Luiz Pessoa, University of Maryland, College Park Neuroscientist interested in cognitive-emotional brain Author of The Entangled Brain, MIT Press, 2022 Author of The Cogitive-Emotional Brain, MIT Press, 2013 Neuroscience & Philosophy Salon (YouTube)
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Consciousness/Emergence People: check out this hybrid workshop hosted by Sussex next Wednesday, September 10th www.sussex.ac.uk/broadcast/re... I will be speaking in the afternoon session (starting at 7 am Pacific time) on โThe Importance of Boundariesโ (abstract in thread) #philsky #neuroskyence
A sea turtle surfacing by a MASSIVE school of rays near Clearwater, Florida a couple days ago. Another post into the BluSky void. Maybe 2 or 3 people will see this one and my time won't have been wasted. I'll keep trying a little longer. #nature #animals #amazing #wildlife #awesome #ocean
Definitely need to take a look, did you parcellate based on gyri??
Our target discussion article out in Cognitive Neuroscience! It will be followed by peer commentary and our responses. If you would like to write a commentary, please reach out to the journal! 1/18 www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.... @cibaker.bsky.social @susanwardle.bsky.social
I've been using FDR too much, will look into changing things up.
Looks amazing, congrats!
Mark, what do you suggest for FWER? Some permutation based test with a maximum test statistic?
๐๐๐ฅ๐ฅ ๐๐จ๐ซ ๐๐๐ฉ๐๐ซ๐ฌ โ ๐๐ฉ๐๐ญ๐ข๐๐ฅ ๐๐ญ๐๐ญ๐ข๐ฌ๐ญ๐ข๐๐ฌ ๐ข๐ง ๐๐ฆ๐๐ ๐ข๐ง๐ Special issue of ๐๐ต๐ข๐ต๐ช๐ด๐ต๐ช๐ค๐ด ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐๐ข๐ต๐ข ๐๐ค๐ช๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ค๐ฆ ๐ช๐ฏ ๐๐ฎ๐ข๐จ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ, supported by @amstatnews.bsky.social ASA Sections on Statistics and the Environment (ENVR) and Statistics in Epidemiology (SIE) Submission details: tinyurl.com/47enwhwz
Here doi.org/10.1098/rstb...
oh don't bother, it's not about credit
I've said that they are ALL epistemically sterile ๐ Not just emotion, but the whole bunch
Adventures in AI land ๐คฃ
Conventional analysis of cause/effect systems, designed to determine how outputs are generated as a function of input, is futile and misleading when applied to closed-loop systems. -- Henry H. Yin (2024)
We're all interested in the *how*, so a multiplicity of proposals are considered. I don't view one specific view as "correct" but as potentially useful ways to understand challenging systems. If it were easy we'd be done by now!
@wiringthebrain.bsky.social oddly Brazil did not make that list ๐
If you missed it before, here's the link to the paper: doi.org/10.1016/j.co...
๐ช๐ต๐ฎ๐'๐ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐ด๐ป๐ถ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ถ๐ ๐ถ๐ ๐ฒ๐บ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ด๐ฒ๐ป๐? Don't miss the Neuroscience and Philosophy Salon. Earl Miller and team will discuss recent paper and we'll have plenty of discussion. Open to all. Sept 12, noon EST-US umd.zoom.us/meeting/regi... #neuroskyence @earlkmiller.bsky.social
This is what I'll do next time I see one of the authors
Sure, half teasing you ๐ Amazingly the anterior insula itself is already highly complex; there are super interesting functional gradients there. And imo it's not the dorsal-cognitive vs ventral-emotion traditional way of looking at it. Way more interesting.
But the anterior insula is connected to so, so many things, how do we deal with that?? ๐ฌ
Wow!
Perfect, many thanks!
hope all is as well as it can be ๐ค
Universal Learning of Nonlinear Dynamics One more cool paper on this. This one is mathematical but a nice overview of existing methods for mere mortals. arxiv.org/abs/2508.11990 #ComplexSystems
๐๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ด๐ฒ-๐๐ฐ๐ฎ๐น๐ฒ ๐ป๐ฒ๐๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐ธ๐ ๐ฏ๐ฎ๐๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐ผ๐ป ๐ณ๐ ๐ฅ๐ What are good masks or parcellations that allow one to determine the network label of subcortical ROIs too? #neuroskyence @lucinauddin.bsky.social @bttyeo.bsky.social
a seemingly general electrophysiological phenomenon: once you have to process stimuli, low-frequency rhythms disappear, spectrum becomes flatter & sometimes an increase in broadband gamma activity. we also found this for visual memory encoding in #iEEG data: doi.org/10.1523/JNEUROSCI.2404-24.2025
Pretty much how I defined "emergence". Was so done with controversy of the term that didn't use it: discussed systems that have different degrees of *interactional complexity" (strong vs. weak emergence is a distraction). Note that irreducible means not directly mapable to *properties of the parts*
You're doing amazing work ๐ฏ
I feel the same, happy to not be there only one ๐๐ฝ
I like other species' work for what it is, not as models which I'm quite skeptical about
Humans!
Are there good neuro/neuroimaging journals that still accept brief communications, i.e., short papers focused on 1-2 results? Interesting results but not "major impact". #neuroskyence
could you kindly send it to my last name @umd edu thanks!
fascinating study!
Did you know that chemosensitive motile E. coli can efficiently explore nontrivial mazes in times much shorter than a no-memory (Markovian) walk would predict, and can collectively escape from a fractal topology? Now you do. Amazing! #ComplexSystems ๐ฆ ๐งช๐๐ก journals.aps.org/prx/abstract...
what a dream, speechless
๐ฅ๐ฒ๐๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฑ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐๐ฎ๐น๐๐ฒ ๐ถ๐ป ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ข๐๐ Looking for the coolest recent results about this, what's fascinating to be covered in class or include in a review? For example, I like findings that OFC cells respond all along a trajectory/maze that will lead (eventually) to reward. #neuroskyence
Atoll of Aur?? ๐ฑ๐ฎ๐ตโ
don't put it into words, savor it!
I think there are strawmen on both sides. Your question would be awesome to chat over beers but I don't dare start it here. It will devolve into chaos ๐
Having read and discussed these issues for longer than I'd care to admit I just have a sense of exhaustion when the debate starts all over again ๐ฅด
I know right, that took an unexpected turn!!
No it's not about magic. It's not going to work discussing here so I won't even try. But some of the arguments are quite cogent imo. There's a lot of silliness too, but that's everywhere anyway.
David, take a look at the BBS paper by Anil Seth. No strong arguments for or against, just some interesting considerations. I found it quite valuable and will have a salon with Anil later in the fall, hope you can join
For sure!
"emergence" as a term/debate is a total mess ๐ฌ
The dominant school of thought in science is not open to the concept of emergence in any strong sense. For them emergence is a lousy word that just means "we don't know how to reduce the phenomenon to its component parts YET". Btw the Sussex crowd has organized a cool meeting on emergence for years.
You're too funny Dan, only two other people share your view, Earl and I
The answer is clear Greg! ๐
๐๐ผ๐ด๐ป๐ถ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐ถ๐ ๐ฒ๐บ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ด๐ฒ๐ป๐ ๐ถ๐ป ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฏ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ถ๐ป by Earl K Miller, Scott L Brincat, Jefferson E Roy This promises to be a must read One day we should create an online journal club to just read these kinds of papers! #neuroskyence doi.org/10.1016/j.co...
forgot to thank @jaanaru.bsky.social for sharing the paper with me!
๐๐บ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ด๐ฒ๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ Sharing given the useful references (400+). Haven't checked the content. arxiv.org/abs/2508.08548
Position open for a neuroimaging focused postdoc to come work with us in Sydney Feel free to get in touch for a chat if you have any questions about it :) usyd.wd105.myworkdayjobs.com/en-GB/USYD_E...
I'm curious if any senior nonhuman primate Neuro-AI researchers would be interested in joining Queen's University if we were to obtain a research chair position (full professor level)? Could you please send me a confidential message to indicate your interest? Gunnar.blohm@queensu.ca
On ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐'๐ ๐บ๐ผ๐๐ถ๐๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป? Paper discussing a dynamical systems view Some glaring jumps in arguments but that's pretty universal for such attempts. Perspective is good one to bootstrap things. But doesn't have to explain everything as mind/brain concepts are not unitary academic.oup.com/biolinnean/a...
great point
mice don't really behave outside of tasks ๐คฃ
Very cool, will definitely look into the work and show it to my fMRI class
What do you consider "mood system"??
Exactly, this decoupling is essential if we're to understand it more generally. Basically the process needs bootstrapping but eventually enough decoupling can arise that the origins are forgotten by researches.
That's pretty close to how I think. One day I would like to develop that. Too bad there aren't grants to develop concepts.
Enjoyed listening to it. Great reminder of metaphors in science with the *hydrolic* model of drive/motivation. Makes me think of how much we scientists (including myself) are not sufficiently aware of how control theory (among others ofc) really changed our view of nature in the last century.
Brain/mind are just too hypnotic no??? Never siezes to amaze me.
In humans the akinetic mutism 1941 report in Brain is a classic &illustrates that linking possibility of action to execution comes close to "agency/will" while dynamical systems frameworks of Box jellyfish are compelling to me. I'm no expert, so looking for perspectives @wiringthebrain.bsky.social ?
I definitely need to read Amitai's proposal, it seems very compelling. But as usual I don't think we need to find anything that is unitary but instead a class of processes. When we consider the diversity of mammals, vertebrates or even beyond, we should *expect* that it's not unitary imo.
Need to read it again!
Thanks, I've been meaning to read this paper!
๐ช๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐บ๐ผ๐๐ถ๐๐ฎ๐๐ฒ๐ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ถ๐บ๐ฎ๐น๐ ๐๐ผ ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐, ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐ถ๐ ๐บ๐ผ๐๐ถ๐๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป? What are the most developed frameworks of the brain basis of motivation? Older ideas, new ideas, etc. #neuroskyence
When you stimulate cortex, what gets activated almost simultaneously (if not earlier) with other cortical sites? Yes, ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐น๐ฎ๐บ๐๐ doi.org/10.1038/s415...
The Neuroscience Dept at American University is hiring for a tenure-track position at the Assistant level with expertise in Computational Neuroscience. Apply by Sep 15: american.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com/AU/job/Main-... #FacultyJobs #AcademicJob #Neuroscience #CompNeuro #AI #ComputationalPsychiatry
Making some notes about the names is a bit nerdy but handy
"You Dreamed of Empires" by รlvaro Enrigue, outstanding
๐ฅ
A better dynamical system understands its unpredictability
E Ott's groups was really into reservoir systems lately. I believe he retired but irreplaceable.
See discussion in the excellent blog manlius.substack.com/p/complexity...
๐๐ผ๐ ๐ฑ๐ผ ๐๐ฒ ๐ถ๐ป๐๐ฒ๐๐๐ถ๐ด๐ฎ๐๐ฒ ๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฑ๐ถ๐ฐ๐๐ฎ๐ฏ๐ถ๐น๐ถ๐๐ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐ฑ๐๐ป๐ฎ๐บ๐ถ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐น ๐๐๐๐๐ฒ๐บ๐? New approach: doi.org/10.1073/pnas... #complexsystems
Wait, without free will? I thought Kevin Mitchell had proven otherwise ๐คฃ
Awesome!
But then that's important to know right? After all we're too wedded to the idea of single differences. For example, let's investigate the brain one lesion at at time, or one lesion plus a control one and so on.
Wonderful essay on brain metaphors
Looks amazing, thanks for sharing
If I never get a grant again I have to create a new career ๐
Did I?? ๐ I'll try to find it again
Working on a new book! Basic intro to the brain for general readers (not a textbook). The amazing thing about writing is learning part and realizing that the brain is way cooler than you thought. And so much more complex. How are we ever going to make sense of it?? Will take a few years to write...
A Drive to Survive is so good!
I don't think it's strictly a matter of "fake pearls", more what we come to see as shining. But I do see your point of course. But am skeptical about other professions, after all we're all human.
Go for it. I don't even care any more.
You're going against the human impulse of valuing shiny things. "Mapping out" is made of dull material, it doesn't shine. Sorry for the obnoxious reply but I'm not optimistic. Science is a human activity, hence... I'm content to see "mapping out" featured in a good place and not hidden somewhere.
where do I sign up??
You have an award man, many of us can't say that!
Looks very cool. You say "Second, to isolate how each pathway changes network function, we compare pairs of circuits which differ by one pathway." Useful to look as pairwise and n-wise changes to understand possible "nonlinear" effects? I didn't go back to check if the combinatorics are feasible.
๐จNew paper๐จ Neural manifolds went from a niche-y word to an ubiquitous term in systems neuro thanks to many interesting findings across fields. But like with any emerging term, people use it very differently. Here, we clarify our take on the term, and review key findings & challenges rdcu.be/ex8hW
Understanding Computers and Cognition: A New Foundation for Design by Winograd and Flores also made a strong impression in me eons ago. Should be required reading for current-generation AI folks :-)
was expecting 2/37 etc
Konrad you might be interested in reading Hubert Dreyfus' What Computers Can't Do as l well as the short book my Winograd/Flores. About abstracting knowledge into rules, etc. I read them decades ago (gasp) but they're likely relevant still. Maybe you've read them.
Interesting, deviates considerably from my view of science!
Interesting that you say physics is not finished. Some of us in other fields don't think "finished" makes sense in science as we're always "expanding the space of discovery" as many have pointed out. Is physics different in your view?
This is not about basic multiple realizability but about quite distinct ways of engaging the brain with relatively fixed simuli+task.
Konrad always has some simple explanation for my "profound" things. Hope you're right!