banner
kevinstaras.bsky.social
Kevin Staras
@kevinstaras.bsky.social
280 followers 220 following 24 posts
NeuroProf at University of Sussex, UK • Synapses, Circuits, Plasticity, Disease, Decision-making https://www.thestaraslab.org/
www.thestaraslab.org
Posts Media Videos Starter Packs
Reposted by Kevin Staras
pjsjostrom.bsky.social
Jesper Sjöström @pjsjostrom.bsky.social · Jun 19
🧪 We recently published our first micro-publication! This paper highlights the pitfalls of using extracellular stimulation to recruit synapses in neocortical circuits, as it lacks specificity. www.micropublication.org/journals/bio...
2 2 28
Reposted by Kevin Staras
carandinilab.net
Matteo Carandini @carandinilab.net · Jun 17
I'd like to make a list of PhD programs that (1) are in Europe (which does include the UK); (2) offer opportunities in systems neuroscience; and obviously (3) pay a stipend. Please share and/or respond to add your suggestions?
3 6 21
Reposted by Kevin Staras
neurofishh.bsky.social
Tom Baden @neurofishh.bsky.social · Jun 17
Sussex Neuroscience 4-year PhD programme www.sussex.ac.uk/study/phd/de...
Sussex Neuroscience 4-Year Programme PhD at the University of Sussex
Join a team of world-leading experts in our high-spec Neuroscience Research Centre whose aim is to understand the nervous system and various neurological disorders.
www.sussex.ac.uk
1 3
Reposted by Kevin Staras
megancarey.bsky.social
Megan Carey @megancarey.bsky.social · Jun 17
We are super excited about this news!!! 🤩 #ERCAdG
3 4 33
Reposted by Kevin Staras
megancarey.bsky.social
Megan Carey @megancarey.bsky.social · Jun 17
Oops the original post was deleted! The news is here: bsky.app/profile/cham...
champalimaudr.bsky.social
Champalimaud Research @champalimaudr.bsky.social · Jun 17
👏 Congratulations to @megancarey.bsky.social, principal investigator at @champalimaudr.bsky.social on winning a 2.5M€ #AdvancedGrantInLifeSciences, awarded by the @erc.europa.eu, to develop the project 🧠 SCUPTABELLUM - Sculpting cerebellar activity across timescales.
2 1 23
Reposted by Kevin Staras
neuroluci.bsky.social
Lucia Prieto Godino @neuroluci.bsky.social · Jun 12
How do brain circuits evolve? We started looking for some answers by using synapse-resolution cross-species comparative connectomics on an entire olfactory circuit 👇

bit.ly/44aVm9E
5 60 150
Reposted by Kevin Staras
mmaravall.bsky.social
Miguel Maravall @mmaravall.bsky.social · May 13
Posting this after some recent conversations with potential international applicants - still time to apply to our Masters courses and International PhD Academy for 2025 entry - join the diverse and vibrant Neuroscience community on our beautiful campus next to Brighton
sussexneuro.bsky.social
Sussex Neuroscience @sussexneuro.bsky.social · Mar 25
Want to join our vibrant postgrad community?

Discover all our Neuroscience courses here: www.sussex.ac.uk/study/subjects/neuroscience

Including:
🏫 International PhD Academy
🏫 Masters courses
🏫 Opportunities across several schools: Life Science; Psychology; Computer Science & AI; and BSMS
Neuroscience : University of Sussex
Discover our undergraduate courses, Masters and PhD degrees in neuroscience.
www.sussex.ac.uk
6 5
Reposted by Kevin Staras
adrianawanner.bsky.social
Adrian Wanner @adrianawanner.bsky.social · Apr 9
I am very happy and thankful for having been part of this amazing journey. Enjoy exploring this incredibly rich dataset!
alleninstitute.org
Allen Institute @alleninstitute.org · Apr 9
How does the brain work?

Scientists are closer to the answer with the largest wiring diagram and functional map of a mammalian brain to date. 🧵

🧠📈
1 3
Reposted by Kevin Staras
michaelreiser.bsky.social
Michael Reiser @michaelreiser.bsky.social · Mar 27
I know there's a 𝒍𝒐𝒕 going on right now, but I couldn’t be prouder to share this long-incubated labor of love: the complete connectome of the male 𝐷𝑟𝑜𝑠𝑜𝑝ℎ𝑖𝑙𝑎 optic lobe 🧠🪰
🔗 www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Connectome-driven neural inventory of a complete visual system - Nature
A connectome of the right optic lobe from a male fruitfly is presented together with an extensive collection of genetic drivers matched to a comprehensive neuron-type catalogue.
www.nature.com
12 79 220
kevinstaras.bsky.social
Kevin Staras @kevinstaras.bsky.social · Mar 5
Aw, we got the cover for our new paper on X-ray imaging and atlas building in the snail brain. www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/... Thanks @pnas.org .. and to @sussexneuro.bsky.social @leverhulme.bsky.social @ukri.org for funding support #invertebrate #brain #neuroscience THREAD: bsky.app/profile/kevi...
1 9 27
kevinstaras.bsky.social
Kevin Staras @kevinstaras.bsky.social · Feb 28
And here's the brain atlas link again, hopefully working this time: sites.google.com/view/snailbr...
SnailBrainMap
About The Project Thanks to their accessible nervous systems, molluscs have provided some of the most fundamental insights into how neural circuits generate and control behavior. Notably, their neuron...
sites.google.com
kevinstaras.bsky.social
Kevin Staras @kevinstaras.bsky.social · Feb 28
sites.google.com/view/snailbr...
SnailBrainMap
About The Project Thanks to their accessible nervous systems, molluscs have provided some of the most fundamental insights into how neural circuits generate and control behavior. Notably, their neuron...
sites.google.com
kevinstaras.bsky.social
Kevin Staras @kevinstaras.bsky.social · Feb 28
sites.google.com/view/snailbr...
SnailBrainMap
About The Project Thanks to their accessible nervous systems, molluscs have provided some of the most fundamental insights into how neural circuits generate and control behavior. Notably, their neuron...
sites.google.com
kevinstaras.bsky.social
Kevin Staras @kevinstaras.bsky.social · Feb 28
Michael Crossley led the experimental work, supported by Anna Simon, @arndroth.bsky.social and
@enzomarra.bsky.social Thanks to @sussexneuro.bsky.social @leverhulme.bsky.social @ukri.org and @diamondlightsource.bsky.social for funding support. Thanks for reading! 10/10
1 2
kevinstaras.bsky.social
Kevin Staras @kevinstaras.bsky.social · Feb 28
Our approach should readily generalize to other model systems with comparable brain sizes (e.g. other molluscs, crustacea, annelids, insects). On its own, it won’t yield a full wiring diagram, but it does rapidly provide a detailed overview map for atlas building and comparative studies. 9/10
1 1 4
kevinstaras.bsky.social
Kevin Staras @kevinstaras.bsky.social · Feb 28
This provides the locations of principal feeding-circuit cell types, including motoneurons, CPG neurons and modulatory cells, alongside a detailed summary of their main functional properties. 8/10
1 1 3
kevinstaras.bsky.social
Kevin Staras @kevinstaras.bsky.social · Feb 28
We also brought together the anatomical mapping and functional information to establish the beginnings of a fully scalable functional cell atlas of the brain of Lymnaea stagnalis: sites.google.com/view/snailbr... 7/10
3 2
kevinstaras.bsky.social
Kevin Staras @kevinstaras.bsky.social · Feb 28
The consistent positioning of neurons across Lymnaea brains means the atlas can guide follow-up functional experiments. Targeting a non-superficial region led to the discovery of DINE (“Diamond Neuron”), an apt name 😜 because it activates the food ingestion circuitry. 6/10
1 3
kevinstaras.bsky.social
Kevin Staras @kevinstaras.bsky.social · Feb 28
The 3D reconstruction revealed the organization of neurons beneath the surface layer for the first time. It turns out around half the neurons (coloured orange) are non-superficial - a hidden world of circuit components that can now be studied. 5/10
1 2
kevinstaras.bsky.social
Kevin Staras @kevinstaras.bsky.social · Feb 28
We then used the excellent volume image-sharing, annotation, and reconstruction platform
@webknossos.org to fully reconstruct the buccal ganglia (one side is shown here) housing the main feeding circuitry, yielding the first accurate estimate of the total number of neurons: ~1100. 4/10
1 3
kevinstaras.bsky.social
Kevin Staras @kevinstaras.bsky.social · Feb 28
Michael Crossley led the experimental work, supported by Anna Simon, @arndroth.bsky.social and @enzomarra.bsky.social Thanks to @sussexneuro.bsky.social @leverhulme.bsky.social @ukri.org and @diamondlightsource.bsky.social for funding support. Thanks for reading! 10/10
2 1
kevinstaras.bsky.social
Kevin Staras @kevinstaras.bsky.social · Feb 28
Our approach should readily generalize to other model systems with comparable brain sizes (e.g. other molluscs, crustacea, annelids, insects). On its own, it won’t yield a full wiring diagram, but it does rapidly provide a detailed overview map for atlas building and comparative studies. 9/10
1 1 1
kevinstaras.bsky.social
Kevin Staras @kevinstaras.bsky.social · Feb 28
This provides the locations of principal feeding-circuit cell types, including motoneurons, CPG neurons and modulatory cells, alongside a detailed summary of their main functional properties. 8/10
Sample image showing detailed information on different neuron types in the Lymnaea brain.
1 1
kevinstaras.bsky.social
Kevin Staras @kevinstaras.bsky.social · Feb 28
We also brought together the anatomical mapping and functional information to establish the beginnings of a fully scalable functional cell atlas of the brain of Lymnaea stagnalis: sites.google.com/view/snailbr... 7/10
1 1
kevinstaras.bsky.social
Kevin Staras @kevinstaras.bsky.social · Feb 28
The consistent positioning of neurons across Lymnaea brains means the atlas can guide follow-up functional experiments. Targeting a non-superficial region led to the discovery of DINE (“Diamond Neuron”), an apt name 😜 because it activates the food ingestion circuitry. 6/10
Figure shows a cross section view of the ganglia with an orange neuron, DINE, highlighted. It also shows electrophysiological traces with DINE driving a robust fictive feeding rhythm.
1 1