Blake Porter
@blakep-neuro.bsky.social
Postdoc (he/him) @jadhavlab studying memory schema 🧠 with 🐀
Otherwise 🎮 and 🌭-🐶
Otherwise 🎮 and 🌭-🐶
Reposted by Blake Porter
Can your AI beat a mouse?
Mice still outperform our best computing machines in some ways. One way is robust visual processing.
10 years ago I decided to work on HARD behavior driven by COMPLEX visual processing. And that risk is paying off now. #neuroAI 1/n
Mice still outperform our best computing machines in some ways. One way is robust visual processing.
10 years ago I decided to work on HARD behavior driven by COMPLEX visual processing. And that risk is paying off now. #neuroAI 1/n
July 10, 2025 at 12:22 PM
Can your AI beat a mouse?
Mice still outperform our best computing machines in some ways. One way is robust visual processing.
10 years ago I decided to work on HARD behavior driven by COMPLEX visual processing. And that risk is paying off now. #neuroAI 1/n
Mice still outperform our best computing machines in some ways. One way is robust visual processing.
10 years ago I decided to work on HARD behavior driven by COMPLEX visual processing. And that risk is paying off now. #neuroAI 1/n
Reposted by Blake Porter
Category learning disentangles representation of trial events in hippocampus CA1 https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2025.12.01.690977v1
December 3, 2025 at 5:15 PM
Category learning disentangles representation of trial events in hippocampus CA1 https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2025.12.01.690977v1
Reposted by Blake Porter
Our new paper, now published in @natcomms.nature.com , asks a simple question: when two tasks share a common structure, does the brain learn them more efficiently? Surprisingly, this was not the case. Thread below (1/7)
rdcu.be/eSwvU
rdcu.be/eSwvU
The effects of task similarity during representation learning in brains and neural networks
Nature Communications - Here, the authors show learning tasks with similar structures can initially cause interference and slow down learning, but both the brain and artificial networks gradually...
rdcu.be
December 2, 2025 at 9:42 AM
Our new paper, now published in @natcomms.nature.com , asks a simple question: when two tasks share a common structure, does the brain learn them more efficiently? Surprisingly, this was not the case. Thread below (1/7)
rdcu.be/eSwvU
rdcu.be/eSwvU
Reposted by Blake Porter
Most basic neuroscience research in the U.S. is funded by the federal government, but there is an entire funding landscape that lies beyond those federal agencies. To bring those sources together, @thetransmitter.bsky.social presents a funding source directory: bit.ly/4pBBF2B
#StateOfNeuroscience
#StateOfNeuroscience
Neuroscience funding: A source directory
Our list features expected and lesser-known governmental and nongovernmental sources of funding for basic neuroscience research.
bit.ly
December 1, 2025 at 3:50 PM
Most basic neuroscience research in the U.S. is funded by the federal government, but there is an entire funding landscape that lies beyond those federal agencies. To bring those sources together, @thetransmitter.bsky.social presents a funding source directory: bit.ly/4pBBF2B
#StateOfNeuroscience
#StateOfNeuroscience
Reposted by Blake Porter
The basal forebrain plays the cortex like a piano.
A cholinergic mechanism orchestrating task-dependent computation across the cortex
In an ever-changing environment, animals often need to switch between performing different tasks involving distinct sets of cognitive processes. Many such tasks involve neural activity distributed acr...
www.biorxiv.org
November 28, 2025 at 5:51 PM
The basal forebrain plays the cortex like a piano.
Reposted by Blake Porter
New preprint alert!
Cognitive maps are flexible, dynamic, (re)constructed representations
#psychscisky #neuroskyence #cognition #philsky 🧪
Cognitive maps are flexible, dynamic, (re)constructed representations
#psychscisky #neuroskyence #cognition #philsky 🧪
OSF
osf.io
November 26, 2025 at 6:11 PM
New preprint alert!
Cognitive maps are flexible, dynamic, (re)constructed representations
#psychscisky #neuroskyence #cognition #philsky 🧪
Cognitive maps are flexible, dynamic, (re)constructed representations
#psychscisky #neuroskyence #cognition #philsky 🧪
Reposted by Blake Porter
So excited to see our latest paper out today in @natcomms.nature.com! Studies led by the amazing @margestelzner.bsky.social www.nature.com/articles/s41.... VTA GABA neurons have a unique role in economic decision making - they integrate reward seeking motivation and the current cost of seeking
Ventral tegmental area GABA neurons integrate positive and negative valence - Nature Communications
The role of ventral tegmental area GABA neurons in behavior is unclear. Here, authors show that VTA GABA but not dopamine neurons integrate positive and negative valence to encode motivational conflic...
www.nature.com
November 24, 2025 at 4:18 PM
So excited to see our latest paper out today in @natcomms.nature.com! Studies led by the amazing @margestelzner.bsky.social www.nature.com/articles/s41.... VTA GABA neurons have a unique role in economic decision making - they integrate reward seeking motivation and the current cost of seeking
Come by tomorrow morning to see my poster (PP4) on how my super smart rats learn and solve my transitive inference task! #sfn2025
The Jadhav lab also has Edward showing his cooperative social task (PP5) and Caine presenting their super interesting behavioral observation during decision making (PP6)
The Jadhav lab also has Edward showing his cooperative social task (PP5) and Caine presenting their super interesting behavioral observation during decision making (PP6)
November 19, 2025 at 2:14 AM
Come by tomorrow morning to see my poster (PP4) on how my super smart rats learn and solve my transitive inference task! #sfn2025
The Jadhav lab also has Edward showing his cooperative social task (PP5) and Caine presenting their super interesting behavioral observation during decision making (PP6)
The Jadhav lab also has Edward showing his cooperative social task (PP5) and Caine presenting their super interesting behavioral observation during decision making (PP6)
Reposted by Blake Porter
Our new preprint: The primate hippocampus parses experience into event-aligned neural states, creating a temporal scaffold for organizing behavior.
At #SfN25 ? Come chat at my poster — Wednesday AM (PP14; 414.03).
At #SfN25 ? Come chat at my poster — Wednesday AM (PP14; 414.03).
The Primate Hippocampus Constructs a Temporal Scaffold Anchored to Behavioral Events https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.11.12.687961v1
November 17, 2025 at 11:30 PM
Our new preprint: The primate hippocampus parses experience into event-aligned neural states, creating a temporal scaffold for organizing behavior.
At #SfN25 ? Come chat at my poster — Wednesday AM (PP14; 414.03).
At #SfN25 ? Come chat at my poster — Wednesday AM (PP14; 414.03).
Reposted by Blake Porter
The Preston Lab will be at @sfn.org #SfN2025! Come see what we've been working on 🧠
We'll discuss how kids & adults remember when things happen, how memory changes impact reasoning & how we learn different actions have different consequences based on the setting.
Find us Monday & Wednesday 🤘
We'll discuss how kids & adults remember when things happen, how memory changes impact reasoning & how we learn different actions have different consequences based on the setting.
Find us Monday & Wednesday 🤘
November 14, 2025 at 5:04 PM
Reposted by Blake Porter
(1/4)
🧠 Did you know that kids remember time differently than adults? Our new preprint review w/ @drjeni-mdlab.bsky.social discusses the real implications for juvenile justice & why we need to ask about timing in ways that match kids' developing brains ⚖️
Paper: osf.io/preprints/ps...
🧠 Did you know that kids remember time differently than adults? Our new preprint review w/ @drjeni-mdlab.bsky.social discusses the real implications for juvenile justice & why we need to ask about timing in ways that match kids' developing brains ⚖️
Paper: osf.io/preprints/ps...
November 12, 2025 at 5:26 PM
(1/4)
🧠 Did you know that kids remember time differently than adults? Our new preprint review w/ @drjeni-mdlab.bsky.social discusses the real implications for juvenile justice & why we need to ask about timing in ways that match kids' developing brains ⚖️
Paper: osf.io/preprints/ps...
🧠 Did you know that kids remember time differently than adults? Our new preprint review w/ @drjeni-mdlab.bsky.social discusses the real implications for juvenile justice & why we need to ask about timing in ways that match kids' developing brains ⚖️
Paper: osf.io/preprints/ps...
Reposted by Blake Porter
🧠🌟🐭 Excited to share some of my postdoc work on the evolution of dexterity!
We compared deer mice evolved in forest vs prairie habitats. We found that forest mice have:
(1) more corticospinal neurons (CSNs)
(2) better hand dexterity
(3) more dexterous climbing, which is linked to CSN number🧵
We compared deer mice evolved in forest vs prairie habitats. We found that forest mice have:
(1) more corticospinal neurons (CSNs)
(2) better hand dexterity
(3) more dexterous climbing, which is linked to CSN number🧵
October 22, 2025 at 8:41 PM
🧠🌟🐭 Excited to share some of my postdoc work on the evolution of dexterity!
We compared deer mice evolved in forest vs prairie habitats. We found that forest mice have:
(1) more corticospinal neurons (CSNs)
(2) better hand dexterity
(3) more dexterous climbing, which is linked to CSN number🧵
We compared deer mice evolved in forest vs prairie habitats. We found that forest mice have:
(1) more corticospinal neurons (CSNs)
(2) better hand dexterity
(3) more dexterous climbing, which is linked to CSN number🧵
Reposted by Blake Porter
New preprint led by @debyee.bsky.social: "Neurocomputational mechanisms underlying the distinct motivational influences of reward and punishment on cognitive control".
🔗 www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
🔗 www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
October 20, 2025 at 9:36 PM
New preprint led by @debyee.bsky.social: "Neurocomputational mechanisms underlying the distinct motivational influences of reward and punishment on cognitive control".
🔗 www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
🔗 www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Reposted by Blake Porter
I am excited to share my PhD work on head-direction cells recorded in the wild, now published in @science.org, where we recorded neurons in bats flying outdoors on an island.
doi.org/10.1126/sci...
With @ray-neuro.bsky.social, Shir Maimon, Liora Las, Nachum Ulanovsky and many others
doi.org/10.1126/sci...
With @ray-neuro.bsky.social, Shir Maimon, Liora Las, Nachum Ulanovsky and many others
October 16, 2025 at 6:04 PM
I am excited to share my PhD work on head-direction cells recorded in the wild, now published in @science.org, where we recorded neurons in bats flying outdoors on an island.
doi.org/10.1126/sci...
With @ray-neuro.bsky.social, Shir Maimon, Liora Las, Nachum Ulanovsky and many others
doi.org/10.1126/sci...
With @ray-neuro.bsky.social, Shir Maimon, Liora Las, Nachum Ulanovsky and many others
Reposted by Blake Porter
A Cornell University researcher has been developing an artificial heart for children for more than 20 years. Now, his research is on hold and his lab is shut down.
This 4-year-old's heart is failing. A federal grant that might help him was canceled
A Cornell University researcher has been developing an artificial heart for children for more than 20 years. Now, his research is on hold and his lab is shut down.
n.pr
October 12, 2025 at 9:59 PM
A Cornell University researcher has been developing an artificial heart for children for more than 20 years. Now, his research is on hold and his lab is shut down.
Reposted by Blake Porter
🚀 New Preprint from our team: comparing place cells across species!
Disentangling methods from biology provides a roadmap for cross-species insights into spatial coding 🌍
👉 www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Disentangling methods from biology provides a roadmap for cross-species insights into spatial coding 🌍
👉 www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
October 7, 2025 at 4:52 PM
🚀 New Preprint from our team: comparing place cells across species!
Disentangling methods from biology provides a roadmap for cross-species insights into spatial coding 🌍
👉 www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Disentangling methods from biology provides a roadmap for cross-species insights into spatial coding 🌍
👉 www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Reposted by Blake Porter
Did NIH cancel all the NOSIs? I first noticed that NOT-MH-24-100, which had a prior expiration date of May 2027, now shows as expired (as of September 9, 2025). I then realized there are no active NOSIs...
. @rosalafersousa.bsky.social
. @rosalafersousa.bsky.social
October 5, 2025 at 3:50 PM
Did NIH cancel all the NOSIs? I first noticed that NOT-MH-24-100, which had a prior expiration date of May 2027, now shows as expired (as of September 9, 2025). I then realized there are no active NOSIs...
. @rosalafersousa.bsky.social
. @rosalafersousa.bsky.social
Reposted by Blake Porter
Like...this is the biggest corruption scandal the NIH has experienced in its entire history and its not even close. Half of a BILLION dollars to a single project as a result of political spoils. That's the equivalent of several hundred R01s.
October 5, 2025 at 1:50 AM
Like...this is the biggest corruption scandal the NIH has experienced in its entire history and its not even close. Half of a BILLION dollars to a single project as a result of political spoils. That's the equivalent of several hundred R01s.
Reposted by Blake Porter
I'm recruiting a PhD student to study how enkephalins affect cognitive processing in the rodent frontal cortex. The project uses pharmacology, multi-electrode recordings, and fiber photometry, and is funded by NIDA. Please share with trainees applying this cycle. Thanks!
October 3, 2025 at 3:43 PM
I'm recruiting a PhD student to study how enkephalins affect cognitive processing in the rodent frontal cortex. The project uses pharmacology, multi-electrode recordings, and fiber photometry, and is funded by NIDA. Please share with trainees applying this cycle. Thanks!
Reposted by Blake Porter
Interesting new data on BTSP mechanisms from my old Janelia colleague @hiallen72.bsky.social
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Ca2+ Plateau Potentials Reflect Cross-Theta Cortico-Hippocampal Input Dynamics and Acetylcholine for Rapid Formation of Efficient Place-Cell Code
A central tenet of Systems Neuroscience lies in an understanding of memory and behavior through learning rules, but synaptic plasticity has rarely been shown to create functional single-neuron code in...
www.biorxiv.org
October 3, 2025 at 2:55 AM
Interesting new data on BTSP mechanisms from my old Janelia colleague @hiallen72.bsky.social
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Reposted by Blake Porter
I’m pleased to share our new paper, “Hippocampal ripple diversity organizes neuronal reactivation dynamics in the offline brain”, out in @cp-neuron.bsky.social !
With @vitorlds.bsky.social and David Dupret, we show that diversity in ripple current profiles shapes reactivation dynamics
With @vitorlds.bsky.social and David Dupret, we show that diversity in ripple current profiles shapes reactivation dynamics
October 2, 2025 at 3:46 PM
I’m pleased to share our new paper, “Hippocampal ripple diversity organizes neuronal reactivation dynamics in the offline brain”, out in @cp-neuron.bsky.social !
With @vitorlds.bsky.social and David Dupret, we show that diversity in ripple current profiles shapes reactivation dynamics
With @vitorlds.bsky.social and David Dupret, we show that diversity in ripple current profiles shapes reactivation dynamics
Reposted by Blake Porter
Thinking about which neuroscience conferences to attend in 2026? Check out our recently updated calendar, featuring top neuroscience meetings and events through April 2027.
Are you organizing a conference? Share it with us at [email protected].
www.thetransmitter.org/events/?utm_...
Are you organizing a conference? Share it with us at [email protected].
www.thetransmitter.org/events/?utm_...
Events
www.thetransmitter.org
September 30, 2025 at 5:08 PM
Thinking about which neuroscience conferences to attend in 2026? Check out our recently updated calendar, featuring top neuroscience meetings and events through April 2027.
Are you organizing a conference? Share it with us at [email protected].
www.thetransmitter.org/events/?utm_...
Are you organizing a conference? Share it with us at [email protected].
www.thetransmitter.org/events/?utm_...
Reposted by Blake Porter
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 12:04 PM
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...
Reposted by Blake Porter
New manuscript from the lab!
"Mirror manifolds: partially overlapping neural subspaces for speaking and listening"
Led by superstar grad student Anilu Chavez (not on Bluesky)!
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
"Mirror manifolds: partially overlapping neural subspaces for speaking and listening"
Led by superstar grad student Anilu Chavez (not on Bluesky)!
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Mirror manifolds: partially overlapping neural subspaces for speaking and listening
Participants in conversations need to associate words their speakers but also retain those words general meanings. For example, someone talking about their hand is not referring to the other speakers ...
www.biorxiv.org
September 22, 2025 at 2:15 PM
New manuscript from the lab!
"Mirror manifolds: partially overlapping neural subspaces for speaking and listening"
Led by superstar grad student Anilu Chavez (not on Bluesky)!
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
"Mirror manifolds: partially overlapping neural subspaces for speaking and listening"
Led by superstar grad student Anilu Chavez (not on Bluesky)!
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...