms and impairment. One promising av..... 020
Reposted by Mark H JohnsonLukas Vogelsang @lukasvogelsang.bsky.social · 10/07/20251/ New paper out in @commsbio.nature.com, led by @marinv.bsky.social: doi.org/10.1038/s420...! Across several past studies, we showed how newborns' degraded vision may benefit human development and inspire more robust deep networks. We have referred to this as Adaptive Initial Degradations (AID).doi.orgPotential role of developmental experience in the emergence of the parvo-magno distinction - Communications BiologyDevelopmentally-driven computational modeling study suggests that early sensory experience shapes distinct neuronal response properties in the visual system, providing a potential account of the emerg... 13113
Reposted by Mark H JohnsonSimon Fisher @profsimonfisher.bsky.social · 14/06/2025DNA is often called a “blueprint for life”. In common parlance a blueprint refers to (e.g.) an architect plan, technical drawing or engineering design. DNA does indeed contain information to guide construction, in this case of a living organism. But beyond that, similarities rapidly break down. 2/n 1223
Reposted by Mark H JohnsonEmily Singer @emilysingerneuro.bsky.social · 19/05/2025The latest essay in our #NeuroAI series explores how inspiration from how babies learn language might improve language models. 052
Mark H Johnson @markhjoh.bsky.social · 07/05/2025Delighted to be part of the team on this breakthrough infant behaviour genetics study led by @angelicaronald.bsky.social and Anna Gui: www.nature.com/articles/s41...nature.comGenome-wide association meta-analysis of age at onset of walking in over 70,000 infants of European ancestry - Nature Human BehaviourA genome-wide association study of age at onset of walking in over 70,000 infants found 11 significant loci. Age at onset of walking showed SNP heritability of 24%, a reliable polygenic score and gene... 271
Mark H Johnson @markhjoh.bsky.social · 25/04/2025From our 'infant sibs' cohorts we are finding increasing evidence for Chronogeneity as a way to view heterogeneity in autism. In other words, different ages of onset may reflect different types of neurodiversity. www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1...medrxiv.org 182
Mark H Johnson @markhjoh.bsky.social · 11/04/2025Congratulations Karla! Great to see how much your research has grown from those PhD days...😀 120
Mark H Johnson @markhjoh.bsky.social · 10/04/2025Along with the new statue, proud that my College (Kings) has now acquired some of Turing's notebooks (thanks to a generous donation). Kings was also an early career haven for David Marr and Geoff Hinton, so there must be something in the water? www.kings.cam.ac.uk/news/2025/al...kings.cam.ac.ukAlan Turing's 'Delilah' papers saved for the nationFollowing his ground-breaking work on the Enigma machines at Bletchley Park, in 1943 Turing (KC 1931) turned to building a portable voice encoder for short-distance transmission to be used in military... 000
Reposted by Mark H JohnsonGregory Kohn @kohngregory.bsky.social · 08/04/2025The media circus on the slightly modified wolf mixed with the nonsensical hype of de-extinction only highlights the need to greatly shift how we talk about genes and genetic "information" in popular discourse. Oyama's groundbreaking book and Lewontin's prescient forward should be a starting point. 03814
Mark H Johnson @markhjoh.bsky.social · 31/03/2025Great paper adding to the recent evidence for pulvinar as an organiser of human cortical development, and potentially "training" cortical specialisation. www.cell.com/current-biol...cell.comAn intrinsic hierarchical, retinotopic organization of visual pulvinar connectivity in the human neonateDespite the immaturity of the visual cortex, infants exhibit remarkable perceptual abilities. The pulvinar is hypothesized to support perceptual abilities in infancy and even scaffold the initial deve... 010
Mark H Johnson @markhjoh.bsky.social · 13/03/2025Shocked at the cuts to University staff and research funding across UK, Netherlands and, of course, the situation in US. I'm old enough to remember the massive cuts to science in the early Thatcher years, but at least we young scientists could join the 'brain drain' to the US at the time. 021
Mark H Johnson @markhjoh.bsky.social · 09/03/2025But what is the solution? We certainly don't want to increase further the admin load on academics. A proportion of this is driven by new government and funder requirements. Some also responds to perceived threat of legal action. And some is self-generated as you say. 200
Mark H Johnson @markhjoh.bsky.social · 09/03/2025I agree with sentiments of the editorial, but also agree that there are some amazing and very hard working people in these roles. The question is what is driving this ever increasing administrative loads and how to curtail it. 120
Mark H Johnson @markhjoh.bsky.social · 24/02/2025There is still a week left to apply! www.jobs.cam.ac.uk/job/49974/jobs.cam.ac.ukThe Dawson Professorship of Young People's Mental Health - Job Opportunities - University of CambridgeThe Dawson Professorship of Young People's Mental Health in the Department of Psychology at the University of Cambridge. 010