The brain is more than spiking neurons. Astrocytes, a large fraction of cells, propagate electrical influences without spiking. And cortical neurons spike only intermittently. Electrical signals are continuous and across all cells. #neuroscience www.quantamagazine.org/once-thought...

Out now in @currentbiology.bsky.social led by Kaarthik A Balakrishnan: We identify medullary circuits that represent the valence of thermal stimuli and control both long-term strategies of cold-avoidance and short term hot avoidance behaviors to enable thermoregulation. www.cell.com/current-biol...

Apply to the new CSHL grad program in BioAI/neuroAI! (Masters degree or equivalent required in a quantitative area such as computer science, physics, mathematics, or engineering) www.cshl.edu/phd-program/...

Full paper (to appear in NeurIPS 2025!) here: arxiv.org/abs/2506.00138

Congratulations to my Ph.D. student Reece Keller for winning the best talk award at #CRSy25 on our project building the first task-optimized autonomous agent that predicts whole-brain data! Check out the post below for other cool talks!! Detailed summary: bsky.app/profile/reec...

This is what democracy looks like. #NoKings

Just out in Nature! “The astrocytic ensemble acts as a multiday trace to stabilize memory.” We identified astrocytic ensembles that link experiences across days to stabilize memory nature.com/articles/s41.... New astrocyte tools are openly available at Addgene: addgene.org/Jun_Nagai/. 1/8

(Part 1) Hear from @hhmi_news Investigator David Stern about his research program and what he's uncovering in the lab. Stern will join the Institute in February 2026, bringing his lab and HHMI appointment to Kansas City. @hhmi.org Read more: bit.ly/4np96Fb

This moment from our latest episode with science writer @edyong209.bsky.social is 🔥 We asked Ed — how do we talk up the benefits of science in the face of government cuts? He told us that's the wrong approach. 🧪 Listen wherever, or watch on Spotify 👇 open.spotify.com/episode/7Evh...

It's official! We are moving to Stowers! Very exciting opportunity to expand our studies of insect-plant interactions. We have many opportunities available in biochemistry, development, behavior, genetics, evolution, genomics, AI, and even pest control. Interested in any of these things? Reach out!

New very cool work from the Yaksi lab: Hierarchical processing of sensory information across topographically organized thalamocortical-like circuits in the zebrafish brain www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

Come to #HHMIJanelia to work on the frontiers of AI and biology. Apply now for an AI Engineer position working on protein biosensors: hhmi.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com/en-US/Extern... More openings coming soon. Interesting AI is widespread at Janelia, like this diffusion model from Larissa Heinrich.

Amazing. Hopefully they replicate NIH/NSF’s peer review process, which is the core magic of what makes US science work so well. While I’m at it, the abundance people are wrong about NIH not being high-risk. So is Joe Lonsdale: he’s naive, at best, about US science.

California is devising a plan to create their own National Institutes of Health to counter federal cuts to science research.

Preprint - Excited to present WHOLISTIC, which extends the concept of whole-brain functional imaging to the entire body. Pioneering work by incredibly talented Virginia Ruetten @vmsruetten.bsky.social, this platform reveals whole-organism cellular dynamics in vivo. www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

Become a Theory Fellow at Janelia. 🔍 Use computation & theory to tackle biological problems. 🖥️ Leverage state-of-the-art computational infrastructure 🤝 Collaborate across scientific disciplines Apply by Nov. 3 @ https://janelia.link/theoryfellowprogram

Of potential interest to those keen on motor control and/or multi-task networks. Congrats to Elom and Eric. www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

Made possible only by the unique environment and amazing community at Janelia and the Gatsby. @hhmijanelia.bsky.social @gatsbyucl.bsky.social Feedback, ideas, or requests for transgenic lines, protocols, and code are warmly welcome!

Thanks Misha for the shout-out! It has been a truly mind-opening journey. WHOLISTIC is one step towards whole-organism neuroscience and a true physiological observatory - with extensions on the way! I am continually amazed by what the data reveals - so much remains to be discovered and mined.

Preprint - Excited to present WHOLISTIC, which extends the concept of whole-brain functional imaging to the entire body. Pioneering work by incredibly talented Virginia Ruetten @vmsruetten.bsky.social, this platform reveals whole-organism cellular dynamics in vivo. www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

✨ We’re #hiring Theory Fellows!✨ Janelia is recruiting early-career scientists to join our collaborative research environment and use #computation & #theory to tackle bold questions in #biology. 🔗 Apply by Nov. 3 👉 janelia.link/theoryfellow... @hhmi.org

Beyond housekeeping duties, astrocytes also coordinate complex computational tasks during modulation, expanding their role in the brain. By @claudia-lopez.bsky.social #neuroskyence www.thetransmitter.org/astrocytes/a...

🧠 Janelia researchers are helping to uncover how neuromodulators reach neurons & revealing a significant role for astrolia in neuromodulation – highlighting the importance of including info about non-neuronal cells in research into how the brain works. www.janelia.org/news/on-the-...

Highlights new work from @mishaahrens.bsky.social et al. 🧠 🐟 🔗 to manuscript: www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

🐟 New research probing the inner workings of neuromodulation in zebrafish could help scientists better understand how the brain enables flexible behavior and provide insight into mood disorders like depression. 🔗 www.janelia.org/news/new-res...

U.S. people: Be sure to turn out for No Kings Day protests tomorrow (Sat June 14) afternoon, google the one nearest you. With all that's happening on so many fronts, not least the movements toward authoritarian martial law amidst widespread raids of working people, it matters now more than ever.

Researchers at @hhmijanelia.bsky.social are decoding how neurons carry out computations carefully calibrated to an animal’s movement and environment to precisely regulate the release of neuromodulators—chemicals that fine-tune brain activity and enable us to adapt to new situations.

🥼Researchers, led by @mishaahrens.bsky.social, Ziqiang Wei & Takashi Kawashima, are decoding how neurons carry out computations carefully calibrated to an animal’s movement & environment to precisely regulate the release of neuromodulators. www.janelia.org/news/new-res...

1/ I'm excited to share recent results from my first collaboration with the amazing @anayebi.bsky.social and @leokoz8.bsky.social ! We show how autonomous behavior and whole-brain dynamics emerge in embodied agents with intrinsic motivation driven by world models.

5/ First, we construct two environments extending the dm-control suite: one that captures the basic physics of zebrafish ecology (reactive fluid forces and drifting currents), and one that replicates the head-fixed experimental protocol in Yu Mu and @mishaahrens.bsky.social et al. 2019.

Wouldn't it be great if we could not only image large connectomic volumes but also completely reconstruct them? And if a whole mouse brain project didn't cost billions? With the PATHFINDER preprint (www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...), we preview a future where it doesn't have to.

New Stars in Neural Circuits: Astrocytes Guide Brain State Changes 🧪🧠 #AcademicSky www.mcb.harvard.edu/department/n... @alexbchen.bsky.social @marcduque.bsky.social @mishaahrens.bsky.social @rachellegaudet.bsky.social @dulaclab.bsky.social @harvardbrainsci.bsky.social @scinews.bsky.social

Excited to share that the astrocyte-centered half of my thesis work is now out @science.org ! With @mishaahrens.bsky.social and @marcduque.bsky.social science.org/doi/10.1126/... 1/8

✨Once thought to play a supporting function in the brain, new research led by @alexbchen.bsky.social & @mishaahrens.bsky.social shows non-neuronal astroglial cells perform a leading role in regulating the activity of neurons and their connections. 🧠 🔗 www.janelia.org/news/on-the-...

What a way to kick off our grad student NeuroMEETS series! Thank you @alexbchen.bsky.social for visiting and sharing your research into the mechanisms of behavioral switching during frustration and futility-induced giving up. 🔎 Want to learn how you can be part of NeuroMEETS? buff.ly/YG2udIf

Consistent with the work of @jeremiahycohen.bsky.social and @mishaahrens.bsky.social labs, we find that serotonin axons in mouse visual cortex appear to signal recent visuomotor uncertainty (and unlike norepinephrine axons, they have no visuomotor mismatch responses) www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

Larval zebrafish are an invaluable tool for neuroscientists, who use the tiny, transparent fish to probe how the brain controls behavior, but it’s been difficult for scientists to study learning in these developing vertebrates – an important part of understanding how the brain works.

🤖A novel system developed by Postdoc Dhruv Zocchi, Sr. Group Leader @mishaahrens.bsky.social & collaborators that chases larval zebrafish around an arena with predator robots is enabling scientists to understand how these days-old fish quickly learn in the real world. 🐟 🔗 hhmi.news/4bcKcDu

First post on Bluesky!✨ (1/7) Far-red dopamine sensor is coming! Excited to introduce our chemigenetic DA sensor, HaloDA1.0! #Dopamine #FarRedSensors, #GRAB www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

And here’s a favorite from the @mishaahrens.bsky.social lab www.cell.com/cell/fulltex...

We (and lots of others) are recording astrocytes in vivo during behavior. Here’s one of our recent ones: www.nature.com/articles/s41...

OK, just saw this paper and I absolutely love the clear, straightforward terminology here: "Brief exposure to ketamine causes long-term suppression of giving up" I will be using that frequently in the clinic.

1/3 How does visual input affect the heading direction (HD) network? In our latest lab preprint, Ryosuke presents "visual landmarks" to larval zebrafish and shows that the HD network tethers to the visual environment. The experiments are again inspired by the beautiful recent work in Drosophila.

"Development of neural circuits for social motion perception in schooling fish" #fish #schooling #sensory #visual #GlassFish 🧪 🦑 🐟 🧠 www.cell.com/current-biol...

my lab (www.tuthill.casa) at UW is hiring a research assistant/tech. basic scope is to apply machine learning/computer vision tools to measure and model 3D animal behavior and mechanics. we are a diverse, collaborative, curiosity-driven group. Apply: uwhires.admin.washington.edu/ENG/Candidat...

🧵 Ever seen a fly perform a full self-care ritual? 🪰 They meticulously rub their head and clean their antennae, ensuring every speck of dirt is gone. But how do they coordinate all those tiny body parts so seamlessly?👇

job offer! I am looking for a postdoc to join the nascent team. Come work with us to build microscopes and study spinal cord circuits. #ZebrafishCareers

Our paper on ketamine’s effect on astrocytes and behavior is out in Neuron by Marc Duque, Alex Chen, Eric Hsu, and colleagues @marcduque.bsky.social @alexbchen.bsky.social @ehsu6.bsky.social, with the Engert, Fishman, & Bergles labs, www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

🐟 Discouraged zebrafish are helping scientists understand how ketamine works in the brain. 🧠 🥼 New research from @mishaahrens.bsky.social, @marcduque.bsky.social, @alexbchen.bsky.social, @ehsu6.bsky.social, Dwight Bergles, Mark Fishman & Florian Engert. 🔗 www.janelia.org/news/discour...