Reza Shadmehr
@rezashadmehr.bsky.social
560 followers 680 following 53 posts
Father, husband, scientist
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rezashadmehr.bsky.social
I don't have much of a view from my office window, but this morning, the wind was brushing the vapor trails left by the rushing jets, leaving behind the froth of a cresting wave. If this was a superhero movie, there would be a surfer riding the waves in the sky.
rezashadmehr.bsky.social
Since start of 2025, as compared to the same period in 2024, Johns Hopkins has received 40% fewer federal awards, a decline of ~50% in research funding, a reduction of $500 million.
University wide, international graduate student enrollment is down by 8% since last year.
rezashadmehr.bsky.social
The cerebellum receives a surprisingly rich amount of information regarding stimulus value via its climbing fibers. What role does this pathway play in learning to make better decisions? Haining Zhong will explain.
rezashadmehr.bsky.social
Haining Zhong imaged climbing fibers during auditory discrimination, finding that they encode cue identities and perceptual choices. The responses were reshaped by reversal learning. The predictive nature of these signals suggests a role for climbing fibers in decision-making.

Zoom link: email me.
rezashadmehr.bsky.social
The talks are open to all (please contact me).
The recorded talks are available here:
www.youtube.com/@shadmehrlab...
rezashadmehr.bsky.social
To understand cortico-cerebellar connectivity in humans, the usual approach is to exploit the correlations of functional brain imaging signals during rest.
In this talk, Jorn Diedrichsen will present results suggesting that a better approach is to measure co-activation during specific tasks.
rezashadmehr.bsky.social
Learning from error is central to the cerebellum. When an error occurs, the P-cells are informed via their climbing fiber input, which slightly suppresses the simple spikes on the next attempt. The resulting change in behavior is defined by the P-cell's potent vector.
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Encoding of error and learning to correct that error by the Purkinje cells of the cerebellum - Nature Neuroscience
Herzfeld et al. examine how the cerebellum learns to correct movements. They find a timing code that links a Purkinje cell’s preference for error to its downstream projection on motor effectors that p...
www.nature.com
rezashadmehr.bsky.social
In my drive this morning I thought how lucky I am to have a road and a working car in a city that is not being bombed.
During lunch with my students I looked at their beautiful young faces and wished for them a better world.
rezashadmehr.bsky.social
The talks are open to all. The recordings are available: www.youtube.com/@shadmehrlab...
rezashadmehr.bsky.social
Shlomi Haar will present longitudinal studies of Parkinson's disease, focusing on anatomical and connectivity changes in the brain. Before diagnosis, there is a surprising increase in cerebellar white matter volume, followed by degeneration post-diagnosis.
rezashadmehr.bsky.social
Spontaneous recovery of memories has been one of the most interesting phenomenon I've ever seen. When we learn A, then -A, the -A experience installs a memory that competes and overshadows A, but with passage of time, A recovers and come to fore. What's the neural basis of this? I'd love to know.
rezashadmehr.bsky.social
Rui Costa introduces a computational framework in which cerebellar networks learn to guide cerebral cortex dynamics with task-outcome predictions.
rezashadmehr.bsky.social
The cerebellum builds internal models of self motion, making it possible for us to read both the signs on the road, and our phones, while we walk. Jean Laurens will describe this computation.

Seminars are open to all.
rezashadmehr.bsky.social
I'm happy to send it to you. Simply contact me via email.
rezashadmehr.bsky.social
In people who suffer from essential tremor, excessive cerebellar oscillations give rise to involuntary, rhythmic movements. Ming-Kai Pan will present evidence from both mice and humans demonstrating that the cerebellum contributes to real-time motor control by encoding motor frequencies.
rezashadmehr.bsky.social
To unlearn is hard, but necessary for recovery, because without it, some memories can bring us depression and anxiety. This process is called extinction learning.

Enzo Nio and Dagmar Timmann explain the role of the cerebellum in learning to forget.

Seminars are open to all (contact me).