Simone Papa
@simonepapa.bsky.social
Phd in Neuroscience (ETH) Neurobehavioural Dynamics Lab
Neurobiology - Sapienza University | EMBL
- Visual Systems Neuroscience;
- Neurophysiology and functional neuroanatomy (Visuomotor System);
- Computational Neuroscience (Modelling & ANN)
Neurobiology - Sapienza University | EMBL
- Visual Systems Neuroscience;
- Neurophysiology and functional neuroanatomy (Visuomotor System);
- Computational Neuroscience (Modelling & ANN)
Pinned
Simone Papa
@simonepapa.bsky.social
· Jun 17
Human Brain: ~86B neurons with ~100T connections
Here is just one neuron with its connections.
Some neurons have connections with hundreds or even thousands of other neurons! (by Igor Korolev, DO, PhD )
VIDEO CREDIT: Andrew Moore & Pedro Guedes-Dias (Howard Hughes Medical Institute)
Here is just one neuron with its connections.
Some neurons have connections with hundreds or even thousands of other neurons! (by Igor Korolev, DO, PhD )
VIDEO CREDIT: Andrew Moore & Pedro Guedes-Dias (Howard Hughes Medical Institute)
Your Pupils, Your Mind 👁️🧠
Pupil size isn’t just light reflex: it tracks “pupil-linked arousal” shaped by neuromodulators (NA, ACh, 5-HT, orexin). The piece argues pupils are a 1D readout of multidimensional brain states.
#Neuroscience #Arousal #Pupillometry #Orexin
www.cell.com/neuron/fullt...
Pupil size isn’t just light reflex: it tracks “pupil-linked arousal” shaped by neuromodulators (NA, ACh, 5-HT, orexin). The piece argues pupils are a 1D readout of multidimensional brain states.
#Neuroscience #Arousal #Pupillometry #Orexin
www.cell.com/neuron/fullt...
Neurobehavioral meaning of pupil size
Grujic et al. summarize the optical, neural, and behavioral consequences, as well
as mechanisms, of pupil-linked arousal. They incorporate novel findings and identify
gaps in the literature while prov...
www.cell.com
January 19, 2026 at 12:42 PM
Your Pupils, Your Mind 👁️🧠
Pupil size isn’t just light reflex: it tracks “pupil-linked arousal” shaped by neuromodulators (NA, ACh, 5-HT, orexin). The piece argues pupils are a 1D readout of multidimensional brain states.
#Neuroscience #Arousal #Pupillometry #Orexin
www.cell.com/neuron/fullt...
Pupil size isn’t just light reflex: it tracks “pupil-linked arousal” shaped by neuromodulators (NA, ACh, 5-HT, orexin). The piece argues pupils are a 1D readout of multidimensional brain states.
#Neuroscience #Arousal #Pupillometry #Orexin
www.cell.com/neuron/fullt...
A perspective piece questions the #ArealizationParadigm (the idea of neatly bounded brain areas with single functions). Anatomical, genetic, and connectivity maps often disagree, and large-scale recordings suggest cognition is widely distributed.
www.nature.com/articles/s41... #neuroscience
www.nature.com/articles/s41... #neuroscience
Rethinking the centrality of brain areas in understanding functional organization - Nature Neuroscience
Parcellation of the cortex into functionally modular brain areas is foundational to neuroscience. Here, Hayden, Heilbronner and Yoo question the central status of brain areas in neuroscience from the ...
www.nature.com
January 19, 2026 at 11:35 AM
A perspective piece questions the #ArealizationParadigm (the idea of neatly bounded brain areas with single functions). Anatomical, genetic, and connectivity maps often disagree, and large-scale recordings suggest cognition is widely distributed.
www.nature.com/articles/s41... #neuroscience
www.nature.com/articles/s41... #neuroscience
I am pleased to share that I have commenced my Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) program in Neuroscience at @ethz.ch Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule Zürich!
#ETH #PhD #Neuroscience #DHest
#ETH #PhD #Neuroscience #DHest
January 12, 2026 at 4:06 PM
I am pleased to share that I have commenced my Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) program in Neuroscience at @ethz.ch Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule Zürich!
#ETH #PhD #Neuroscience #DHest
#ETH #PhD #Neuroscience #DHest
A new Scientific Horizons article by Öykü Nur Kesek and Nicolas Hubacz explores how adolescent stress shapes the brain, alongside new insights into neuronal communication.
Emerging links between mental health, neural development, and information processing.
www.linkedin.com/pulse/mappin...
Emerging links between mental health, neural development, and information processing.
www.linkedin.com/pulse/mappin...
Mapping Stress in the Teenage Brain and How Neurons Communicate
Scientific Horizons is your gateway to expert-driven insights, uncovering the latest breakthroughs in healthcare, biotech and scientific research Mapping Stress in the Teenage Brain and Body: The Conn...
www.linkedin.com
January 6, 2026 at 8:49 PM
A new Scientific Horizons article by Öykü Nur Kesek and Nicolas Hubacz explores how adolescent stress shapes the brain, alongside new insights into neuronal communication.
Emerging links between mental health, neural development, and information processing.
www.linkedin.com/pulse/mappin...
Emerging links between mental health, neural development, and information processing.
www.linkedin.com/pulse/mappin...
Non-invasive temporal interference #stimulation can quiet deep epileptic networks.
In MTLE patients, TI targeting the #hippocampus reduced seizure biomarkers and limited spread, with lasting effects beyond stimulation, offering a promising option for drug-resistant #epilepsy without surgery.
In MTLE patients, TI targeting the #hippocampus reduced seizure biomarkers and limited spread, with lasting effects beyond stimulation, offering a promising option for drug-resistant #epilepsy without surgery.
January 6, 2026 at 8:46 PM
Non-invasive temporal interference #stimulation can quiet deep epileptic networks.
In MTLE patients, TI targeting the #hippocampus reduced seizure biomarkers and limited spread, with lasting effects beyond stimulation, offering a promising option for drug-resistant #epilepsy without surgery.
In MTLE patients, TI targeting the #hippocampus reduced seizure biomarkers and limited spread, with lasting effects beyond stimulation, offering a promising option for drug-resistant #epilepsy without surgery.
A new #Brain study shows cortico-basal oscillations track real-world movement in #Parkinson’s patients with #DBS.
These rhythms change predictably during daily actions. Measuring brain signals in natural settings could enable adaptive, personalized stimulation beyond the clinic (Michael S Oku)
These rhythms change predictably during daily actions. Measuring brain signals in natural settings could enable adaptive, personalized stimulation beyond the clinic (Michael S Oku)
January 3, 2026 at 10:12 PM
A new #Brain study shows cortico-basal oscillations track real-world movement in #Parkinson’s patients with #DBS.
These rhythms change predictably during daily actions. Measuring brain signals in natural settings could enable adaptive, personalized stimulation beyond the clinic (Michael S Oku)
These rhythms change predictably during daily actions. Measuring brain signals in natural settings could enable adaptive, personalized stimulation beyond the clinic (Michael S Oku)
A colleague’s new study in #Biomolecules compares β- and γ-synuclein aggregation across vertebrates.
It reveals species-specific differences in aggregation propensity and copper sensitivity, offering new insights into #synuclein dynamics and mechanisms.
www.mdpi.com/2218-273X/15...
It reveals species-specific differences in aggregation propensity and copper sensitivity, offering new insights into #synuclein dynamics and mechanisms.
www.mdpi.com/2218-273X/15...
January 3, 2026 at 7:24 PM
A colleague’s new study in #Biomolecules compares β- and γ-synuclein aggregation across vertebrates.
It reveals species-specific differences in aggregation propensity and copper sensitivity, offering new insights into #synuclein dynamics and mechanisms.
www.mdpi.com/2218-273X/15...
It reveals species-specific differences in aggregation propensity and copper sensitivity, offering new insights into #synuclein dynamics and mechanisms.
www.mdpi.com/2218-273X/15...
A new #fluorescent sensor, iGluSnFR3, reveals #glutamate release at #synapses in real time 🧠✨
Developed by teams from the Allen Institute, HHMI, and UC San Diego, it makes the brain’s fastest signals visible, enabling deeper insight into how #neurons communicate across networks.
Developed by teams from the Allen Institute, HHMI, and UC San Diego, it makes the brain’s fastest signals visible, enabling deeper insight into how #neurons communicate across networks.
January 3, 2026 at 7:15 PM
A new #fluorescent sensor, iGluSnFR3, reveals #glutamate release at #synapses in real time 🧠✨
Developed by teams from the Allen Institute, HHMI, and UC San Diego, it makes the brain’s fastest signals visible, enabling deeper insight into how #neurons communicate across networks.
Developed by teams from the Allen Institute, HHMI, and UC San Diego, it makes the brain’s fastest signals visible, enabling deeper insight into how #neurons communicate across networks.
Season’s greetings from the microscopy world!
A festive YFP-labeled neuron lights up an enlightened mouse brain from the Noé Rodriguez collection, with creative work by Stanislav Pelekhov (Ksena Longrin)
Happy holidays! #microscopy #neuroscience #neuron
A festive YFP-labeled neuron lights up an enlightened mouse brain from the Noé Rodriguez collection, with creative work by Stanislav Pelekhov (Ksena Longrin)
Happy holidays! #microscopy #neuroscience #neuron
December 23, 2025 at 4:05 PM
Season’s greetings from the microscopy world!
A festive YFP-labeled neuron lights up an enlightened mouse brain from the Noé Rodriguez collection, with creative work by Stanislav Pelekhov (Ksena Longrin)
Happy holidays! #microscopy #neuroscience #neuron
A festive YFP-labeled neuron lights up an enlightened mouse brain from the Noé Rodriguez collection, with creative work by Stanislav Pelekhov (Ksena Longrin)
Happy holidays! #microscopy #neuroscience #neuron
I attended “Spremuta di Cervelli” on #education and the future of learning, focusing on how #neuroscience and #AI intersect.
The discussion explored how attention, memory, motivation, and emotion shape learning, and how algorithms may transform #teaching without losing sight of #brain complexity.
The discussion explored how attention, memory, motivation, and emotion shape learning, and how algorithms may transform #teaching without losing sight of #brain complexity.
December 20, 2025 at 2:58 PM
I attended “Spremuta di Cervelli” on #education and the future of learning, focusing on how #neuroscience and #AI intersect.
The discussion explored how attention, memory, motivation, and emotion shape learning, and how algorithms may transform #teaching without losing sight of #brain complexity.
The discussion explored how attention, memory, motivation, and emotion shape learning, and how algorithms may transform #teaching without losing sight of #brain complexity.
Over a year of #FluorescenceFriday showcased biology in true 3D, from intact human tissues to neural and immune networks, tumors, and vasculature.
Structure, context, and relationships. In biology, context isn’t optional, it’s ground truth (Alpenglow Biosciences)
Structure, context, and relationships. In biology, context isn’t optional, it’s ground truth (Alpenglow Biosciences)
December 20, 2025 at 2:53 PM
Over a year of #FluorescenceFriday showcased biology in true 3D, from intact human tissues to neural and immune networks, tumors, and vasculature.
Structure, context, and relationships. In biology, context isn’t optional, it’s ground truth (Alpenglow Biosciences)
Structure, context, and relationships. In biology, context isn’t optional, it’s ground truth (Alpenglow Biosciences)
The article is based on an fMRI study assessing brain activity during performance, which I simply reported. Here, the arrogance seems entirely on your side, commenting in a condescending tone, presenting yourself as a “mentor” to researchers… while accusing others of arrogance? Come on.
December 18, 2025 at 2:40 PM
The article is based on an fMRI study assessing brain activity during performance, which I simply reported. Here, the arrogance seems entirely on your side, commenting in a condescending tone, presenting yourself as a “mentor” to researchers… while accusing others of arrogance? Come on.
Synaptic and functional plasticity is itself a form of brain reprogramming, from individual cells to entire circuits, and underlies learnin, musical or otherwise.
December 18, 2025 at 2:39 PM
Synaptic and functional plasticity is itself a form of brain reprogramming, from individual cells to entire circuits, and underlies learnin, musical or otherwise.
#Bioinformatics is a fast-growing market: $10.1B in 2022, projected to reach $18.7B by 2027 (13% CAGR)
Growth is driven by public and private funding, while high equipment costs remain a barrier. Emerging markets offer major opportunities, and data security will define long-term winners.
Growth is driven by public and private funding, while high equipment costs remain a barrier. Emerging markets offer major opportunities, and data security will define long-term winners.
December 18, 2025 at 12:31 PM
#Bioinformatics is a fast-growing market: $10.1B in 2022, projected to reach $18.7B by 2027 (13% CAGR)
Growth is driven by public and private funding, while high equipment costs remain a barrier. Emerging markets offer major opportunities, and data security will define long-term winners.
Growth is driven by public and private funding, while high equipment costs remain a barrier. Emerging markets offer major opportunities, and data security will define long-term winners.
Music improvisation rewires the brain in real time.
Jazz studies show that creative freedom boosts auditory, motor coupling and salience networks, while structured tasks engage evaluative control systems.
Creativity emerges from dynamic shifts.
neurosciencenews.com/music-improv...
Jazz studies show that creative freedom boosts auditory, motor coupling and salience networks, while structured tasks engage evaluative control systems.
Creativity emerges from dynamic shifts.
neurosciencenews.com/music-improv...
Music Improvisation Rewires the Brain in Real Time - Neuroscience News
Creativity is notoriously difficult to study as it unfolds, but musical improvisation offers a rare chance to watch spontaneous idea-generation in action.
neurosciencenews.com
December 18, 2025 at 12:28 PM
Music improvisation rewires the brain in real time.
Jazz studies show that creative freedom boosts auditory, motor coupling and salience networks, while structured tasks engage evaluative control systems.
Creativity emerges from dynamic shifts.
neurosciencenews.com/music-improv...
Jazz studies show that creative freedom boosts auditory, motor coupling and salience networks, while structured tasks engage evaluative control systems.
Creativity emerges from dynamic shifts.
neurosciencenews.com/music-improv...
This Thursday we’re hosting an event on #Education at the intersection of #neuroscience and #AI.
We’ll explore how brains and algorithms learn through error, feedback, and adaptation, and what this means for attention, memory, teaching practices, and the future role of educators.
We’ll explore how brains and algorithms learn through error, feedback, and adaptation, and what this means for attention, memory, teaching practices, and the future role of educators.
December 16, 2025 at 5:47 PM
This Thursday we’re hosting an event on #Education at the intersection of #neuroscience and #AI.
We’ll explore how brains and algorithms learn through error, feedback, and adaptation, and what this means for attention, memory, teaching practices, and the future role of educators.
We’ll explore how brains and algorithms learn through error, feedback, and adaptation, and what this means for attention, memory, teaching practices, and the future role of educators.
Researchers from the Allen Institute and Japan’s University of Electro-Communications used supercomputer Fugaku to simulate the full mouse cortex, 10M neurons and 26B synapses.
Built on open data, this virtual brain lets scientists explore how disorders emerge.
alleninstitute.org/news/one-of-...
Built on open data, this virtual brain lets scientists explore how disorders emerge.
alleninstitute.org/news/one-of-...
December 16, 2025 at 5:38 PM
Researchers from the Allen Institute and Japan’s University of Electro-Communications used supercomputer Fugaku to simulate the full mouse cortex, 10M neurons and 26B synapses.
Built on open data, this virtual brain lets scientists explore how disorders emerge.
alleninstitute.org/news/one-of-...
Built on open data, this virtual brain lets scientists explore how disorders emerge.
alleninstitute.org/news/one-of-...
A new study introduces high-plex spatial RNA imaging in a single round using color-intensity barcodes and standard microscopes, enabling scalable transcript mapping.
Open textbook Principles of Light Microscopy, accessed over 44,000 times (Volodymyr Nechyporuk-Zloy).
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Open textbook Principles of Light Microscopy, accessed over 44,000 times (Volodymyr Nechyporuk-Zloy).
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
December 13, 2025 at 6:45 PM
A new study introduces high-plex spatial RNA imaging in a single round using color-intensity barcodes and standard microscopes, enabling scalable transcript mapping.
Open textbook Principles of Light Microscopy, accessed over 44,000 times (Volodymyr Nechyporuk-Zloy).
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Open textbook Principles of Light Microscopy, accessed over 44,000 times (Volodymyr Nechyporuk-Zloy).
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
A new study shows motor cortex stimulation eases chronic pain not via motor circuits, but through non-motor networks in the precentral gyrus.
nTMS mapping can target these regions precisely, enabling more personalized and effective treatments for pain. (Nicolas Hubacz, M.S)
#ChronicPain #TMS
nTMS mapping can target these regions precisely, enabling more personalized and effective treatments for pain. (Nicolas Hubacz, M.S)
#ChronicPain #TMS
December 13, 2025 at 6:43 PM
A new study shows motor cortex stimulation eases chronic pain not via motor circuits, but through non-motor networks in the precentral gyrus.
nTMS mapping can target these regions precisely, enabling more personalized and effective treatments for pain. (Nicolas Hubacz, M.S)
#ChronicPain #TMS
nTMS mapping can target these regions precisely, enabling more personalized and effective treatments for pain. (Nicolas Hubacz, M.S)
#ChronicPain #TMS
I attended “Brain Aging - How time shapes the brain,” exploring how aging alters memory, attention, and connectivity, while plasticity and circuit reorganization support resilience👨🦳🧠.
#BrainAging
#BrainAging
December 13, 2025 at 6:39 PM
I attended “Brain Aging - How time shapes the brain,” exploring how aging alters memory, attention, and connectivity, while plasticity and circuit reorganization support resilience👨🦳🧠.
#BrainAging
#BrainAging
Attended the seminar “What can we learn from stochastic parrots?” at UPF Barcelona, great insights on LLMs and cognition (Jarosław R. Lelonkiewicz).
Also visited IMIM’s Neurosciences Department, focused on mental and neurodegenerative disorders and the misuse of psychoactive substances.
#neuro
Also visited IMIM’s Neurosciences Department, focused on mental and neurodegenerative disorders and the misuse of psychoactive substances.
#neuro
December 3, 2025 at 12:08 AM
Attended the seminar “What can we learn from stochastic parrots?” at UPF Barcelona, great insights on LLMs and cognition (Jarosław R. Lelonkiewicz).
Also visited IMIM’s Neurosciences Department, focused on mental and neurodegenerative disorders and the misuse of psychoactive substances.
#neuro
Also visited IMIM’s Neurosciences Department, focused on mental and neurodegenerative disorders and the misuse of psychoactive substances.
#neuro
New research finds the brain moves through five wiring epochs, with key shifts at ages 9, 32, 66, and 83. The biggest change in the early 30s ends adolescent-like connectivity and begins adult stability, shaping learning, cognition, and vulnerabilities.
neurosciencenews.com/brain-aging-...
neurosciencenews.com/brain-aging-...
Your Brain Quietly Rewires Itself at 9, 32, 66 and 83 - Neuroscience News
Researchers identified five major phases of human brain wiring that unfold from birth to old age, marked by four major turning points at ages 9, 32, 66, and 83.
neurosciencenews.com
November 27, 2025 at 1:50 PM
New research finds the brain moves through five wiring epochs, with key shifts at ages 9, 32, 66, and 83. The biggest change in the early 30s ends adolescent-like connectivity and begins adult stability, shaping learning, cognition, and vulnerabilities.
neurosciencenews.com/brain-aging-...
neurosciencenews.com/brain-aging-...