iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Reposted by Melissa R. Warden, Ph.D.

Neuroskeptic @neuroskeptic.bsky.social · 12/08/2026

Why Neuroscientists Should Take Transformers Seriously neuroskepticbsky.substack.com/p/why-neuros... My first proper post in 5 years! Perhaps it will turn out that there is nothing in the brain that resembles a transformer, but we should have a close look.

neuroskepticbsky.substack.com

Why Neuroscientists Should Take Transformers Seriously

What if transformers are disguised models of brain function?

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Reposted by Melissa R. Warden, Ph.D.

Dr. Becca @docbecca.bsky.social · 06/08/2026

Please share--the Shansky lab is currently recruiting at all levels to work on an NIH-funded project investigating sex differences in the neural circuits that drive defensive behaviors. The official job ad isn't yet up, but interested folks can contact me as instructed here www.shanskylab.com/join

shanskylab.com

Join — Shansky Lab

The lab at our end-of-semester field day

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Reposted by Melissa R. Warden, Ph.D.

Jeremiah Cohen @jeremiahycohen.bsky.social · 18/06/2026

Excited to move to the Department of Neuroscience at the University of Minnesota in the fall. We will continue our work on neuromodulators and behavior. Positions available in the lab. Please get in touch if interested, and share broadly! hr.myu.umn.edu/jobs/ext/374... hr.myu.umn.edu/jobs/ext/374...

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Reposted by Melissa R. Warden, Ph.D.

Thomas Akam @thomasakam.bsky.social · 15/06/2026

Why does dopamine ramp up during approach to predictable rewards? In this preprint with Luke Priestley, we explore the idea that dopamine ramps occur when reward predictions inferred using a world-model are used to train striatal cached values.

biorxiv.org

Dopamine ramps as a normative consequence of dual-process control

Midbrain dopamine neurons are thought to implement a temporal difference (TD) reward prediction error (RPE) that updates cached values stored in striatum. This has been challenged by evidence that dop...

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Reposted by Melissa R. Warden, Ph.D.

Eric Topol @erictopol.bsky.social · 31/05/2026

There hasn't previously been a treatment vs pancreatic cancer this successful. Striking improved (a doubling) survival results @nejm.org and @ascocancer.bsky.social published today with daraxonrasib, which also became available via an FDA-approved early access program nejm.org/doi/full/10....

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Reposted by Melissa R. Warden, Ph.D.

Sarah “Holly” Hollingsworth Lisanby, MD, DLFAPA @lisanby.bsky.social · 21/08/2025

ASU School of Medicine and Advanced Engineering, in partnership with HonorHealth, is seeking an Academic Division Chief of Neurosciences. Apply to lead academic programs, research, and innovation at the intersection of medicine & engineering: jobs.honorhealth.com/jobs/84402?l...

jobs.honorhealth.com

Academic ASU Division Chief of Neuroscience in Arizona, United States | HonorHealth

HonorHealth is hiring a Academic ASU Division Chief of Neuroscience in Arizona, United States. Review all of the job details and apply today!

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Reposted by Melissa R. Warden, Ph.D.

Marlene Cohen @marlenecohen.bsky.social · 15/08/2025

One of the joys of being a scientist is the ability to think about a problem for a long time. Our new preprint solves a mystery that has been bugging me since I was a graduate student (which was, ahem, a while ago). 🧪🧠🧵1/ www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

biorxiv.org

Guided by Noise: Correlated Variability Channels Task-Relevant Information in Sensory Neurons

Shared trial-to-trial variability across sensory neurons is reliably reduced when perceptual performance improves, yet this variability is low-dimensional, so it could be ignored by an optimal readout...

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Reposted by Melissa R. Warden, Ph.D.

Vikaas Sohal @vikaassohal.bsky.social · 11/08/2025

Two preprints up! The first, led by Aarron Phensy, uses red+green voltage indicators to show that prefrontal gamma oscillations dynamically engage various cell types, creating multiple synchrony configurations, each tied to a distinct aspect of cognitive flexibility: www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

biorxiv.org

Prefrontal gamma oscillations engage dynamic cell type-specific configurations to support flexible behavior

Cognitive dysfunction in conditions such as schizophrenia involves disrupted communication between the prefrontal cortex (PFC) and mediodorsal thalamus (MD). Parvalbumin interneurons (PVI) are known t...

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Melissa R. Warden, Ph.D. @mrwarden.bsky.social · 08/08/2025

We'll have to have you out here for a visit! It is gorgeous, especially in the winter. So many beautiful landscapes :) And cacti, and mountains, and desert birds and rabbits.

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Melissa R. Warden, Ph.D. @mrwarden.bsky.social · 08/08/2025

I've been there for a year and love it - it's a highly supportive environment with lots of great people and resources, and easy collaboration with the main campus in Tucson (I teach down there). We don't currently have an NHP facility, but I'll ask if there are plans for development in this area.

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Melissa R. Warden, Ph.D. @mrwarden.bsky.social · 08/08/2025

The University of Arizona is holding an open-rank neuroscience faculty search, multiple tenure-track positions available! Positions will be in the new Department of Translational Neurosciences at the College of Medicine in Phoenix. tinyurl.com/42t8tcey

tinyurl.com

Assistant, Associate or Full Professor (Tenure Track), Translational Neurosciences (Phoenix) - Phoenix, Arizona job with University of Arizona | 12842366

Assistant, Associate or Full Professor (Tenure Track), Translational Neurosciences (Phoenix) Posting Number req23491 Department COM Phx Translation...

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Reposted by Melissa R. Warden, Ph.D.

Captain Mark Kelly @captmarkkelly.bsky.social · 18/07/2025

The first photos from the Vera Rubin Observatory are stunning — thanks in part to the University of Arizona, which helped build its mirror. Proud to see Arizona leading the way in space science.

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Melissa R. Warden, Ph.D. @mrwarden.bsky.social · 16/06/2025

About 10 minutes, and it avoided the highways. Pretty cool!!

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Reposted by Melissa R. Warden, Ph.D.

Carlos Brody @carlosbrody.bsky.social · 08/05/2025

we're crowd-sourcing a searchable repository of tangible benefits stemming from federally-funded research. Come enjoy the great stories; or send in an idea; or volunteer to join the team. publicusaresearchbenefits.com please share and re-share so we get more great stories in there!

publicusaresearchbenefits.com

Searchable database of tangible benefits that federally-funded research gave us.

A crowd-sourced site. Health and Well-being. National Security. Prosperity.

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Melissa R. Warden, Ph.D. @mrwarden.bsky.social · 05/05/2025

This documentary on LIGO, an NSF-sponsored project that first directly observed gravitational waves, is an amazing, realistic depiction of the process of doing science. youtu.be/dX4vCNi544w?...

youtu.be

"LIGO"

YouTube video by Advanced LIGO Documentary Project

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Reposted by Melissa R. Warden, Ph.D.

Melissa R. Warden, Ph.D. @mrwarden.bsky.social · 28/01/2025

For those interested, applications are still open for the Ph.D. program in Clinical Translational Sciences at the University of Arizona, deadline Feb. 1. The mission of the PhD program is to train students to be skilled researchers who can successfully address both clinical and basic science /1

chs.arizona.edu

PhD Program

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Melissa R. Warden, Ph.D. @mrwarden.bsky.social · 28/01/2025

aspects of translational research. The program provides the opportunity to take courses and rotate in research labs in either Tucson or Phoenix, and areas of strength include neuroscience, cardiology, immunology, and cancer. /2

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Melissa R. Warden, Ph.D. @mrwarden.bsky.social · 28/01/2025

chs.arizona.edu

PhD Program

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Reposted by Melissa R. Warden, Ph.D.

Ian T. Ellwood @iellwood.bsky.social · 17/12/2024

Proud to present work from my graduate student Yating Yang that just posted on BioRxiv. www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

biorxiv.org

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Reposted by Melissa R. Warden, Ph.D.

Moita Lab @moitalab.bsky.social · 02/12/2024

Thrilled to present our latest BioRXiv on brain/body interactions during defensive freezing behaviour! (www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...). You might think that a frozen animal has, well, frozen muscle activity, right? Wrong! Underneath the still surface of a fly, something in the legs is beating… 🧵

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Reposted by Melissa R. Warden, Ph.D.

Talia Lerner @talialerner.bsky.social · 10/11/2024

A starter pack! Some of my favorite women in neuroscience (sorry if I forgot you, I will add!) go.bsky.app/SCFmKoC

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Reposted by Melissa R. Warden, Ph.D.

Aaron Batista @aaronbatista.bsky.social · 14/09/2024

When you fail to perform at your best right when it matters the most, what's going on in your brain? We can now provide an explanation: Exceptionally high stakes interfere with the neural signals of motor preparation. I'd love to hear - what do you think causes it? sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

sciencedirect.com

A neural basis of choking under pressure

Incentives tend to drive improvements in performance. But when incentives get too high, we can “choke under pressure” and underperform right when it m…

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Melissa R. Warden, Ph.D. @mrwarden.bsky.social · 06/09/2024

A postdoctoral position in the Warden lab is open! Our work is on neuromodulatory circuits and their inputs and outputs, and how these circuits support behavioral decision making. If interested, please reach out!

The Warden Lab in the Department of Translational Neurosciences at the University of Arizona seeks candidates for a postdoctoral position. Many of our research projects are focused on neuromodulatory circuits and their inputs and outputs. We are interested in understanding how these circuits support motivated behavioral decision making, and we use a multidisciplinary approach combining imaging, optogenetics, anatomy, high-density freely moving neurophysiology, behavior, and computation.

Ideal candidates will have a PhD in Neuroscience, Psychology, or related fields, and an interest in the neural mechanisms underlying motivated behavioral decision-making. A quantitative background, experience in imaging or electrophysiology, and proficiency in MATLAB/Python are desirable but not required.

If interested, please send a cover letter, CV, and the names of three references to mrwarden@arizona.edu.

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