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Nick Holmes

@thehandlab.bsky.social

1.8K followers 920 following 760 posts

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Nick Holmes @thehandlab.bsky.social · Aug 11

I'm happy to report that @valedichiaro.bsky.social 's 2nd PhD paper is in press! :-). Brief explainer...

- 2-coil #TMS over left & right primary motor cortex
- TMS in the ~300ms before one hand responds
- corticospinal excitability increases before response
- no changes in non-responding hand

1/n

image describing the trials in the experiment. at the start of each trial, a random 1-3 foreperiod contains a fixation cross to warn the participant. The first event in the trial is a 200ms period with two coloured squares left and right of the (now disappeared) central fixation point (both are red, blue, yellow or green). These are the distractor 'Flanker' stimuli. A third coloured square is then presented centrally. This is the target stimulus. If the target is red or blue, the participant must grip a left force meter; if green or yellow, they grip the right force meter. They try to respond as quickly and as correctly as possible. In the ~300ms before their response, two pulses of TMS are delivered, one over each motor cortex. This TMS pulse excites the corticospinal tract and results in a muscle contraction. The size of the muscle contraction is used as a proxy for corticospinal excitability and response preparation.

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Nick Holmes @thehandlab.bsky.social · 1d

The en💩iffication of knowledge proceeds apace

Jacquelyn Gill @jacquelyngill.bsky.social · 2d

The new Wiley journal review system is an absolute nightmare. Editorial assistants have been replaced by a clunky, AI-enabled website that makes it harder to find and invite reviewers. Associate editor workloads have increased. I'm not convinced the invitations to reviewers are even going through.

Nick Holmes @thehandlab.bsky.social · 1d

Conspiracy, vaccines, covid, cancer. Heartbreaking tale of a mother who influenced her daughter to die by cancer. Trust in science - it might just save you or your loved one's life.

Exceptional journalism, again, from @mariannaspringbbc.bsky.social & their crew 👏

www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/brand...

BBC Sounds - Marianna in Conspiracyland - Available Episodes

Listen to the latest episodes of Marianna in Conspiracyland on BBC Sounds.

www.bbc.co.uk

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Nick Holmes @thehandlab.bsky.social · 2d

this project page is on 'impact factor', but really it covers citation metrics of all kinds

IMHO, the fundamental problem at the heart of all citation metrics is that they measure *popularity* not quality

here's a talk i gave in 2018 (still loads 🤞):
neurobiography.info/presentation...

neurobiography.info

Nick Holmes @thehandlab.bsky.social · 2d

here is an old 'project' of mine (forgive errors):
neurobiography.info?page=project...

Cortex SI (2001):
doi.org/10.1016/S001...

(that started me hating citation metrics)

"Albert Einstein reputedly said, 'Not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted.'"

neurobiography.info

Nick Holmes @thehandlab.bsky.social · 2d

Will look it up...

Nick Holmes @thehandlab.bsky.social · 3d

There's a long history of criticism of citation-based bibliometrics, at least 50 years worth - I have a list somewhere... but Cortex journal did a nice special issue (when SI meant something) about 15 years ago.

The idea that "cited = good" is so flawed I can't donate any effort to critique it!

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Nick Holmes @thehandlab.bsky.social · 3d

Retruthing this as this truth needs to be told 🦅

lorem ipsum 🇧🇷🇺🇸 @whiskeynachos.bsky.social · 3d

Thank you to the Alaska Raptor Center for telling the truth that birders already knew: every bald eagle cry you hear in an advertisement is a red-tailed hawk.

Nick Holmes @thehandlab.bsky.social · 4d

Cut out the middle man - just follow @olivia.science & @irisvanrooij.bsky.social 😄

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Nick Holmes @thehandlab.bsky.social · 4d

I'm too old to know what a devil emoji means, but this paper looks fantastic- and is on my reading list 🙏 - the idea that AI use is a QRP is so blindingly obvious now that you've said it! 🙏

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Nick Holmes @thehandlab.bsky.social · 4d

💥

Olivia Guest · Ολίβια Γκεστ @olivia.science · 4d

New preprint 🌟 Psychology is core to cognitive science, and so it is vital we preserve it from harmful frames. @irisvanrooij.bsky.social & I use our psych and computer science expertise to analyse and craft:

Critical Artificial Intelligence Literacy for Psychologists. doi.org/10.31234/osf...

🧵 1/

Cover page of Guest, O., & van Rooij, I. (2025, October 4). Critical Artificial Intelligence Literacy for Psychologists. https://doi.org/10.31234/osf.io/dkrgj_v1

Table 1 Guest, O., & van Rooij, I. (2025, October 4). Critical Artificial Intelligence Literacy for Psychologists. https://doi.org/10.31234/osf.io/dkrgj_v1

Table 2 Guest, O., & van Rooij, I. (2025, October 4). Critical Artificial Intelligence Literacy for Psychologists. https://doi.org/10.31234/osf.io/dkrgj_v1

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Reposted by Nick Holmes

Yashar Ali 🐘 @yasharali.bsky.social · 7d

1. Dr. Jane Goodall 1934 - 2025

In 1962, a very young woman named Jane Goodall stepped into the African forest.

What she would discover shattered our understanding of the place of human beings in the world.

She revealed that chimpanzees use tools, form bonds, and experience emotions.

24 340 1.3K

Reposted by Nick Holmes

PsychoPy @psychopy.org · 7d

Join us for a 2 day bootcamp!

📅 Dec 16th/17th
📍 Nottingham
👩‍💻 Day 1 - Create experiments in PsychoPy and optimise for EEG
🧠 Day 2 - EEG data collection and ERP analysis strategies
ℹ️ Info and Ticket purchase shorturl.at/DVL8s

In collaboration with @ant-neuro.com

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Reposted by Nick Holmes

Tarkesh Singh @tarkeshsingh.bsky.social · 7d

The Department of Kinesiology at Penn State is inviting applications for an open-rank faculty position in sensorimotor control and rehabilitation neuroscience. Please share this opportunity with interested colleagues in your network.

psu.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com/PSU_Academic...

Open-Rank Faculty Position in Sensorimotor Control and Rehabilitation Neuroscience

APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS: CURRENT PENN STATE EMPLOYEE (faculty, staff, technical service, or student), please login to Workday to complete the internal application process. Please do not apply here, a...

psu.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com

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Nick Holmes @thehandlab.bsky.social · 7d

en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jane_Go...

Jane Goodall - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

Nick Holmes @thehandlab.bsky.social · 7d

Jane Goodall, a giant of giant apes, has died.

What a life. What a contribution. Rest in peace.

If you haven't heard her speaking Chimp, then I'm not sure what you're doing with your life. Check out her many interviews and her beautiful hope cast, eg:

open.spotify.com/show/1pfzflz...

Emma Lewisham: Hope is the Beauty of Circular & Carbon Positive

open.spotify.com

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Nick Holmes @thehandlab.bsky.social · 9d

"you've got to ask yourself one question: "Do I feel lucky?" Well, do ya, punk?"

[It's a comment on whether you can use 'AI' with any confidence.]

Well can ya, punk?

[Dirty Harry, 1971]

Nick Holmes @thehandlab.bsky.social · 9d

Before my introductory #stats lecture tomorrow, I uploaded a graph to Copilot #AI & asked for its expert statistical analysis.

Last year it failed (35%) - wrong on most counts.

This year it produced a more reasonable-looking answer & in great detail, but most of the detail was wrong, or poor. 55%.

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Nick Holmes @thehandlab.bsky.social · 12d

Yes, I fear the same...

Keep up the stellar work 🤩

Nick Holmes @thehandlab.bsky.social · 12d

@madifinlay.bsky.social

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Nick Holmes @thehandlab.bsky.social · 12d

The Guardian's Science Weekly podcast is great, it's up there with More or Less for the best media science output.

This latest on paracetamol, vaccines & #autism is superb. Madeleine Finlay, Ian Sample @iansample.bsky.social , & their production crew 👏👏👏

open.spotify.com/episode/5LRh...

Fact-checking Trump’s autism announcement

open.spotify.com

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Nick Holmes @thehandlab.bsky.social · 14d

I remember learning in my undergraduate degree - in ~1996 - that Huntington's was the first movement disorder to be given a clear explanation. It has a *relatively* simple genetic cause, compared to the others.

30 years on, a breakthrough treatment.

Good science takes time, but it can really work.

Tom Ostrander, MD, MPH @tawmussohhh.bsky.social · 14d

Truly an amazing breakthrough for one of the cruelest diseases that afflicts humanity.

Here’s hoping the results bear out and can be operationalized at scale.

www.bbc.com/news/article...

Huntington's disease successfully treated for first time

One of the most devastating diseases finally has a treatment that can slow its progression and transform lives, tearful doctors tell BBC.

www.bbc.com

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Nick Holmes @thehandlab.bsky.social · 14d

peak carbon nears; China decreasing emissions; solar & wind increasing globally, exponentially; money is moving home.

ignore the oligarchs, billionaires, certain presidents...

there is yet h💚pe.

so hope.

& act.

🌍

Jenka @jenka.bsky.social · Apr 14

I have maintained for a while that the reason everything around the world (funded by petro-states and carbon oligarchs) is happening rn is because the most powerful industry to ever exist on the face of the Earth has no future. And so it must wipe the future out of our imaginations.

David Roberts @volts.wtf · Apr 13

In China & India, the growth in electricity demand has "decoupled" from the growth in fossil fuels. The next step is for fossil fuel demand to plateau & head down, even as economic growth continues. Should happen in the next few years. Believe me, when it happens you'll hear some cheering.

Nick Holmes @thehandlab.bsky.social · 14d

#DontLookUp 💚

youtu.be/I9M3go2bAIE?...

When The Baddie Plans To Destroy The World! | Mitchell And Webb Are Not Helping | Channel 4 Comedy

YouTube video by Channel 4 Comedy

youtu.be

Reposted by Nick Holmes

TMSMultiLab @tmsmultilab.bsky.social · 15d

This Friday's Monthly Meeting is given by Solya Szekely @solyas.bsky.social who will tell us about the TMS-RAT 🐀 Project.

In this project, 18 members of TMSMultiLab created, developed & tested a tool for #SystematicReview #MeyaAnalysis & reporting in #TMS research

Join us!

tms-rat.org

tms-rat.org

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Nick Holmes @thehandlab.bsky.social · 15d

Gonna showcase your & @olivia.science latest paper to my ~324 stats students next Tuesday.

🙏

(While explaining the university's policy on 'AI' usage...)

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