Reposted by Ravi MillAtsushi Kikumoto @kikumotoatsushi.bsky.social · 01/09/2026I'm recruiting a PhD student for Fall 2027 at the University of Maryland — Cognitive Flexibility Dynamics Lab, studying cognitive control via brain recording (M/EEG, MRI), stimulation (TUS), and computational modeling. Please email me: cfd-lab.com/join 13023
Reposted by Ravi MillMichael W. Cole @mwcole.bsky.social · 28/04/2026Why do our visual systems have “shortcut” connections (V1-V4)? What do they add beyond the classic hierarchical (V1-V2-V3-V4) pathway? The lab’s latest study takes activity flow modeling to the next level to answer this question, led by @alextzalav.bsky.social www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6... 1/n 23115
Reposted by Ravi MillEvan Gordon @gordonneuro.bsky.social · 22/04/2026I always assumed that brain function had to line up with cytoarchitectonics. It turns out I was wrong. Human cortex, especially PFC, is tiled by chains of functional patches that subdivide and interlink architectonic areas into parallel processing streams. www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6... 14234122
Reposted by Ravi MillNicholas Menghi @nichome.bsky.social · 02/12/2025Our new paper, now published in @natcomms.nature.com , asks a simple question: when two tasks share a common structure, does the brain learn them more efficiently? Surprisingly, this was not the case. Thread below (1/7) rdcu.be/eSwvUrdcu.beThe effects of task similarity during representation learning in brains and neural networksNature Communications - Here, the authors show learning tasks with similar structures can initially cause interference and slow down learning, but both the brain and artificial networks gradually... 48835
Ravi Mill @ravimill.bsky.social · 20/11/202510) Please check out the full paper here: “Dynamically shifting from compositional to conjunctive brain representations supports cognitive task learning”, doi.org/10.1038/s414...doi.orgDynamically shifting from compositional to conjunctive brain representations supports cognitive task learning - Nature CommunicationsLearning shifts multi-task representations from compositional to conjunctive formats. Cortical conjunctions uniquely associate with effects of practice, and index switch costs. Subcortex is critical f... 021
Ravi Mill @ravimill.bsky.social · 20/11/20259)Our results suggest the shift from compositional-conjunctive representations serves as a general neurocomputational signature of learning. So early experience of learning the cello is reliant on retrieval of compositional reps, whilst later practice encodes more specialized cortical conjunctions. 100
Ravi Mill @ravimill.bsky.social · 20/11/20258) Despite the observed importance of cortical conjunctions, subcortical regions (hippocampus and cerebellum) have a critical role in orchestrating the cross-network interactions that bind compositional representations into conjunctions. 100
Ravi Mill @ravimill.bsky.social · 20/11/20257) The strength of conjunctions specifically in cortex index the extent/robustness of practice, associating with behavioral improvement, increased pattern separation and resistance to task switching costs. 110
Ravi Mill @ravimill.bsky.social · 20/11/20256)We find that novel tasks rely on task-general compositional representations (allowing transfer of abstract knowledge), whereas practiced tasks are reliant on task-specific conjunctions (allowing for specialization/expertise). Conjunctions originate in subcortex before slowly spreading to cortex. 100
Ravi Mill @ravimill.bsky.social · 20/11/20255) We tackled this question here, using functional MRI to scan healthy young adults as they performed a battery of complex tasks, from first novel presentation through hours of practice. 100
Ravi Mill @ravimill.bsky.social · 20/11/20254) Although the effects of practice in improving behavior are well-established, what happens in the brain to allow us to perform tasks when they are novel through repeated practice remains mysterious. 100
Ravi Mill @ravimill.bsky.social · 20/11/20253)However, practice is required to move from mere competency towards proficiency/expertise. Whilst transfer of prior knowledge may allow you to play “Mary had a little lamb” on the cello within days-weeks, it will require months-years of practice to play more complex pieces, like Bach’s cello suites 100
Ravi Mill @ravimill.bsky.social · 20/11/20252) We all perform a multitude of cognitive tasks every day. Many tasks are novel, requiring rapid transfer of prior knowledge to achieve basic competency. E.g., when learning to play the cello, you may benefit from prior knowledge of sheet music or prior experience with another bowed instrument... 110
Ravi Mill @ravimill.bsky.social · 19/11/2025Excited to see our paper with @mwcole.bsky.social finally out in peer-reviewed form @natcomms.nature.com! We examine how the human brain learns new tasks and optimizes representations over practice…1/n 1257
Reposted by Ravi MillMichael W. Cole @mwcole.bsky.social · 14/09/2025Lab’s latest is out in Imaging Neuroscience, led by Kirsten Peterson: “Regularized partial correlation provides reliable functional connectivity estimates while correcting for widespread confounding”, where we demonstrate a major improvement to standard fMRI functional connectivity (correlation) 1/n 67429