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Constantina Theofanopoulou @constantinatheo.bsky.social · Aug 1

AZA Stephen Allsop, David Leventhal, Mai Lê Hô, curated and moderated by Nisha Sajnani.

For those who cannot make it in person, our conversation will be livestreamed and recorded so you can watch along.

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Constantina Theofanopoulou @constantinatheo.bsky.social · Aug 1

If you are in NYC, join us tonight at the @lincolncenter.bsky.social (Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts) for a conversation on arts and collective wellbeing. I am looking forward to -what is meant to be- an inspiring conversation with colleagues:

lincolncenter.org/series/summe...

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Festival Orchestra Pre-Show Discussion · Lincoln Center

In what ways do the arts foster belonging, resilience, and healing within communities? Join leading artists, researchers, and lived experience experts in a 3-part series of…

lincolncenter.org

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Constantina Theofanopoulou @constantinatheo.bsky.social · Jul 31

Take a peek at our recent publication through the lens of a visual summary creatively crafted by the Jameel Arts and Health Lab.

www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

Constantina Theofanopoulou @constantinatheo.bsky.social · Jul 14

Huge thanks to Vicky Karkou, who brought the team together, and to the rest of the co-authors: Pierluigi Sacco, Matthew Pelowski, Catherine Carr, Val Huet, Jane Bourne, @robynd.bsky.social, and Helen Chatterjee.

Constantina Theofanopoulou @constantinatheo.bsky.social · Jul 14

We highlight the limitations of narrow neuroscientific framings and call for more inclusive, context-sensitive standards of evidence.

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Constantina Theofanopoulou @constantinatheo.bsky.social · Jul 14

We welcome every effort to bring rigor to arts and health research (e.g., powered trials with well-defined control groups) but argue that such rigor must also reflect the complexity and ecological validity of real-world practices.

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Constantina Theofanopoulou @constantinatheo.bsky.social · Jul 14

In this piece just published in Physics of Life Reviews, we came together as an interdisciplinary team of artists, art therapists, arts educators, and theoretical and clinical researchers to respond to Skov & Nadal’s recent critique of arts-based interventions.
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

Comment on 'Can arts-based interventions improve health? A conceptual and methodological critique' by Skov and Nadal - A critique of the critique: Towards a more nuanced evaluation of current research...

www.sciencedirect.com

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Reposted by Constantina Theofanopoulou

Laura Gwilliams @lauragwilliams.bsky.social · Apr 17

Check out the latest -From Our Neurons To Yours- podcast episode! I discuss my work using large speech and language systems as "model species" to understand how the human brain processes language 🧠

stanfordbrain.bsky.social @stanfordbrain.bsky.social · Apr 17

What can AI teach us about how the brain understands language?

In today's podcast, we explore how LLMs are helping neuroscientists study how we process language with Stanford psychologist and faculty scholar Laura Gwilliams @lauragwilliams.bsky.social.

neuroscience.stanford.edu/news/what-ch...

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Reposted by Constantina Theofanopoulou

Dan Quintana @dsquintana.bsky.social · Apr 14

Very happy to have contributed a chapter on the evolution of oxytocin receptor signalling for a new book on evolutionary and comparative neuroendocrinology. Great work from @aisartorius.bsky.social and @constantinatheo.bsky.social! link.springer.com/book/10.1007...

A blue book cover of 'Evolutionary and Comparative Neuroendocrinology'

Paper abstract:

Oxytocin is a neuromodulator and hormone that helps coordinate a variety of physiological and behavioural functions. Oxytocin exerts its diverse effects by binding to oxytocin receptors throughout the brain and the periphery, which initiates various signalling cascades. The location and distribution of oxytocin receptors can differ between species, which can facilitate species-specific behaviours that promote survival and reproduction. Yet, despite the increasing interest in the oxytocin signalling system, the extent of its functions in human health and wellbeing are currently not well understood. Pinpointing the evolutionary trajectory of the oxytocin receptor is one approach that can help unravel the current purpose of the oxytocin signalling system. Here, we demonstrate three analytical approaches that help uncover the evolutionary history of the oxytocin receptor: sequence homology searches, synteny mapping, and positive selection analysis. Our non-technical guide includes suggestions for software packages

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Reposted by Constantina Theofanopoulou

ajua duker @ajuaduker.bsky.social · Apr 10

🚨 I’m hiring a full-time lab manager to help me build my lab start in July or August 2025! 🚨

If you know any stellar candidates who might be interested, please send this their way.

🗓 Application review begins April 15
⏰ Final deadline is April 25
📎 Apply here ➡️ lnkd.in/evhfqzTP

This link will take you to a page that’s not on LinkedIn

lnkd.in

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Reposted by Constantina Theofanopoulou

Bertoglio lab (FMC/UFSC) @bertogliolab.bsky.social · Apr 10

Global coordination of brain activity by the breathing cycle
www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Global coordination of brain activity by the breathing cycle - Nature Reviews Neuroscience

Synchrony between neuronal activity and the respiratory cycle has been observed in numerous brain regions and across many species. Tort et al. discuss the mechanisms by which brain activity is modulat...

www.nature.com

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Constantina Theofanopoulou @constantinatheo.bsky.social · Apr 8

Our flamenco/jazz event is just ONE WEEK AWAY (and it is free and open to everyone)!
RSVP: lnkd.in/e5g5duZY

Constantina Theofanopoulou @constantinatheo.bsky.social · Mar 18

💃🏽 FLAMENCO/JAZZ EVENT in NYC 🪭

📅 Date: Tuesday, April 15, 2025
⏰ Time/📍Location:
5 PM – Wine/beer reception at Abby
5:30 PM – Event at Caspary Auditorium
The Rockefeller University (1230 York Ave, New York, NY
10065)
🎟 Audience: Free and open to the public
🔗 RSVP: lnkd.in/e5g5duZY

Constantina Theofanopoulou @constantinatheo.bsky.social · Apr 7

It was a huge pleasure to discuss with the amazing JD Talasek and David Leventhal about how dance is helping patients regain movement and other abilities, and what neuroscience research says about dance as a form of healing. Links to several podcast platforms:
issues.org/music-and-he...

Music and Health: Dancing Together

How can dancing help Parkinson's patients regain their ability to walk? What does neuroscience say about the healing power of dance?

issues.org

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Constantina Theofanopoulou @constantinatheo.bsky.social · Apr 3

Thanks to the New York Academy of Sciences for this interview!
www.nyas.org/ideas-insigh...

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Constantina Theofanopoulou @constantinatheo.bsky.social · Mar 26

Wonderful work and so revelant to our efforts to understand the neurobiology of speech & dance.

Simon Fisher @profsimonfisher.bsky.social · Mar 25

“What an odd thing“ wrote Oliver Sacks “to see an entire species playing with listening to meaningless tonal patterns, preoccupied for much of their time by what they call ‘music’...“. Our new paper, led by ace student @giacomobignardi.bsky.social, unpacks this puzzle from a genetic perspective. 🧪

Twin modelling reveals partly distinct genetic pathways to music enjoyment - Nature Communications

Here, Bignardi et al. report on a study of over 9,000 Swedish twins that indicates the ability to enjoy music is influenced by multiple partly distinct genetic factors.

www.nature.com

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Reposted by Constantina Theofanopoulou

Hugo Ninou @hugoninou.bsky.social · Mar 22

🚨 Paper Alert! 🚨
1/n Thrilled to share our latest research, now published in Nature Communications! 🎉 This study dives deep into how the cerebellum shapes cortical preparatory activity during motor adaptation.
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
#neuroskyence #motorcontrol #cerebellum #motoradaptation

Cerebellar output shapes cortical preparatory activity during motor adaptation - Nature Communications

Functional role of the cerebellum in motor adaptation is not fully understood. The authors show that cerebellar signals act as low-dimensional feedback which constrains the structure of the preparator...

www.nature.com

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Reposted by Constantina Theofanopoulou

Ev Fedorenko @evfedorenko.bsky.social · Mar 18

So excited to have our work on conlangs out in PNAS: www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/... Congrats, Saima, Maya, and the rest of the crew -- well done!
Here is the MIT news story:
news.mit.edu/2025/esperan...

To the brain, Esperanto and Klingon appear the same as English or Mandarin

MIT research finds the brain’s language-processing network also responds to artificial languages such as Esperanto and languages made for TV, such as Klingon on “Star Trek” and High Valyrian and Dothr...

news.mit.edu

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Constantina Theofanopoulou @constantinatheo.bsky.social · Mar 18

This event is sponsored by the Rockefeller University Office for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion’s Microgrant Program.

Constantina Theofanopoulou @constantinatheo.bsky.social · Mar 18

Artistic team:
Alfonso Cid (flute and vocals), Tim Ferguson (double bass), Jesús Hernández (piano), Alberto Muñoz Sánchez (cajón and drums), and Constantina Theofanopoulou (flamenco dance).

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Constantina Theofanopoulou @constantinatheo.bsky.social · Mar 18

💃🏽 FLAMENCO/JAZZ EVENT in NYC 🪭

📅 Date: Tuesday, April 15, 2025
⏰ Time/📍Location:
5 PM – Wine/beer reception at Abby
5:30 PM – Event at Caspary Auditorium
The Rockefeller University (1230 York Ave, New York, NY
10065)
🎟 Audience: Free and open to the public
🔗 RSVP: lnkd.in/e5g5duZY

1

Constantina Theofanopoulou @constantinatheo.bsky.social · Mar 14

It is great to see dance being highlighted for its brain benefits in Discover magazine this month. Also delightful to see our research featured alongside that of superb collaborators.

#dance #neuroscience

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Reposted by Constantina Theofanopoulou

Laura Ferreri @lauraferreri.bsky.social · Mar 14

🚨New Preprint! 🎵🧠 Joint music listening enhances interpersonal affective and neural synchrony. A huge fNIRS hyperscanning study on shared music listening & pleasure with @federicocurzel.bsky.social , @giacomonovembre.bsky.social, Barbara Tillmann and Arnaud Fournel. 👉 osf.io/preprints/os...

OSF

osf.io

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Constantina Theofanopoulou @constantinatheo.bsky.social · Mar 11

Thanks, Lucas!

Constantina Theofanopoulou @constantinatheo.bsky.social · Mar 11

Hugely indebted to Women in Science at Rockefeller for making me part of this Women's History Month Celebration. This initiative has made such an important impact on the university's culture, and I cannot wait to witness and contribute to what comes next.
www.wiseratrockefeller.com/womens-histo...

Constantina Theofanopoulou — WISeR

WISeR: “What sparked your initial interest in science, and what drew you to your specific field?” CT: “Since the beginning, my main driving force has been an unceasing passion for uncovering truth t...

www.wiseratrockefeller.com

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Reposted by Constantina Theofanopoulou

Giacomo Novembre @giacomonovembre.bsky.social · Mar 7

🎶 Everything you ever wanted to know about Joint Music Making—but were afraid to ask! 🎶

A comprehensive review by Sara Abalde, @neuromusicnerd.bsky.social , @perikeller.bsky.social rikeller.bsky.social & me, bridging behavioural findings, neural processes, and computational models (link below).

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