Meenakshi Asokan
@meenakshiasokan.bsky.social
Neuroscience postdoc, Jane Coffin Childs Fellow, Falkner Lab @ Princeton| Interested in hormones, brain & behavior| PhD @ Harvard| BTech @ IIT Madras| Stories of WiN🎙️| https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=Ql5Nm9UAAAAJ&hl=en&oi=ao
Pinned
Is it finally time for systems neuroscience to take hormones seriously? OMG YES! @meenakshiasokan.bsky.social and I share some of our thoughts about recent work in this review www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Hormonal regulation of behavioral and emotional persistence: Novel insights from a systems-level approach to neuroendocrinology
Gonadal sex steroid hormones regulate internal states, social drive, perception of external cues, and learning and memory. Fluctuating hormones influe…
www.sciencedirect.com
Stoked to share our new review on why neuroendocrinology needs a systems lens and why hormones should matter to systems neuroscience. It’s time for serious cross-talk!
Reposted by Meenakshi Asokan
Are manifolds real?
Are latent circuits real?
Tatiana @engeltatiana.bsky.social uses one, infers the other, and says yes to both.
Also, how timescales are different and the same across the entire brain...
braininspired.co/podcast/226/
Are latent circuits real?
Tatiana @engeltatiana.bsky.social uses one, infers the other, and says yes to both.
Also, how timescales are different and the same across the entire brain...
braininspired.co/podcast/226/
December 4, 2025 at 6:52 PM
Are manifolds real?
Are latent circuits real?
Tatiana @engeltatiana.bsky.social uses one, infers the other, and says yes to both.
Also, how timescales are different and the same across the entire brain...
braininspired.co/podcast/226/
Are latent circuits real?
Tatiana @engeltatiana.bsky.social uses one, infers the other, and says yes to both.
Also, how timescales are different and the same across the entire brain...
braininspired.co/podcast/226/
A real pleasure and honor interviewing @neurozoe.bsky.social. Check out her story!
Our latest profile is here! Dr. Zoe Donaldson (@neurozoe.bsky.social) studies the neural circuits that govern social bonding & social loss, and how variations in these circuits shape emotional outcomes.
Follow the link to listen! #StoriesOfWiN #WomenInNeuroscience
storiesofwin.org/profiles/202...
Follow the link to listen! #StoriesOfWiN #WomenInNeuroscience
storiesofwin.org/profiles/202...
Dr. Zoe Donaldson — Stories of WiN
studies the neural circuits that govern social bonding and social loss, and how variations in these circuits shape emotional outcomes
storiesofwin.org
December 2, 2025 at 6:45 AM
A real pleasure and honor interviewing @neurozoe.bsky.social. Check out her story!
Reposted by Meenakshi Asokan
@thetransmitter.bsky.social gathered citation metrics for the top neuroscience papers published over the past 30 years and assembled a list of the top 20 to try to capture a different view of the field’s changing landscape. www.thetransmitter.org/publishing/w...
#neuroskyence #StateOfNeuroscience
#neuroskyence #StateOfNeuroscience
The most-cited neuroscience papers from the past 30 years
Highly cited papers reflect the surge in artificial-intelligence research in the field and other technical advances.
www.thetransmitter.org
November 20, 2025 at 3:41 PM
@thetransmitter.bsky.social gathered citation metrics for the top neuroscience papers published over the past 30 years and assembled a list of the top 20 to try to capture a different view of the field’s changing landscape. www.thetransmitter.org/publishing/w...
#neuroskyence #StateOfNeuroscience
#neuroskyence #StateOfNeuroscience
Reposted by Meenakshi Asokan
As @sfn.org kicks off, here is some guidance to help you get the most out of it—plus a request for principal investigators to train students in “soft skills.”
By @drnancypadilla.bsky.social
#SfN25 #neuroskyence
www.thetransmitter.org/craft-and-ca...
By @drnancypadilla.bsky.social
#SfN25 #neuroskyence
www.thetransmitter.org/craft-and-ca...
Tips to navigate SfN as a trainee
As the mammoth annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience kicks off, here is some guidance to get the most out of it—plus a request for principal investigators to train students in “soft skills.”…
www.thetransmitter.org
November 15, 2025 at 1:40 PM
As @sfn.org kicks off, here is some guidance to help you get the most out of it—plus a request for principal investigators to train students in “soft skills.”
By @drnancypadilla.bsky.social
#SfN25 #neuroskyence
www.thetransmitter.org/craft-and-ca...
By @drnancypadilla.bsky.social
#SfN25 #neuroskyence
www.thetransmitter.org/craft-and-ca...
Reposted by Meenakshi Asokan
Congrats to the @thetransmitter.bsky.social Rising Stars of Neuroscience, including our own @drnancypadilla.bsky.social and @megkirch.bsky.social! 🌟
www.thetransmitter.org/early-career...
www.thetransmitter.org/early-career...
The Transmitter’s Rising Stars of Neuroscience 2025
We recognize the outstanding achievements of 25 neuroscientists who stand to shape the field for years to come.
www.thetransmitter.org
November 15, 2025 at 5:32 PM
Congrats to the @thetransmitter.bsky.social Rising Stars of Neuroscience, including our own @drnancypadilla.bsky.social and @megkirch.bsky.social! 🌟
www.thetransmitter.org/early-career...
www.thetransmitter.org/early-career...
Reposted by Meenakshi Asokan
Another study to share, led by my grad student Nicole Pranic! Before diving in, I'll add that Nicole (who is clever, tenacious, and interested in neural changes that underlie developmental changes in social behaviors) is looking for a post-doc position! Please RT!
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Vocal ontogeny in Mus musculus
Infants of many species produce distress calls when in need of parental care. As they mature and gain independence from caregivers, juveniles stop producing infant calls and begin producing adult-like...
www.biorxiv.org
March 26, 2025 at 7:03 PM
Another study to share, led by my grad student Nicole Pranic! Before diving in, I'll add that Nicole (who is clever, tenacious, and interested in neural changes that underlie developmental changes in social behaviors) is looking for a post-doc position! Please RT!
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Reposted by Meenakshi Asokan
Happy to share my lab's first review article!
We outline how the lateral habenula is a critical regulator of almost every type of social behavior, from pro- to anti-social behaviors, in both sexes, and across the lifespan. Hopefully this can serve as a useful reference!
rdcu.be/eLWPw
We outline how the lateral habenula is a critical regulator of almost every type of social behavior, from pro- to anti-social behaviors, in both sexes, and across the lifespan. Hopefully this can serve as a useful reference!
rdcu.be/eLWPw
The lateral habenula as a master regulator of innate and learned social behaviors
rdcu.be
October 21, 2025 at 1:39 PM
Happy to share my lab's first review article!
We outline how the lateral habenula is a critical regulator of almost every type of social behavior, from pro- to anti-social behaviors, in both sexes, and across the lifespan. Hopefully this can serve as a useful reference!
rdcu.be/eLWPw
We outline how the lateral habenula is a critical regulator of almost every type of social behavior, from pro- to anti-social behaviors, in both sexes, and across the lifespan. Hopefully this can serve as a useful reference!
rdcu.be/eLWPw
Reposted by Meenakshi Asokan
I am thrilled to share our latest work: we identified a population of central amygdala neurons that promote the earliest and perhaps most important social behavior: pup suckling!... We also developed new tools for pup neuroscience
Work by @Jeff Moore now at USC, a collaboration with @Sam Pfaff lab
Work by @Jeff Moore now at USC, a collaboration with @Sam Pfaff lab
October 21, 2025 at 10:18 AM
I am thrilled to share our latest work: we identified a population of central amygdala neurons that promote the earliest and perhaps most important social behavior: pup suckling!... We also developed new tools for pup neuroscience
Work by @Jeff Moore now at USC, a collaboration with @Sam Pfaff lab
Work by @Jeff Moore now at USC, a collaboration with @Sam Pfaff lab
So helpful, informative and such a great special episode! Thank you @drnancypadilla.bsky.social and @moeneuro.bsky.social for doing this!!
We've added even more to our Applying to Faculty Jobs 101! Follow the link below to find tips from @drnancypadilla.bsky.social and @moeneuro.bsky.social on everything from where to find job ads, how to advocate for yourself, what goes into a research statement, and more!
Applying for faculty jobs this cycle? Check out our latest special episode! @moeneuro.bsky.social and @drnancypadilla.bsky.social discuss when to apply, important considerations when preparing applications, and more! Listen below!
www.storiesofwin.org/profiles/202...
#AcademicBluesky #NeuroJobs
www.storiesofwin.org/profiles/202...
#AcademicBluesky #NeuroJobs
October 22, 2025 at 4:10 AM
So helpful, informative and such a great special episode! Thank you @drnancypadilla.bsky.social and @moeneuro.bsky.social for doing this!!
Reposted by Meenakshi Asokan
Applying for faculty jobs this cycle? Check out our latest special episode! @moeneuro.bsky.social and @drnancypadilla.bsky.social discuss when to apply, important considerations when preparing applications, and more! Listen below!
www.storiesofwin.org/profiles/202...
#AcademicBluesky #NeuroJobs
www.storiesofwin.org/profiles/202...
#AcademicBluesky #NeuroJobs
Applying to faculty jobs 101 — Stories of WiN
This episode features Dr. Monique Smith (Assistant Professor, UCSD) discussing faculty job applications with host Dr. Nancy Padilla-Coreano.
www.storiesofwin.org
October 17, 2025 at 2:38 PM
Applying for faculty jobs this cycle? Check out our latest special episode! @moeneuro.bsky.social and @drnancypadilla.bsky.social discuss when to apply, important considerations when preparing applications, and more! Listen below!
www.storiesofwin.org/profiles/202...
#AcademicBluesky #NeuroJobs
www.storiesofwin.org/profiles/202...
#AcademicBluesky #NeuroJobs
Check this out! It was such a pleasure capturing her story!
Our latest profile is here! Dr. Susana Lima studies mate selection and female sexual behavior. Follow the link below to learn more!
#StoriesOfWiN #WomenInNeuroscience
www.storiesofwin.org/profiles/202...
#StoriesOfWiN #WomenInNeuroscience
www.storiesofwin.org/profiles/202...
Dr. Susana Lima — Stories of WiN
studies mate selection and female sexual behavior
www.storiesofwin.org
October 17, 2025 at 2:38 AM
Check this out! It was such a pleasure capturing her story!
Reposted by Meenakshi Asokan
1/n. New paper from us: here we explore the mechanisms underlying maternal aggression in mice as a means of addressing how an individual transiently can gain access to a behaviour normally outside of its repertoire. Lead investigator Stefanos Stagkourakis (not on 🦋)🧵:
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Maternal aggression driven by the transient mobilisation of a dormant hormone-sensitive circuit - Nature Communications
Mothers can fiercely defend their young, but how the brain triggers this response remains to a large extent a mystery. Here, authors show that a dormant, hormone-sensitive brain circuit switches on to spark maternal aggression during the lactation period.
www.nature.com
October 5, 2025 at 6:02 PM
1/n. New paper from us: here we explore the mechanisms underlying maternal aggression in mice as a means of addressing how an individual transiently can gain access to a behaviour normally outside of its repertoire. Lead investigator Stefanos Stagkourakis (not on 🦋)🧵:
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Reposted by Meenakshi Asokan
Excited to hear the latest science updates from @czimmerman.bsky.social on Monday, 1-2 pm CST. You can join us too—either on Zoom or in person! bit.ly/3VOJrcy
October 5, 2025 at 2:25 PM
Excited to hear the latest science updates from @czimmerman.bsky.social on Monday, 1-2 pm CST. You can join us too—either on Zoom or in person! bit.ly/3VOJrcy
Reposted by Meenakshi Asokan
When @laurapritschet.bsky.social & Pavel Shapturenka set out to build the 28&Me + 28&He datasets, I don't think any of us could've predicted the spectacularly creative ways the datasets would be used years later. That's the power of open science. 👇🏼
October 3, 2025 at 8:00 PM
When @laurapritschet.bsky.social & Pavel Shapturenka set out to build the 28&Me + 28&He datasets, I don't think any of us could've predicted the spectacularly creative ways the datasets would be used years later. That's the power of open science. 👇🏼
Check this out!! Neat unsupervised quantifications of rich social behavior, while simultaneously recording from the entire hormone-sensitive subcortical social behavior network. Massive effort, congrats @endoeartha.bsky.social !!
Very excited and proud to share my postdoctoral research with @neurrriot.bsky.social looking at the context-specific encoding of social behavior 💃🕺 in hormone-sensitive, large-scale brain networks in mice!
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
#neuroskyence #compneurosky 🧪
1/12
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
#neuroskyence #compneurosky 🧪
1/12
September 25, 2025 at 7:18 PM
Check this out!! Neat unsupervised quantifications of rich social behavior, while simultaneously recording from the entire hormone-sensitive subcortical social behavior network. Massive effort, congrats @endoeartha.bsky.social !!
Reposted by Meenakshi Asokan
How does the brain decide? 🧠
Our new @nature.com paper shows that neural activity switches from an 'evidence gathering' to a 'commitment' state at a precise moment we call nTc.
After nTc, new evidence is ignored, revealing a neural marker for the instant when the mind is made up.
rdcu.be/eGUrv
Our new @nature.com paper shows that neural activity switches from an 'evidence gathering' to a 'commitment' state at a precise moment we call nTc.
After nTc, new evidence is ignored, revealing a neural marker for the instant when the mind is made up.
rdcu.be/eGUrv
Transitions in dynamical regime and neural mode during perceptual decisions - Nature
Simultaneous recordings were made of hundreds of neurons in the rat frontal cortex and striatum, showing that decision commitment involves a rapid, coordinated transition in dynamical regime and neura...
www.nature.com
September 17, 2025 at 8:12 PM
How does the brain decide? 🧠
Our new @nature.com paper shows that neural activity switches from an 'evidence gathering' to a 'commitment' state at a precise moment we call nTc.
After nTc, new evidence is ignored, revealing a neural marker for the instant when the mind is made up.
rdcu.be/eGUrv
Our new @nature.com paper shows that neural activity switches from an 'evidence gathering' to a 'commitment' state at a precise moment we call nTc.
After nTc, new evidence is ignored, revealing a neural marker for the instant when the mind is made up.
rdcu.be/eGUrv
Reposted by Meenakshi Asokan
New preprint alert! The uterus expands ~500-fold in pregnancy, yet we know little about how pressures are sensed. Led by @yunxiao-dr.bsky.social, we show PIEZOs are required for contractions and birth in mice, with dual roles of PIEZO1 in muscle and PIEZO2 in neurons
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
PIEZO channels link mechanical forces to uterine contractions in parturition
Mechanical forces are extensively involved in pregnancy and parturition, but their precise roles and mechanisms remain poorly understood. Here, we identify mechanically activated ion channels PIEZO1 a...
www.biorxiv.org
September 18, 2025 at 3:23 PM
New preprint alert! The uterus expands ~500-fold in pregnancy, yet we know little about how pressures are sensed. Led by @yunxiao-dr.bsky.social, we show PIEZOs are required for contractions and birth in mice, with dual roles of PIEZO1 in muscle and PIEZO2 in neurons
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Reposted by Meenakshi Asokan
Job post alert!👩🔬 Postdoctoral fellow in CompNeuro/ML in the Artificial and Biological Computation lab at NYU (csavin.wixsite.com/savinlab).
Exciting opening in the Data and Theory team in the new Simons Collaboration in Ecological Neuroscience!
www.simonsfoundation.org/2025/04/24/s...
#neuroskyence
Exciting opening in the Data and Theory team in the new Simons Collaboration in Ecological Neuroscience!
www.simonsfoundation.org/2025/04/24/s...
#neuroskyence
Simons Foundation Launches Collaboration on Ecological Neuroscience
Simons Foundation Launches Collaboration on Ecological Neuroscience on Simons Foundation
www.simonsfoundation.org
September 15, 2025 at 9:28 PM
Job post alert!👩🔬 Postdoctoral fellow in CompNeuro/ML in the Artificial and Biological Computation lab at NYU (csavin.wixsite.com/savinlab).
Exciting opening in the Data and Theory team in the new Simons Collaboration in Ecological Neuroscience!
www.simonsfoundation.org/2025/04/24/s...
#neuroskyence
Exciting opening in the Data and Theory team in the new Simons Collaboration in Ecological Neuroscience!
www.simonsfoundation.org/2025/04/24/s...
#neuroskyence
Reposted by Meenakshi Asokan
Excited to share our latest paper - now out in @science.org - we showed how oxytocin modulates maternally-directed behavior in young mice (P15).
September 12, 2025 at 3:21 PM
Excited to share our latest paper - now out in @science.org - we showed how oxytocin modulates maternally-directed behavior in young mice (P15).
Reposted by Meenakshi Asokan
Really excited to share the latest work from my lab, where we identify how distinct cortical projections differentially encode sensory category and choice.
A cortical output channel for perceptual categorization
Perceptual categorization allows the brain to transform diverse sensory inputs into discrete representations that support flexible behavior. Auditory cortex (ACtx) has been implicated in this process,...
www.biorxiv.org
September 6, 2025 at 10:45 AM
Really excited to share the latest work from my lab, where we identify how distinct cortical projections differentially encode sensory category and choice.
Reposted by Meenakshi Asokan
Super excited to share the first cooperative foraging paradigm in freely interacting mouse pairs! Stable leader and follower roles emerge spontaneously and predict learning. Well-trained mice show stereotyped, role-specific “behavioral motifs” absent in naive animals (1/5)
doi.org/10.1101/2025...
doi.org/10.1101/2025...
September 4, 2025 at 2:21 PM
Super excited to share the first cooperative foraging paradigm in freely interacting mouse pairs! Stable leader and follower roles emerge spontaneously and predict learning. Well-trained mice show stereotyped, role-specific “behavioral motifs” absent in naive animals (1/5)
doi.org/10.1101/2025...
doi.org/10.1101/2025...
Reposted by Meenakshi Asokan
🚨 We’re hiring a postdoc! 🚨
Excited for our new NiCE grant with @lauerlab.bsky.social @batwoman123.bsky.social 🎉We use a comparative approach, two-photon imaging & optogenetics to identify why bats🦇 and deer mice resist noise but lab mice don't.
If you're interested, please DM or e-mail me!
Excited for our new NiCE grant with @lauerlab.bsky.social @batwoman123.bsky.social 🎉We use a comparative approach, two-photon imaging & optogenetics to identify why bats🦇 and deer mice resist noise but lab mice don't.
If you're interested, please DM or e-mail me!
The Kavli Foundation & #NSF announce four new NiCE grants to study how brains adapt to a changing world - linking genes, cells, behavior, and ecosystems.
From bees to bats to jellyfish, check out the 2025 awardees. Learn more here: http://bit.ly/4fYz8vK
#KavliNeuro #Neuroscience
From bees to bats to jellyfish, check out the 2025 awardees. Learn more here: http://bit.ly/4fYz8vK
#KavliNeuro #Neuroscience
Kavli and NSF Announce New Grant Awards to Advance Neurobiology in…
An initiative to explore how nervous systems function and evolve in dynamic natural environments
bit.ly
September 4, 2025 at 4:24 PM
🚨 We’re hiring a postdoc! 🚨
Excited for our new NiCE grant with @lauerlab.bsky.social @batwoman123.bsky.social 🎉We use a comparative approach, two-photon imaging & optogenetics to identify why bats🦇 and deer mice resist noise but lab mice don't.
If you're interested, please DM or e-mail me!
Excited for our new NiCE grant with @lauerlab.bsky.social @batwoman123.bsky.social 🎉We use a comparative approach, two-photon imaging & optogenetics to identify why bats🦇 and deer mice resist noise but lab mice don't.
If you're interested, please DM or e-mail me!
Reposted by Meenakshi Asokan
Writing is thinking, not just word production.
(And we need thinking.)
Agree strongly with Tim's take for @thetransmitter.bsky.social here: "The problem is not that the tools don’t work—it’s that they work too well."
(And we need thinking.)
Agree strongly with Tim's take for @thetransmitter.bsky.social here: "The problem is not that the tools don’t work—it’s that they work too well."
“Competent prose generated by a machine, I’ve come to realize, might not be what science actually needs.” ?
By Tim Requarth
#neuroskyence
www.thetransmitter.org/from-bench-t...
By Tim Requarth
#neuroskyence
www.thetransmitter.org/from-bench-t...
From bench to bot: Why AI-powered writing may not deliver on its promise
Efficiency isn’t everything. The cognitive work of struggling with prose may be a crucial part of what drives scientific progress.
www.thetransmitter.org
September 3, 2025 at 11:40 PM
Writing is thinking, not just word production.
(And we need thinking.)
Agree strongly with Tim's take for @thetransmitter.bsky.social here: "The problem is not that the tools don’t work—it’s that they work too well."
(And we need thinking.)
Agree strongly with Tim's take for @thetransmitter.bsky.social here: "The problem is not that the tools don’t work—it’s that they work too well."
Reposted by Meenakshi Asokan
#ThisWeekInNPP
This 🔥 Hot Topic 🔥 emphasizes that ovarian hormone fluctuations - across the menstrual cycle, postpartum, & menopause - are key drivers of psychiatric risk in ♀️, yet remain understudied / @kundakoviclab.bsky.social
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
This 🔥 Hot Topic 🔥 emphasizes that ovarian hormone fluctuations - across the menstrual cycle, postpartum, & menopause - are key drivers of psychiatric risk in ♀️, yet remain understudied / @kundakoviclab.bsky.social
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Leveraging high-resolution brain imaging and (epi)genomic approaches to improve women’s mental health - Neuropsychopharmacology
Neuropsychopharmacology - Leveraging high-resolution brain imaging and (epi)genomic approaches to improve women’s mental health
www.nature.com
September 2, 2025 at 4:44 PM
#ThisWeekInNPP
This 🔥 Hot Topic 🔥 emphasizes that ovarian hormone fluctuations - across the menstrual cycle, postpartum, & menopause - are key drivers of psychiatric risk in ♀️, yet remain understudied / @kundakoviclab.bsky.social
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
This 🔥 Hot Topic 🔥 emphasizes that ovarian hormone fluctuations - across the menstrual cycle, postpartum, & menopause - are key drivers of psychiatric risk in ♀️, yet remain understudied / @kundakoviclab.bsky.social
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Reposted by Meenakshi Asokan
New work with @shiyanliang.bsky.social, @roxana-zeraati.bsky.social, @intlbrainlab.bsky.social, Anna Levina. We uncover the principles that organize single-neuron timescales across the entire brain, unifying regional specialization with universal brain-wide dynamics: www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Excited to share our new preprint on the brain-wide organization of intrinsic timescales at single neuron resolution. Work w/ @roxana-zeraati.bsky.social, @intlbrainlab.bsky.social, Anna Levina, @engeltatiana.bsky.social : www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
September 2, 2025 at 4:08 PM
New work with @shiyanliang.bsky.social, @roxana-zeraati.bsky.social, @intlbrainlab.bsky.social, Anna Levina. We uncover the principles that organize single-neuron timescales across the entire brain, unifying regional specialization with universal brain-wide dynamics: www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...