Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Reposted by Matt Mattoni

David V. Smith @dvsmith.bsky.social · 8d

New work led by @mattmattoni.bsky.social

“Overall, results suggest that BOLD activation to reward tasks, and likely other fMRI tasks, is more appropriate for within-person study than between-person study, highlighting a need for intensive longitudinal neuroimaging designs.”

bioRxiv Neuroscience @biorxiv-neursci.bsky.social · 9d

Precision Imaging for Intraindividual Investigation of the Reward Response https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.09.26.678878v1

5 14

Matt Mattoni @mattmattoni.bsky.social · 8d

Big thanks to the team, particularly David’s lab to get this study done with a highly reproducible and open workflow! We hope the dataset is of interest to others and are very excited to see where precision imaging goes next! Data can be found on OpenNeuro: openneuro.org/datasets/ds0...

OpenNeuro

openneuro.org

Matt Mattoni @mattmattoni.bsky.social · 8d

This work was inspired by an awesome similar study by @johnflournoy.science 2024 (pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38141745/), obviously the midnight scan club @gordonneuro.bsky.social 2017 (pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC...) and many other amazing recent studies in precision imaging

A precision neuroscience approach to estimating reliability of neural responses during emotion processing: Implications for task-fMRI - PubMed

Recent work demonstrating low test-retest reliability of neural activation during fMRI tasks raises questions about the utility of task-based fMRI for the study of individual variation in brain functi...

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

1 1 1

Matt Mattoni @mattmattoni.bsky.social · 8d

Overall, results point toward the reward response being more appropriate for within-person rather than between-person study. This is a notable shift from typical focuses, but we’re excited in that we believe there’s a lot of potential for WP level of analysis

1

Matt Mattoni @mattmattoni.bsky.social · 8d

Side note (for this thread), the manuscript also gets into some interesting precision imaging methodological points. Highlights are the benefits of multivariate signatures and higher number of trials for tasks.

1

Matt Mattoni @mattmattoni.bsky.social · 8d

More broadly, 10-30% of intraindividual variance in the reward response were explained by fluctuations in mood and alertness.

1 1

Matt Mattoni @mattmattoni.bsky.social · 8d

In our small sample, there isn’t a clean significant effect, but there does seem to be some potential that anticipatory reward responses (but not consummation) increased following the mood induction

1

Matt Mattoni @mattmattoni.bsky.social · 8d

Our mood induction paradigm (positive memory reflection) showed small but consistent increases in mood. This is notable particularly in contrast to general decreases in mood and alertness across time (especially in a scanner).

1

Matt Mattoni @mattmattoni.bsky.social · 8d

[insert rant about between-person and within-person relationships being different, WP relationships being important but understudied]. Or, see review here: doi.org/10.1016/j.ne...

Redirecting

doi.org

1

Matt Mattoni @mattmattoni.bsky.social · 8d

So, there is converging evidence from many studies that reward responses, like most task based activations, are not fit for trait-like markers or between-person study. All hope isn’t lost, though, what if the reward response instead reflect state-like, within-person variance?

1 2

Matt Mattoni @mattmattoni.bsky.social · 8d

We also used single-trial models to examine internal consistency. With how noisy single trials can be, we were surprised that the split-half reliability wasn’t too bad. It doesn’t seem like low test-retest reliability is just a matter of noise.

1

Matt Mattoni @mattmattoni.bsky.social · 8d

As others have found, test-retest reliability was very low. We show this reliability is not improved with precision imaging data with short retest intervals.

1 1

Matt Mattoni @mattmattoni.bsky.social · 8d

4 participants were scanned ~12 times each. Each session included 4 reward tasks, a positive mood induction, and resting state or neuromelanin (NM not yet available). With our focus on intraindividual changes in the reward response, we included a positive mood induction and tracked mood across time.

1

Matt Mattoni @mattmattoni.bsky.social · 8d

🚨🚨New precision imaging study and open dataset 🚨🚨 Featuring almost 200 functional runs acquired in 3-4d intervals and behavioral manipulations focused on intraindividual study of the reward response - The Night Owls Scan Club (NOSC) With @dvsmith.bsky.social and @olinotom.bsky.social!

1 4 15

Reposted by Matt Mattoni

Drug Monkey @drugmonkey.bsky.social · 12d

This may be the most important paper ever published about NIH funded research.

www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

What if NIH had been 40% smaller?

Replaying history with less NIH funding shows widespread impacts on drug-linked research

www.science.org

5 250 410

Matt Mattoni @mattmattoni.bsky.social · 18d

Awesome paper (and code release)! Great to see the data match the intuition.

1

Matt Mattoni @mattmattoni.bsky.social · 22d

In terms of what I think is actually going on with a client in front of me, I don't think categories get us there. I much more view things through a behavioral lens of we learn things that can later be adaptive or not; and folks have underlying personality/biology thatlead to different learning

1 1

Matt Mattoni @mattmattoni.bsky.social · 22d

Right, which I don't see as very useful.

A takeaway I had from this is we could explain most of the variance with restricting to principal symptoms (e.g., uncontrollable worry). I think that makes sense to the extent we need diagnoses for our medical model-ization of psychology (e.g., billing)

1 2

Matt Mattoni @mattmattoni.bsky.social · 22d

Finally got to reading this - really interesting work! I'm not fully there with the defense of categories, but this was quite compelling. I appreciate that the sets seem to overlap / how we (I?) tend to practically think in the clinic. What's the focal problem? Not a list of each possible symptom

1 2

Reposted by Matt Mattoni

Laurel Joy Gabard-Durnam @laurelgd.bsky.social · Sep 4

Delighted that PINE Lab will be accepting applications for PhD students to start Fall 2026! Please share with applicants looking for developmental & neuroscience programs? Our website is updated with current studies, questions, and guidance about fit: www.plasticityinneurodevelopmentlab.com/join-us

Contact 3 — Plasticity in Neurodevelopment Lab

www.plasticityinneurodevelopmentlab.com

1 20 19

Matt Mattoni @mattmattoni.bsky.social · Sep 4

😢😢 To say the very least: that really sucks. Hoping your strong skillset leads to a bigger and better spot soon enough!

Matt Mattoni @mattmattoni.bsky.social · Aug 13

Final version!

Imaging Neuroscience @imagingneurosci.bsky.social · Aug 13

New paper in Imaging Neuroscience by Matthew Mattoni, Thomas M. Olino, et al:

Functional connectivity heterogeneity and consequences for clinical and cognitive prediction: Stage 2 registered report

doi.org/10.1162/IMAG...

2

Matt Mattoni @mattmattoni.bsky.social · Aug 8

10/10 lab name (and paper!)

1 1

Reposted by Matt Mattoni

Arielle Keller @ariellekeller.bsky.social · Aug 8

Absolutely thrilled to share the 🌟 FIRST PAPER 🌟 from ACORN Lab! 🐿️ I’m beyond proud of all-star grad student @heatherarobinson.bsky.social for this review of “exposome” effects on neurodevelopment & cognition! Paper here rdcu.be/ezUqx & thread below 👇 /1

#neuroskyence #PsychSciSky #devsky #cogdev

The effect of the “exposome” on developmental brain health and cognitive outcomes

Neuropsychopharmacology - The effect of the “exposome” on developmental brain health and cognitive outcomes

rdcu.be

4 31 68

Reposted by Matt Mattoni

Allie Sinclair @asinclair.bsky.social · Aug 4

📣 New preprint from the SCIMaP team!

Across three studies, we show that communicating the economic impact of NIH funding cuts—especially with interactive quizzes and maps—decreases approval and motivates action to oppose the cuts, across the political spectrum. 🧵 1/8
osf.io/preprints/ps...

OSF

osf.io

5 65 120