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Nicole Rust

@nicolecrust.bsky.social

13K followers 1.4K following 4.7K posts

Mood & Memory researcher with a computational bent. https://www.nicolecrust.com. Science advocate. Prof (UPenn Psych) - on leave as a Simons Pivot Fellow. Author: Elusive Cures. https://press.princeton.edu/books/hardcover/9780691243054/elusive-cures

www.nicolecrust.com.

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Nicole Rust @nicolecrust.bsky.social · May 10

Just look what was waiting for me when I came back from my run. Elusive Cures is now a REAL BOOK!!

press.princeton.edu/books/hardco...

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Nicole Rust @nicolecrust.bsky.social · 11h

Gratitude to all those who have reached out with interest in pursuing a PhD on the neuroscience of memory. While fascinating, my group won't be starting new projects in that realm. In this next phase, we're going all in on a new big mystery. (And I'm excited!).

www.nicolecrust.com/mood

Back of a woman with a straw hat in a field of sunflowers and bubbles

Nicole Rust @nicolecrust.bsky.social · 12h

More info on the terrific @upenn.edu Psychology PhD program here:

psychology.sas.upenn.edu/graduate/inf...

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Nicole Rust @nicolecrust.bsky.social · 12h

And here's a preprint:

www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

The representation of mood in primate anterior insular cortex

Understanding how the brain reflects and shapes mood requires resolving the disconnect between behavioral measures of mood that can only be made in humans (typically based on subjective reports of hap...

www.biorxiv.org

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Nicole Rust @nicolecrust.bsky.social · 12h

Please spread the word! I am recruiting a PhD student this cycle (Fall 2026 start) to join my team in a new venture: the neuroscience of mood.

If you are curious to learn more, this short talk provides a good overview of why, what and how.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=gjIK...

Nicole Rust - The representation of mood in the primate insula (May 6, 2025)

YouTube video by Simons Foundation

www.youtube.com

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Nicole Rust @nicolecrust.bsky.social · 22h

Let this be a motto for all of us, when we peer review:
“Review the manuscript in front of you, not the one you wish existed.”
@earlkmiller.bsky.social

JoCNForum @jocnforum.bsky.social · 1d

New post in @jocnforum.bsky.social by Early Miller @earlkmiller.bsky.social: "Principles for proper peer review"

doi.org/10.21428/8e6...

Principles for proper peer review

doi.org

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Nicole Rust @nicolecrust.bsky.social · 1d

You have pioneered many ideas/results, though … (I like the association in that sense).

Nicole Rust @nicolecrust.bsky.social · 1d

On the "I felt like a manager, not a scientist" - I get that too. It's easy to land there. There are some issues, for sure, 💯.

That said, professor is a profoundly privileged position. There are options that trade-off some points on h-indexes like 79 for deep thinking. 🤷‍♀️

Nicole Rust @nicolecrust.bsky.social · 1d

At least in systems neuro, there's a strong sense of excitement. It's the opposite of "papers and research projects could have been done 15 years ago". New ways to measure things we've never been able to before - dynamical systems; connectome constraints. New ideas about how brains/minds work.

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Nicole Rust @nicolecrust.bsky.social · 1d

I get it. Similar thoughts inspired me to write a book. I began pessimistic, like this author, but I came out on the other side with renewed optimism.

As a counterpoint to the blog below, this podcast could be titled, "Why Nicole Rust stayed"

www.fchampalimaud.org/news/episode...

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Nicole Rust @nicolecrust.bsky.social · 1d

Friends in Philly: Tomorrow @upenn.edu (Tuesday October 7, 12p) I'll be giving a public-facing talk about Elusive Cures, as part of the Penn library book series. Join me! RSVP below.

www.library.upenn.edu/events/nicol...

Nicole Rust: "Elusive Cures: Why Neuroscience Hasn't Solved Brain Disorders — and How We Can Change That"

Psychology professor Nicole Rust of the School of Arts & Sciences dives into why research on conditions like Alzheimer’s and depression hasn’t translated more effectively into better treatments.

www.library.upenn.edu

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Reposted by Nicole Rust

Philip Ball @philipcball.bsky.social · 2d

Sunday night reading: why the Second Law of Thermodynamics is not quite what you probably learned. With quantum systems there's an extra bit that can mess with and even reverse heat flow. And we can use that to detect "quantumness".
www.quantamagazine.org/a-thermomete...

A Thermometer for Measuring Quantumness | Quanta Magazine

“Anomalous” heat flow, which at first appears to violate the second law of thermodynamics, gives physicists a way to detect quantum entanglement without destroying it.

www.quantamagazine.org

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Nicole Rust @nicolecrust.bsky.social · 2d

At least 789 Penn-related individuals (including 367 of its faculty) agree with full rejection.

actionnetwork.org/petitions/ju...

Just Say No to Trump's Compact for Academic Extortion

Yesterday, the University of Pennsylvania was one of nine targets of the Trump Administration's "Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education." Through it, Trump asks once again for universitie...

actionnetwork.org

Nicole Rust @nicolecrust.bsky.social · 2d

Let’s see.

(On a related note, I applaud your website).
www.vaughanlab.com

The Vaughan Lab @ The University of Pennsylvania

www.vaughanlab.com

Nicole Rust @nicolecrust.bsky.social · 2d

www.thedp.com/article/2025...

Penn to begin review of White House preferential funding compact, Jameson writes

In an Oct. 5 message, Penn President Larry Jameson said that administrators will “seek the input” of stakeholders across campus to develop the University’s response to the federal government.

www.thedp.com

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Nicole Rust @nicolecrust.bsky.social · 2d

I’m proud of @upenn.edu‘s first steps regarding The Compact.

The review and response to this proposal will rely on a set of principles drawn from Penn’s values and mission: freedom of inquiry and thought, free expression, non-discrimination, adherence to American laws and the Constitution of the United States, and our own governance

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Nicole Rust @nicolecrust.bsky.social · 2d

Yes.

Nicole Rust @nicolecrust.bsky.social · 2d

Exciting! Terrific that you’re bringing this (fascinating) conversation into the live discussion format.

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Reposted by Nicole Rust

PessoaBrain @pessoabrain.bsky.social · 2d

𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗰𝗶𝗼𝘂𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗯𝗶𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗴𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗻𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘀𝗺
Is consciousness tied to biological brains?
Neuro&Philo Salon present+discussion with @anilseth.bsky.social of his BBS target paper!
October 23, noon USA eastern
#neuroskyence
Register: umd.zoom.us/meeting/regi...
doi.org/10.1017/S014...

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Nicole Rust @nicolecrust.bsky.social · 2d

That is not to suggest, of course, that brain disorders are the only end goal of brain research - understanding to shed insight into what we are and how we work is a worthy end-goal itself. Disorders just happen to be the one I wrote Elusive Cures around.

Nicole Rust @nicolecrust.bsky.social · 2d

(And for those of you who love evo approaches & have THOUGHTS, I encourage you to write them down …. There’s the “I don’t think we’ll understand the brain w/out evo approaches & understanding is part of fixing” - those come through. Anything more subtle is less obvious)

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Nicole Rust @nicolecrust.bsky.social · 2d

This one: for mental conditions, the “why” it happens can be an important part of the therapy, ala: Why did humans evolve to have anxiety / low mood / etc? Is it a bug or a feature? This podcast does a nice job of connecting evolutionary understanding & psychiatry. /2

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Nicole Rust @nicolecrust.bsky.social · 2d

When writing Elusive Cures, a goal was to spell out how research types connect w/ understanding brain disorders. I struggled for evolutionary approaches (ala ‘What did this evolve for?‘ instead of ‘What is it and how does it break?’ But I missed /1
www.unsiloedpodcast.com/episodes/epi...

Episode 45: Randy Nesse — unSILOed Podcast with Greg LaBlanc

University of Michigan

www.unsiloedpodcast.com

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Nicole Rust @nicolecrust.bsky.social · 3d

I get this; it resonates. Cheers and best wishes to you during this (somewhat unique) special time.

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Nicole Rust @nicolecrust.bsky.social · 3d

If you are in a position to help, please do.

www.nature.com/articles/s41...

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Nicole Rust @nicolecrust.bsky.social · 3d

I’m so sorry. Please know that it matters to many us who write P&T letters. What you are doing here, raising awareness, is what helped shape the letters I wrote post pandemic. Please keep it up (and we’ll keep supporting you, in turn).