Tahereh Toosi
@taherehtoosi.bsky.social
Associate Research Scientist at Center for Theoretical Neuroscience Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute
Kavli Institute for Brain Science
Columbia University Irving Medical Center
K99-R00 scholar @NIH @NatEyeInstitute
https://toosi.github.io/
Kavli Institute for Brain Science
Columbia University Irving Medical Center
K99-R00 scholar @NIH @NatEyeInstitute
https://toosi.github.io/
Pinned
How does our brain excel at complex object recognition, yet get fooled by simple illusory contours? What unifying principle governs all Gestalt laws of perceptual organization?
We may have an answer: integration of learned priors through feedback. New paper with @kenmiller.bsky.social! 🧵
We may have an answer: integration of learned priors through feedback. New paper with @kenmiller.bsky.social! 🧵
Reposted by Tahereh Toosi
I am impressed by the improvement with Gemini 3 and nano 🍌.
I used nano banana to make scientific figures. With 2.5 it was repetitively putting a human brain inside the 🐭 head.
Now it draws an accurate mouse brain anatomy even seems to locate correctly the cortical areas. Big jump imo
I used nano banana to make scientific figures. With 2.5 it was repetitively putting a human brain inside the 🐭 head.
Now it draws an accurate mouse brain anatomy even seems to locate correctly the cortical areas. Big jump imo
November 21, 2025 at 11:32 AM
I am impressed by the improvement with Gemini 3 and nano 🍌.
I used nano banana to make scientific figures. With 2.5 it was repetitively putting a human brain inside the 🐭 head.
Now it draws an accurate mouse brain anatomy even seems to locate correctly the cortical areas. Big jump imo
I used nano banana to make scientific figures. With 2.5 it was repetitively putting a human brain inside the 🐭 head.
Now it draws an accurate mouse brain anatomy even seems to locate correctly the cortical areas. Big jump imo
Reposted by Tahereh Toosi
Response dynamics in macaque ventral stream recapitulate the visual hierarchy https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.11.11.686115v1
November 12, 2025 at 11:15 PM
Response dynamics in macaque ventral stream recapitulate the visual hierarchy https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.11.11.686115v1
Reposted by Tahereh Toosi
Our lab is looking for a postdoc! We have interesting projects and cutting-edge techniques such as Neuropixels Opto, Light Beads Microscopy and more. We would be delighted to receive your application. Deadline is 25 November 2025. More info here:
www.ucl.ac.uk/cortexlab/po...
www.ucl.ac.uk/cortexlab/po...
November 12, 2025 at 3:41 PM
Our lab is looking for a postdoc! We have interesting projects and cutting-edge techniques such as Neuropixels Opto, Light Beads Microscopy and more. We would be delighted to receive your application. Deadline is 25 November 2025. More info here:
www.ucl.ac.uk/cortexlab/po...
www.ucl.ac.uk/cortexlab/po...
Reposted by Tahereh Toosi
Project structure for scientific coding projects
- the latest in my Better Code, Better Science series open.substack.com/pub/russpold...
- the latest in my Better Code, Better Science series open.substack.com/pub/russpold...
Project structure for scientific coding projects
Better Code, Better Science: Chapter 6, Part 3
open.substack.com
November 11, 2025 at 2:51 PM
Project structure for scientific coding projects
- the latest in my Better Code, Better Science series open.substack.com/pub/russpold...
- the latest in my Better Code, Better Science series open.substack.com/pub/russpold...
Reposted by Tahereh Toosi
I’m looking for interns to join our lab for a project on foundation models in neuroscience.
Funded by @ivado.bsky.social and in collaboration with the IVADO regroupement 1 (AI and Neuroscience: ivado.ca/en/regroupem...).
Interested? See the details in the comments. (1/3)
🧠🤖
Funded by @ivado.bsky.social and in collaboration with the IVADO regroupement 1 (AI and Neuroscience: ivado.ca/en/regroupem...).
Interested? See the details in the comments. (1/3)
🧠🤖
AI and Neuroscience | IVADO
ivado.ca
November 7, 2025 at 1:52 PM
I’m looking for interns to join our lab for a project on foundation models in neuroscience.
Funded by @ivado.bsky.social and in collaboration with the IVADO regroupement 1 (AI and Neuroscience: ivado.ca/en/regroupem...).
Interested? See the details in the comments. (1/3)
🧠🤖
Funded by @ivado.bsky.social and in collaboration with the IVADO regroupement 1 (AI and Neuroscience: ivado.ca/en/regroupem...).
Interested? See the details in the comments. (1/3)
🧠🤖
How does our brain excel at complex object recognition, yet get fooled by simple illusory contours? What unifying principle governs all Gestalt laws of perceptual organization?
We may have an answer: integration of learned priors through feedback. New paper with @kenmiller.bsky.social! 🧵
We may have an answer: integration of learned priors through feedback. New paper with @kenmiller.bsky.social! 🧵
October 24, 2025 at 2:00 PM
How does our brain excel at complex object recognition, yet get fooled by simple illusory contours? What unifying principle governs all Gestalt laws of perceptual organization?
We may have an answer: integration of learned priors through feedback. New paper with @kenmiller.bsky.social! 🧵
We may have an answer: integration of learned priors through feedback. New paper with @kenmiller.bsky.social! 🧵
Reposted by Tahereh Toosi
New faculty job opening at @zuckermanbrain.bsky.social @columbiauniversity.bsky.social
Come be our colleague!
Application deadline: November 22
apply.interfolio.com/176153
Come be our colleague!
Application deadline: November 22
apply.interfolio.com/176153
Apply - Interfolio
{{$ctrl.$state.data.pageTitle}} - Apply - Interfolio
apply.interfolio.com
October 21, 2025 at 3:29 PM
New faculty job opening at @zuckermanbrain.bsky.social @columbiauniversity.bsky.social
Come be our colleague!
Application deadline: November 22
apply.interfolio.com/176153
Come be our colleague!
Application deadline: November 22
apply.interfolio.com/176153
Reposted by Tahereh Toosi
Today in Nature Machine Intelligence, Kazuki Irie & I discuss 4 classic challenges for neural nets — systematic generalization, catastrophic forgetting, few-shot learning, & reasoning. We argue there is a unifying fix: the right incentives & practice. rdcu.be/eLRmg
October 20, 2025 at 1:18 PM
Today in Nature Machine Intelligence, Kazuki Irie & I discuss 4 classic challenges for neural nets — systematic generalization, catastrophic forgetting, few-shot learning, & reasoning. We argue there is a unifying fix: the right incentives & practice. rdcu.be/eLRmg
Reposted by Tahereh Toosi
Next week, our usual weekly predictive processing meeting will be a journal club. Hyeyoung Shin will present our recent shared publication: www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Note the different time: Oct 20 at 4PM PST, meeting details : allenneuraldynamics.github.io/openscope-co...
Open to All!
Note the different time: Oct 20 at 4PM PST, meeting details : allenneuraldynamics.github.io/openscope-co...
Open to All!
Recurrent pattern completion drives the neocortical representation of sensory inference - Nature Neuroscience
Neurons that respond emergently to illusory contours drive pattern completion in V1. Pattern completion in lower cortical areas may therefore mediate perceptual inference by selectively reinforcing…
www.nature.com
October 19, 2025 at 6:40 PM
Next week, our usual weekly predictive processing meeting will be a journal club. Hyeyoung Shin will present our recent shared publication: www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Note the different time: Oct 20 at 4PM PST, meeting details : allenneuraldynamics.github.io/openscope-co...
Open to All!
Note the different time: Oct 20 at 4PM PST, meeting details : allenneuraldynamics.github.io/openscope-co...
Open to All!
Reposted by Tahereh Toosi
Map of spiking activity underlying change detection in the mouse visual system https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.10.17.683190v1
October 20, 2025 at 12:15 AM
Map of spiking activity underlying change detection in the mouse visual system https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.10.17.683190v1
Reposted by Tahereh Toosi
Vision people: what's the best encoding model for V4? I know brainscore has a ranking of trained models, but do we know what best captures tuning to orientation, spatial frequency, and color? Is there a "bank of filters" model that's better than trained ones?
#neuroskyence
#neuroskyence
October 15, 2025 at 2:01 PM
Vision people: what's the best encoding model for V4? I know brainscore has a ranking of trained models, but do we know what best captures tuning to orientation, spatial frequency, and color? Is there a "bank of filters" model that's better than trained ones?
#neuroskyence
#neuroskyence
Reposted by Tahereh Toosi
A study led by Cina Aghamohammadi is now out in @natcomms.nature.com! We developed a mathematical framework for partitioning spiking variability, which revealed that spiking irregularity is nearly invariant for each neuron and decreases along the cortical hierarchy.
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
October 12, 2025 at 12:42 AM
A study led by Cina Aghamohammadi is now out in @natcomms.nature.com! We developed a mathematical framework for partitioning spiking variability, which revealed that spiking irregularity is nearly invariant for each neuron and decreases along the cortical hierarchy.
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Reposted by Tahereh Toosi
Distributed neural computation and the evolution of the first brains https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.10.03.680388v1
October 4, 2025 at 8:15 AM
Distributed neural computation and the evolution of the first brains https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.10.03.680388v1
Reposted by Tahereh Toosi
Tomorrow , we will host a public presentation from Farzaneh Najafi on her lab recent publication on temporal predictive processing : allenneuraldynamics.github.io/openscope-co...
All are welcome to join at 10AM PST time. The Microsoft team link is in the meeting link.
All are welcome to join at 10AM PST time. The Microsoft team link is in the meeting link.
2025-10-03 - OpenScope Community Predictive Processing
Project Plan
allenneuraldynamics.github.io
October 3, 2025 at 12:26 AM
Tomorrow , we will host a public presentation from Farzaneh Najafi on her lab recent publication on temporal predictive processing : allenneuraldynamics.github.io/openscope-co...
All are welcome to join at 10AM PST time. The Microsoft team link is in the meeting link.
All are welcome to join at 10AM PST time. The Microsoft team link is in the meeting link.
Reposted by Tahereh Toosi
If you're interested in doing your PhD with us, please apply via the ELLIS PhD program!
We're looking for talented people interested in the intersection of machine learning and neuroscience.
We're looking for talented people interested in the intersection of machine learning and neuroscience.
🎓 The application portal for the #ELLISPhD Program is open today! Info & link: https://bit.ly/45DSe75
ELLIS PhD Program: Call for Applications 2025
The ELLIS mission is to create a diverse European network that promotes research excellence and advances breakthroughs in AI, as well as a pan-European PhD program to educate the next generation of AI...
ellis.eu
October 2, 2025 at 4:12 PM
If you're interested in doing your PhD with us, please apply via the ELLIS PhD program!
We're looking for talented people interested in the intersection of machine learning and neuroscience.
We're looking for talented people interested in the intersection of machine learning and neuroscience.
Super cool data and analysis!
#JNeuosci | Olianezhad et al. found that human amblyopia, or lazy eye, is associated with contrast sensitivity and impaired shape perception. They also propose a mechanism in the cortex that compensates for these impairments.
https://doi.org/10.1523/JNEUROSCI.1111-25.2025
https://doi.org/10.1523/JNEUROSCI.1111-25.2025
October 1, 2025 at 5:51 PM
Super cool data and analysis!
Reposted by Tahereh Toosi
🚨 New preprint alert!
🧠🤖
We propose a theory of how learning curriculum affects generalization through neural population dimensionality. Learning curriculum is a determining factor of neural dimensionality - where you start from determines where you end up.
🧠📈
A 🧵:
tinyurl.com/yr8tawj3
🧠🤖
We propose a theory of how learning curriculum affects generalization through neural population dimensionality. Learning curriculum is a determining factor of neural dimensionality - where you start from determines where you end up.
🧠📈
A 🧵:
tinyurl.com/yr8tawj3
The curriculum effect in visual learning: the role of readout dimensionality
Generalization of visual perceptual learning (VPL) to unseen conditions varies across tasks. Previous work suggests that training curriculum may be integral to generalization, yet a theoretical explan...
tinyurl.com
September 30, 2025 at 2:26 PM
🚨 New preprint alert!
🧠🤖
We propose a theory of how learning curriculum affects generalization through neural population dimensionality. Learning curriculum is a determining factor of neural dimensionality - where you start from determines where you end up.
🧠📈
A 🧵:
tinyurl.com/yr8tawj3
🧠🤖
We propose a theory of how learning curriculum affects generalization through neural population dimensionality. Learning curriculum is a determining factor of neural dimensionality - where you start from determines where you end up.
🧠📈
A 🧵:
tinyurl.com/yr8tawj3
Reposted by Tahereh Toosi
Very much look forward to our workshop (co-organized with @armanbehrad.bsky.social) today with a great lineup of speakers who combine a wide spectrum of approaches and methods to have a joint definition of brain-behavior state!
bernstein-network.de/bernstein-co...
#BernsteinConference
bernstein-network.de/bernstein-co...
#BernsteinConference
September 29, 2025 at 10:39 AM
Very much look forward to our workshop (co-organized with @armanbehrad.bsky.social) today with a great lineup of speakers who combine a wide spectrum of approaches and methods to have a joint definition of brain-behavior state!
bernstein-network.de/bernstein-co...
#BernsteinConference
bernstein-network.de/bernstein-co...
#BernsteinConference
Apply to Laureline's lab! Amazing science, awesome mentor.
Interested in doing a Ph.D. to work on building models of the brain/behavior? Consider applying to graduate schools at CU Anschutz:
1. Neuroscience www.cuanschutz.edu/graduate-pro...
2. Bioengineering engineering.ucdenver.edu/bioengineeri...
You could work with several comp neuro PIs, including me.
1. Neuroscience www.cuanschutz.edu/graduate-pro...
2. Bioengineering engineering.ucdenver.edu/bioengineeri...
You could work with several comp neuro PIs, including me.
September 27, 2025 at 10:52 PM
Apply to Laureline's lab! Amazing science, awesome mentor.
Reposted by Tahereh Toosi
Exciting news! 🎉 Our Computational Neuroscience course has been awarded NIH BRAIN Initiative funding! Students will get hands-on experience w real BRAIN Initiative datasets, helping them build computational skills that are essential for the future of neuroscience.
www.linkedin.com/feed/update/...
www.linkedin.com/feed/update/...
September 25, 2025 at 9:01 PM
Exciting news! 🎉 Our Computational Neuroscience course has been awarded NIH BRAIN Initiative funding! Students will get hands-on experience w real BRAIN Initiative datasets, helping them build computational skills that are essential for the future of neuroscience.
www.linkedin.com/feed/update/...
www.linkedin.com/feed/update/...
Reposted by Tahereh Toosi
This is one of my favourite things ever. From the awesome @kristorpjensen.bsky.social
I’m super excited to finally put my recent work with @behrenstimb.bsky.social on bioRxiv, where we develop a new mechanistic theory of how PFC structures adaptive behaviour using attractor dynamics in space and time!
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
September 24, 2025 at 1:33 PM
This is one of my favourite things ever. From the awesome @kristorpjensen.bsky.social
Reposted by Tahereh Toosi
At Neurips? You can now check out @herrickfung.bsky.social ‘s new work on modeling individual differences at two workshops! Much more to say on this awesome colab with @dobyrahnev.bsky.social very soon. 🙂
Our work showing human-like individual differences in perceptual decisions emerge from random weight initializations in deep neural networks has been accepted in two NeurIPS workshops! 🎉 Awesome job by my student @herrickfung.bsky.social in collaboration with the amazing @apurvaratan.bsky.social.
September 24, 2025 at 12:23 AM
At Neurips? You can now check out @herrickfung.bsky.social ‘s new work on modeling individual differences at two workshops! Much more to say on this awesome colab with @dobyrahnev.bsky.social very soon. 🙂
Reposted by Tahereh Toosi
New preprint! How can you remember an image you saw once, even after seeing thousands of them? We find a role for humble mid-level visual cortex in high-capacity, one-shot learning. doi.org/10.1101/2025.09.22.677855 🧵🧪1/
Neuronal signatures of successful one-shot memory in mid-level visual cortex
High-capacity, one-shot visual recognition memory challenges theories of learning and neural coding because it requires rapid, robust, and durable representations. Most studies have focused on the hip...
doi.org
September 23, 2025 at 3:09 PM
New preprint! How can you remember an image you saw once, even after seeing thousands of them? We find a role for humble mid-level visual cortex in high-capacity, one-shot learning. doi.org/10.1101/2025.09.22.677855 🧵🧪1/
Reposted by Tahereh Toosi
🚨Our NeurIPS 2025 competition Mouse vs. AI is LIVE!
We combine a visual navigation task + large-scale mouse neural data to test what makes visual RL agents robust and brain-like.
Top teams: featured at NeurIPS + co-author our summary paper. Join the challenge!
Whitepaper: arxiv.org/abs/2509.14446
We combine a visual navigation task + large-scale mouse neural data to test what makes visual RL agents robust and brain-like.
Top teams: featured at NeurIPS + co-author our summary paper. Join the challenge!
Whitepaper: arxiv.org/abs/2509.14446
Mouse vs. AI: A Neuroethological Benchmark for Visual Robustness and Neural Alignment
Visual robustness under real-world conditions remains a critical bottleneck for modern reinforcement learning agents. In contrast, biological systems such as mice show remarkable resilience to environ...
arxiv.org
September 22, 2025 at 11:13 PM
🚨Our NeurIPS 2025 competition Mouse vs. AI is LIVE!
We combine a visual navigation task + large-scale mouse neural data to test what makes visual RL agents robust and brain-like.
Top teams: featured at NeurIPS + co-author our summary paper. Join the challenge!
Whitepaper: arxiv.org/abs/2509.14446
We combine a visual navigation task + large-scale mouse neural data to test what makes visual RL agents robust and brain-like.
Top teams: featured at NeurIPS + co-author our summary paper. Join the challenge!
Whitepaper: arxiv.org/abs/2509.14446
Reposted by Tahereh Toosi
New work from the lab, mismatch responses consistent with spatial but not temporal predictive coding theory.
Does predictive coding work in SPACE or in TIME? Most neuroscientists assume TIME, i.e. neurons predict their future sensory inputs. We show that in visual cortex predictive coding actually works across SPACE, just like the original Rao+Ballard theory #neuroscience
www.biorxiv.org/cgi/content/...
www.biorxiv.org/cgi/content/...
September 22, 2025 at 7:23 PM
New work from the lab, mismatch responses consistent with spatial but not temporal predictive coding theory.