barense.bsky.social
Morgan Barense
@barense.bsky.social
980 followers 560 following 26 posts
Cognitive Neuroscientist // Professor, University of Toronto // Senior Scientist, Rotman Research Institute // Director, Toronto Neuroimaging https://barense.psych.utoronto.ca/
barense.psych.utoronto.ca
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Reposted by Morgan Barense
jessicacalarco.com
Jess Calarco @jessicacalarco.com · 15d
Whether they're blaming vaccines and Tylenol, or selling dubious "remedies," what they're really doing is promoting the perception that families (and especially mothers) can prevent and treat Autism. And thus also the perception that people with Autism and their families don't need social support.
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Reposted by Morgan Barense
bradpostle.bsky.social
Brad Postle @bradpostle.bsky.social · Aug 12
Deadline approaching for Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience Travel Fellowship
bradpostle.bsky.social
Brad Postle @bradpostle.bsky.social · Aug 5
2026 @jocn.bsky.social Travel Fellowship
@jocn.bsky.social and Cog. Neurosci. Soc. to offer a stipend of $3000, plus waived conf. reg. and waived poster submission fee to attend www.cogneurosociety.org/annual-meeti... , to one trainee based at an institution located in each of five regions:
Annual Meeting - Cognitive Neuroscience Society
March 7 – 10, 2026 Submit a Symposium Submit a Poster CNS 2026 Annual Meeting – March 7 – March 10, 2026 We invite you to join us at the Cognitive Neuroscience Society (CNS) 2026 Annual Meeting, March...
www.cogneurosociety.org
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Reposted by Morgan Barense
bradpostle.bsky.social
Brad Postle @bradpostle.bsky.social · Aug 5
2026 @jocn.bsky.social Travel Fellowship
@jocn.bsky.social and Cog. Neurosci. Soc. to offer a stipend of $3000, plus waived conf. reg. and waived poster submission fee to attend www.cogneurosociety.org/annual-meeti... , to one trainee based at an institution located in each of five regions:
Annual Meeting - Cognitive Neuroscience Society
March 7 – 10, 2026 Submit a Symposium Submit a Poster CNS 2026 Annual Meeting – March 7 – March 10, 2026 We invite you to join us at the Cognitive Neuroscience Society (CNS) 2026 Annual Meeting, March...
www.cogneurosociety.org
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Reposted by Morgan Barense
numcog.bsky.social
Daniel Ansari 🇨🇦 @numcog.bsky.social · Jul 8
Graduate students who have an offer to study in the US but are reconsidering or have been denied entry or current grad students who want to leave, then consider coming to Western University in Canada. Our University just launched a US-CAN Doctoral Excellence Program : grad.uwo.ca/finances/wes...
US-CAN Doctoral Excellence Award
Western University, in vibrant London, Ontario, delivers an academic and student experience second to none.
grad.uwo.ca
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Reposted by Morgan Barense
laurenhomann.bsky.social
Lauren Homann @laurenhomann.bsky.social · Jun 19
Proud to share the first preprint of my PhD w/ @barense.bsky.social & Mursal Jahed:

“Putting the testing effect to the test in the wild: Retrieval enhances real-world memories and promotes their semantic integration while preserving episodic integrity”

See thread! 🧵 osf.io/preprints/ps...
OSF
osf.io
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barense.bsky.social
Morgan Barense @barense.bsky.social · Jun 12
Your work provides a very important perspective and I am really grateful for it. I’m sorry this happened to you.
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Reposted by Morgan Barense
action-brain.bsky.social
Mel Goodale @action-brain.bsky.social · Jun 3
CIFAR invites applications for senior PhD and postdocs to participate in the Neuroscience of Consciousness Winter School, held in Montebello, Canada Dec 10-12, 2025. The Winter School is hosted by members of CIFAR’s Brain, Mind, and Consciousness program. Please repost.
cifar.ca/next-generat... 🧠🧪
Dog-sled going past the Le Château Montebello. Main public room in Le Château Montebello decorated for Christmas. The building is the world's largest "log cabin". Le Château Montebello is situated on the banks of the Ottawa river, separating Quebec and Ontario. Group photo the school of 2018 at the Winter school on the Neuroscience of Consciousness
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barense.bsky.social
Morgan Barense @barense.bsky.social · May 17
Congratulations!! I cannot wait to see the cool stuff you do on your lab.
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Reposted by Morgan Barense
ivazovkic.bsky.social
Iva Zovkic @ivazovkic.bsky.social · May 14
If you are in Toronto on Tuesday next week, please consider coming to see a FREE public lecture on memory, delivered by the amazing @sjo09.bsky.social and @barense.bsky.social . Tix at this link can-acn.org/meeting-2025... Please repost and hope to see you there!
CAN 2025 Public Lectures: Neuroscience of memory and tools for making our memories stronger – Canadian Association for Neuroscience
can-acn.org
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Reposted by Morgan Barense
mcsweeneys.net
McSweeney's @mcsweeneys.net · May 10
"Autism doesn’t erase potential. It reshapes it. Sometimes it’s quiet. Sometimes it’s nonlinear. Always, it’s human."
An Open Letter to Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Who Thinks My Daughter is a Tragedy
Dear Mr. RFK Jr., (The “dear” is tradition. Don’t mistake it for affection.) You said autistic children are a burden. That they ruin families. That...
buff.ly
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Reposted by Morgan Barense
nicolecrust.bsky.social
Nicole Rust @nicolecrust.bsky.social · May 7
Gut wrenching essay about trainees by Daphna Shohamy (Director of Columbia's Zuckerman Neuroscience Institute).

"let’s be clear: It isn’t institutions that are being punished. It’s the researchers who are the future of science in this country ..." 💔

www.statnews.com/2025/05/07/u...
What am I supposed to say to this generation of young scientists?
Undermining the future of American science is not a path to accountability — it’s a path to decline.
www.statnews.com
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barense.bsky.social
Morgan Barense @barense.bsky.social · May 6
If these models are off b/c the motor system is abnormal, social behaviour will take the greatest hit. At any rate - let me do the studies and get back to you! We need more neuroimaging data in nonspeakers so we can understand the genesis of various profiles and tailor appropriate supports.
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Morgan Barense @barense.bsky.social · May 6
I don't think it's necessarily a stretch. It's well established that the motor system builds internal models of action that
that can serve as templates to predict and interpret the actions of others (who move in more complex and unpredictable ways than non-social stimuli).
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barense.bsky.social
Morgan Barense @barense.bsky.social · May 6
I'd have to see that study, but they might not respond to social stimuli b/c they weren't getting the right (sensory) info needed to move their body appropriately (motor). Or maybe they had the info but couldn't mount the typical response. Or both. Or neither. Hard to disentangle without brain data.
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barense.bsky.social
Morgan Barense @barense.bsky.social · May 6
It's hard to talk about motor without talking about sensory, given that they are right next to each other in the brain and the execution of any motor plan requires sensory info (this is why the term sensorimotor is so often used). But issues here will derail social behaviour, which will derail lang.
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barense.bsky.social
Morgan Barense @barense.bsky.social · May 6
Reduced social orienting could *absolutely* result from an abnormal sensorimotor system. This behaviour requires that the one (1) process perceptual info about the other person and (2) move in response. Either could be derailed by mechanisms that have nothing to do with high-level social processes.
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barense.bsky.social
Morgan Barense @barense.bsky.social · May 6
But if the primary underlying deficit is motor, one would also observe such coupling. Motor difficulties would prevent typical social behaviour and lead to an underestimation of receptive language. In some cases, this might be the simplest explanation (Occam's razor). That's our testable hypothesis.
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barense.bsky.social
Morgan Barense @barense.bsky.social · May 6
I'll also say that given the modularity of brain function, it's entirely possible that there could be a vast disconnect between the ability to speak and the ability to understand. If one is profoundly apraxic, they would not be able to demonstrate understanding with any reliable form of behaviour.
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barense.bsky.social
Morgan Barense @barense.bsky.social · May 6
I think the relationship between motor challenges and language challenges is very much up for debate, with a lot of work showing a tight coupling between the two. But we are absolutely looking at brain mechanisms of motor processing in this group - stay tuned.
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barense.bsky.social
Morgan Barense @barense.bsky.social · May 6
I agree, diagnosing apraxia is notoriously hard for those who cannot speak and I hope that neuroimaging can help here. But motor deficits are key associated features supporting an autism diagnosis in the DSM-5, and so most autistic individuals have motor deficits in their diagnostic profile already.
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Reposted by Morgan Barense
mnrajah.bsky.social
M. Natasha Rajah 🇨🇦 @mnrajah.bsky.social · Apr 11
Looking for a Master’s or PhD trainee interested in a f/t lab manager role.

Funding for this position is secured longterm. It is a great opportunity for someone interested in making sig contributions to #cogneuro #aging & #womensbrainhealth in 🇨🇦

Solid salary with full benefits!

#neurojobs
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Reposted by Morgan Barense
cogneuronews.bsky.social
Cognitive Neuroscience Society @cogneuronews.bsky.social · Mar 31
Want to learn more about smartphone-based studies on memory? Check out our #CNS2025 press release "How Dreams, Novelty, and Emotions Can Shape Memories: Lessons from Smartphone Studies," featuring the work of @evgoldfarb.bsky.social @barense.bsky.social @liladavachi.bsky.social:
How Dreams, Novelty, and Emotions Can Shape Memories: Lessons from Smartphone Studies
At CNS 2025, researchers will share smartphone-based studies about how a range of actions can build stronger, more detailed memories.
www.cogneurosociety.org
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barense.bsky.social
Morgan Barense @barense.bsky.social · Mar 30
And on Monday morning I'll be joining @evgoldfarb.bsky.social, @davidclewett.bsky.social and
@liladavachi.bsky.social in a symposium to talk about new techniques to study memory in the wild. Come say hi!
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barense.bsky.social
Morgan Barense @barense.bsky.social · Mar 30
If you're at #CNS2025 come check out our lab's Sunday line-up of posters from @catalinayang.bsky.social, @bryanhong.bsky.social, @nellymatorina.bsky.social, and @laurenhomann.bsky.social.
CNS 2025 presentations from the Barense lab
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Reposted by Morgan Barense
uoftpsychology.bsky.social
University of Toronto Psychology @uoftpsychology.bsky.social · Mar 28
"Small changes, like taking a different route during your daily walk, can have a significant impact on memory and mood," says @uoft.bsky.social Prof. @barense.bsky.social.

🧠 www.psych.utoronto.ca/news/one-new...
One new experience a day boosts memory and mood: Study
Researchers at the University of Toronto have found that doing just one new thing each day can significantly improve mood, memory and overall well-being.
www.psych.utoronto.ca
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