Constantina Theofanopoulou
@constantinatheo.bsky.social
Neuroscientist 🧠 neurobiology of speech and dance 🗣💃🏽
▪️Herb and Nell Singer Research Assistant Professor -Rockefeller University
▪️Visiting Scholar -NYU
▪️Research Associate -Emory & US Dept of Veteran Affairs
🔗https://www.constantinatheofanopoulou.com/
▪️Herb and Nell Singer Research Assistant Professor -Rockefeller University
▪️Visiting Scholar -NYU
▪️Research Associate -Emory & US Dept of Veteran Affairs
🔗https://www.constantinatheofanopoulou.com/
Reposted by Constantina Theofanopoulou
A new paper from the lab, using 7T fMRI and MEG to shed light on how we read, specifically how the visual system encodes strings of letters and moves from retinotopic to ordinal neural codes.
www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
PNAS
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), a peer reviewed journal of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) - an authoritative source of high-impact, original research that broadly spans...
www.pnas.org
October 22, 2025 at 2:40 PM
A new paper from the lab, using 7T fMRI and MEG to shed light on how we read, specifically how the visual system encodes strings of letters and moves from retinotopic to ordinal neural codes.
www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
If you are in NYC, join us tonight at the @lincolncenter.bsky.social (Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts) for a conversation on arts and collective wellbeing. I am looking forward to -what is meant to be- an inspiring conversation with colleagues:
lincolncenter.org/series/summe...
(1/2)
lincolncenter.org/series/summe...
(1/2)
Festival Orchestra Pre-Show Discussion · Lincoln Center
In what ways do the arts foster belonging, resilience, and healing within communities? Join leading artists, researchers, and lived experience experts in a 3-part series of…
lincolncenter.org
August 1, 2025 at 3:28 PM
If you are in NYC, join us tonight at the @lincolncenter.bsky.social (Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts) for a conversation on arts and collective wellbeing. I am looking forward to -what is meant to be- an inspiring conversation with colleagues:
lincolncenter.org/series/summe...
(1/2)
lincolncenter.org/series/summe...
(1/2)
Take a peek at our recent publication through the lens of a visual summary creatively crafted by the Jameel Arts and Health Lab.
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
July 31, 2025 at 1:26 PM
Take a peek at our recent publication through the lens of a visual summary creatively crafted by the Jameel Arts and Health Lab.
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
In this piece just published in Physics of Life Reviews, we came together as an interdisciplinary team of artists, art therapists, arts educators, and theoretical and clinical researchers to respond to Skov & Nadal’s recent critique of arts-based interventions.
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Comment on 'Can arts-based interventions improve health? A conceptual and methodological critique' by Skov and Nadal - A critique of the critique: Towards a more nuanced evaluation of current research...
www.sciencedirect.com
July 14, 2025 at 2:08 PM
In this piece just published in Physics of Life Reviews, we came together as an interdisciplinary team of artists, art therapists, arts educators, and theoretical and clinical researchers to respond to Skov & Nadal’s recent critique of arts-based interventions.
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Reposted by Constantina Theofanopoulou
Check out the latest -From Our Neurons To Yours- podcast episode! I discuss my work using large speech and language systems as "model species" to understand how the human brain processes language 🧠
What can AI teach us about how the brain understands language?
In today's podcast, we explore how LLMs are helping neuroscientists study how we process language with Stanford psychologist and faculty scholar Laura Gwilliams @lauragwilliams.bsky.social.
neuroscience.stanford.edu/news/what-ch...
In today's podcast, we explore how LLMs are helping neuroscientists study how we process language with Stanford psychologist and faculty scholar Laura Gwilliams @lauragwilliams.bsky.social.
neuroscience.stanford.edu/news/what-ch...
April 17, 2025 at 11:23 PM
Check out the latest -From Our Neurons To Yours- podcast episode! I discuss my work using large speech and language systems as "model species" to understand how the human brain processes language 🧠
Reposted by Constantina Theofanopoulou
Very happy to have contributed a chapter on the evolution of oxytocin receptor signalling for a new book on evolutionary and comparative neuroendocrinology. Great work from @aisartorius.bsky.social and @constantinatheo.bsky.social! link.springer.com/book/10.1007...
April 14, 2025 at 7:19 AM
Very happy to have contributed a chapter on the evolution of oxytocin receptor signalling for a new book on evolutionary and comparative neuroendocrinology. Great work from @aisartorius.bsky.social and @constantinatheo.bsky.social! link.springer.com/book/10.1007...
Reposted by Constantina Theofanopoulou
🚨 I’m hiring a full-time lab manager to help me build my lab start in July or August 2025! 🚨
If you know any stellar candidates who might be interested, please send this their way.
🗓 Application review begins April 15
⏰ Final deadline is April 25
📎 Apply here ➡️ lnkd.in/evhfqzTP
If you know any stellar candidates who might be interested, please send this their way.
🗓 Application review begins April 15
⏰ Final deadline is April 25
📎 Apply here ➡️ lnkd.in/evhfqzTP
LinkedIn
This link will take you to a page that’s not on LinkedIn
lnkd.in
April 10, 2025 at 3:01 PM
🚨 I’m hiring a full-time lab manager to help me build my lab start in July or August 2025! 🚨
If you know any stellar candidates who might be interested, please send this their way.
🗓 Application review begins April 15
⏰ Final deadline is April 25
📎 Apply here ➡️ lnkd.in/evhfqzTP
If you know any stellar candidates who might be interested, please send this their way.
🗓 Application review begins April 15
⏰ Final deadline is April 25
📎 Apply here ➡️ lnkd.in/evhfqzTP
Reposted by Constantina Theofanopoulou
Global coordination of brain activity by the breathing cycle
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Global coordination of brain activity by the breathing cycle - Nature Reviews Neuroscience
Synchrony between neuronal activity and the respiratory cycle has been observed in numerous brain regions and across many species. Tort et al. discuss the mechanisms by which brain activity is modulat...
www.nature.com
April 10, 2025 at 11:32 AM
Global coordination of brain activity by the breathing cycle
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Our flamenco/jazz event is just ONE WEEK AWAY (and it is free and open to everyone)!
RSVP: lnkd.in/e5g5duZY
RSVP: lnkd.in/e5g5duZY
💃🏽 FLAMENCO/JAZZ EVENT in NYC 🪭
📅 Date: Tuesday, April 15, 2025
⏰ Time/📍Location:
5 PM – Wine/beer reception at Abby
5:30 PM – Event at Caspary Auditorium
The Rockefeller University (1230 York Ave, New York, NY
10065)
🎟 Audience: Free and open to the public
🔗 RSVP: lnkd.in/e5g5duZY
📅 Date: Tuesday, April 15, 2025
⏰ Time/📍Location:
5 PM – Wine/beer reception at Abby
5:30 PM – Event at Caspary Auditorium
The Rockefeller University (1230 York Ave, New York, NY
10065)
🎟 Audience: Free and open to the public
🔗 RSVP: lnkd.in/e5g5duZY
April 8, 2025 at 4:09 PM
Our flamenco/jazz event is just ONE WEEK AWAY (and it is free and open to everyone)!
RSVP: lnkd.in/e5g5duZY
RSVP: lnkd.in/e5g5duZY
It was a huge pleasure to discuss with the amazing JD Talasek and David Leventhal about how dance is helping patients regain movement and other abilities, and what neuroscience research says about dance as a form of healing. Links to several podcast platforms:
issues.org/music-and-he...
issues.org/music-and-he...
Music and Health: Dancing Together
How can dancing help Parkinson's patients regain their ability to walk? What does neuroscience say about the healing power of dance?
issues.org
April 7, 2025 at 3:45 PM
It was a huge pleasure to discuss with the amazing JD Talasek and David Leventhal about how dance is helping patients regain movement and other abilities, and what neuroscience research says about dance as a form of healing. Links to several podcast platforms:
issues.org/music-and-he...
issues.org/music-and-he...
Thanks to the New York Academy of Sciences for this interview!
www.nyas.org/ideas-insigh...
www.nyas.org/ideas-insigh...
April 3, 2025 at 2:46 PM
Thanks to the New York Academy of Sciences for this interview!
www.nyas.org/ideas-insigh...
www.nyas.org/ideas-insigh...
Wonderful work and so revelant to our efforts to understand the neurobiology of speech & dance.
“What an odd thing“ wrote Oliver Sacks “to see an entire species playing with listening to meaningless tonal patterns, preoccupied for much of their time by what they call ‘music’...“. Our new paper, led by ace student @giacomobignardi.bsky.social, unpacks this puzzle from a genetic perspective. 🧪
Twin modelling reveals partly distinct genetic pathways to music enjoyment - Nature Communications
Here, Bignardi et al. report on a study of over 9,000 Swedish twins that indicates the ability to enjoy music is influenced by multiple partly distinct genetic factors.
www.nature.com
March 26, 2025 at 11:53 AM
Wonderful work and so revelant to our efforts to understand the neurobiology of speech & dance.
Reposted by Constantina Theofanopoulou
🚨 Paper Alert! 🚨
1/n Thrilled to share our latest research, now published in Nature Communications! 🎉 This study dives deep into how the cerebellum shapes cortical preparatory activity during motor adaptation.
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
#neuroskyence #motorcontrol #cerebellum #motoradaptation
1/n Thrilled to share our latest research, now published in Nature Communications! 🎉 This study dives deep into how the cerebellum shapes cortical preparatory activity during motor adaptation.
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
#neuroskyence #motorcontrol #cerebellum #motoradaptation
Cerebellar output shapes cortical preparatory activity during motor adaptation - Nature Communications
Functional role of the cerebellum in motor adaptation is not fully understood. The authors show that cerebellar signals act as low-dimensional feedback which constrains the structure of the preparator...
www.nature.com
March 22, 2025 at 6:35 PM
🚨 Paper Alert! 🚨
1/n Thrilled to share our latest research, now published in Nature Communications! 🎉 This study dives deep into how the cerebellum shapes cortical preparatory activity during motor adaptation.
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
#neuroskyence #motorcontrol #cerebellum #motoradaptation
1/n Thrilled to share our latest research, now published in Nature Communications! 🎉 This study dives deep into how the cerebellum shapes cortical preparatory activity during motor adaptation.
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
#neuroskyence #motorcontrol #cerebellum #motoradaptation
Reposted by Constantina Theofanopoulou
So excited to have our work on conlangs out in PNAS: www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/... Congrats, Saima, Maya, and the rest of the crew -- well done!
Here is the MIT news story:
news.mit.edu/2025/esperan...
Here is the MIT news story:
news.mit.edu/2025/esperan...
To the brain, Esperanto and Klingon appear the same as English or Mandarin
MIT research finds the brain’s language-processing network also responds to artificial languages such as Esperanto and languages made for TV, such as Klingon on “Star Trek” and High Valyrian and Dothr...
news.mit.edu
March 18, 2025 at 2:35 PM
So excited to have our work on conlangs out in PNAS: www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/... Congrats, Saima, Maya, and the rest of the crew -- well done!
Here is the MIT news story:
news.mit.edu/2025/esperan...
Here is the MIT news story:
news.mit.edu/2025/esperan...
💃🏽 FLAMENCO/JAZZ EVENT in NYC 🪭
📅 Date: Tuesday, April 15, 2025
⏰ Time/📍Location:
5 PM – Wine/beer reception at Abby
5:30 PM – Event at Caspary Auditorium
The Rockefeller University (1230 York Ave, New York, NY
10065)
🎟 Audience: Free and open to the public
🔗 RSVP: lnkd.in/e5g5duZY
📅 Date: Tuesday, April 15, 2025
⏰ Time/📍Location:
5 PM – Wine/beer reception at Abby
5:30 PM – Event at Caspary Auditorium
The Rockefeller University (1230 York Ave, New York, NY
10065)
🎟 Audience: Free and open to the public
🔗 RSVP: lnkd.in/e5g5duZY
March 18, 2025 at 2:15 PM
💃🏽 FLAMENCO/JAZZ EVENT in NYC 🪭
📅 Date: Tuesday, April 15, 2025
⏰ Time/📍Location:
5 PM – Wine/beer reception at Abby
5:30 PM – Event at Caspary Auditorium
The Rockefeller University (1230 York Ave, New York, NY
10065)
🎟 Audience: Free and open to the public
🔗 RSVP: lnkd.in/e5g5duZY
📅 Date: Tuesday, April 15, 2025
⏰ Time/📍Location:
5 PM – Wine/beer reception at Abby
5:30 PM – Event at Caspary Auditorium
The Rockefeller University (1230 York Ave, New York, NY
10065)
🎟 Audience: Free and open to the public
🔗 RSVP: lnkd.in/e5g5duZY
It is great to see dance being highlighted for its brain benefits in Discover magazine this month. Also delightful to see our research featured alongside that of superb collaborators.
#dance #neuroscience
#dance #neuroscience
March 14, 2025 at 4:02 PM
It is great to see dance being highlighted for its brain benefits in Discover magazine this month. Also delightful to see our research featured alongside that of superb collaborators.
#dance #neuroscience
#dance #neuroscience
Reposted by Constantina Theofanopoulou
🚨New Preprint! 🎵🧠 Joint music listening enhances interpersonal affective and neural synchrony. A huge fNIRS hyperscanning study on shared music listening & pleasure with @federicocurzel.bsky.social , @giacomonovembre.bsky.social, Barbara Tillmann and Arnaud Fournel. 👉 osf.io/preprints/os...
OSF
osf.io
March 14, 2025 at 11:30 AM
🚨New Preprint! 🎵🧠 Joint music listening enhances interpersonal affective and neural synchrony. A huge fNIRS hyperscanning study on shared music listening & pleasure with @federicocurzel.bsky.social , @giacomonovembre.bsky.social, Barbara Tillmann and Arnaud Fournel. 👉 osf.io/preprints/os...
Hugely indebted to Women in Science at Rockefeller for making me part of this Women's History Month Celebration. This initiative has made such an important impact on the university's culture, and I cannot wait to witness and contribute to what comes next.
www.wiseratrockefeller.com/womens-histo...
www.wiseratrockefeller.com/womens-histo...
Constantina Theofanopoulou — WISeR
WISeR: “What sparked your initial interest in science, and what drew you to your specific field?” CT: “Since the beginning, my main driving force has been an unceasing passion for uncovering truth t...
www.wiseratrockefeller.com
March 11, 2025 at 5:37 PM
Hugely indebted to Women in Science at Rockefeller for making me part of this Women's History Month Celebration. This initiative has made such an important impact on the university's culture, and I cannot wait to witness and contribute to what comes next.
www.wiseratrockefeller.com/womens-histo...
www.wiseratrockefeller.com/womens-histo...
Reposted by Constantina Theofanopoulou
🎶 Everything you ever wanted to know about Joint Music Making—but were afraid to ask! 🎶
A comprehensive review by Sara Abalde, @neuromusicnerd.bsky.social , @perikeller.bsky.social rikeller.bsky.social & me, bridging behavioural findings, neural processes, and computational models (link below).
A comprehensive review by Sara Abalde, @neuromusicnerd.bsky.social , @perikeller.bsky.social rikeller.bsky.social & me, bridging behavioural findings, neural processes, and computational models (link below).
March 7, 2025 at 5:19 PM
🎶 Everything you ever wanted to know about Joint Music Making—but were afraid to ask! 🎶
A comprehensive review by Sara Abalde, @neuromusicnerd.bsky.social , @perikeller.bsky.social rikeller.bsky.social & me, bridging behavioural findings, neural processes, and computational models (link below).
A comprehensive review by Sara Abalde, @neuromusicnerd.bsky.social , @perikeller.bsky.social rikeller.bsky.social & me, bridging behavioural findings, neural processes, and computational models (link below).
Reposted by Constantina Theofanopoulou
Nature Human Behaviour
Inhibitory control of speech production in the human premotor frontal cortex
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Inhibitory control of speech production in the human premotor frontal cortex
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Inhibitory control of speech production in the human premotor frontal cortex - Nature Human Behaviour
In natural conversations, people are able to stop speaking at any time. Using high-density electrocorticography, Zhao et al. found a distinct neural signal in the human premotor cortex that inhibits s...
www.nature.com
March 6, 2025 at 1:12 PM
Nature Human Behaviour
Inhibitory control of speech production in the human premotor frontal cortex
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Inhibitory control of speech production in the human premotor frontal cortex
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Reposted by Constantina Theofanopoulou
Towards a mechanistic understanding of reading difficulties: Deviant audiovisual learning dynamics... www.jneurosci.org/content/earl... fMRI study of brain network alterations underlying letter speech sound learning & their association with reading skills
Towards a mechanistic understanding of reading difficulties: Deviant audiovisual learning dynamics and network connectivity in children with poor reading skills
Mastering the associations between letters and their corresponding speech sounds (LSS) is pivotal in the early stages of reading development, requiring an effective reorganisation of brain networks. C...
www.jneurosci.org
February 28, 2025 at 12:18 PM
Towards a mechanistic understanding of reading difficulties: Deviant audiovisual learning dynamics... www.jneurosci.org/content/earl... fMRI study of brain network alterations underlying letter speech sound learning & their association with reading skills
Reposted by Constantina Theofanopoulou
Hot off the press! Our newest paper is out in Scientific Reports!
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Rates of female mouse ultrasonic vocalizations are low and are not modulated by estrous state during interactions with muted males - Scientific Reports
Scientific Reports - Rates of female mouse ultrasonic vocalizations are low and are not modulated by estrous state during interactions with muted males
www.nature.com
February 27, 2025 at 9:09 PM
Hot off the press! Our newest paper is out in Scientific Reports!
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Wonderful flamenco-jazz memories from the The Art and Science of Social Connection symposium (United Nations General Assembly Healing Arts 2024). Live brain electroencephalography showing two artists' brain responses in real time 🧠💃🏽🥁
February 27, 2025 at 9:07 PM
Wonderful flamenco-jazz memories from the The Art and Science of Social Connection symposium (United Nations General Assembly Healing Arts 2024). Live brain electroencephalography showing two artists' brain responses in real time 🧠💃🏽🥁
Reposted by Constantina Theofanopoulou
Our latest findings on social behavior circuits is out: how does the brain responds to social isolation? Terrific work by @dingliu.bsky.social et al. uncovering a circuit with similar neural architecture as physiological needs (hunger, thirst, sleep..). Detailed thread soon.
rdcu.be/ebo63
rdcu.be/ebo63
A hypothalamic circuit underlying the dynamic control of social homeostasis
Nature - New data on brain-wide circuits centred around two interconnected hypothalamic neuron populations provide significant mechanistic insights into the emergence of social need during social...
rdcu.be
February 26, 2025 at 5:21 PM
Our latest findings on social behavior circuits is out: how does the brain responds to social isolation? Terrific work by @dingliu.bsky.social et al. uncovering a circuit with similar neural architecture as physiological needs (hunger, thirst, sleep..). Detailed thread soon.
rdcu.be/ebo63
rdcu.be/ebo63
Reposted by Constantina Theofanopoulou
Out now in Nature Comms. To learn a new word, we need to remember it. We track factors driving memory of novel words, showing which words we remember or forget is predictable across people, and isolate a distinct region of fusiform cortex sensitive to this memorability.
🧠📈 #VisionScience 🧠💬
🧵👇
🧠📈 #VisionScience 🧠💬
🧵👇
Memorability of novel words correlates with anterior fusiform activity during reading - Nature Communications
To learn new written words, we need to be able to remember their associated letters. Here, the authors show the factors that predict how memorable or forgettable new words are and show a region of hum...
doi.org
February 24, 2025 at 4:12 PM
Out now in Nature Comms. To learn a new word, we need to remember it. We track factors driving memory of novel words, showing which words we remember or forget is predictable across people, and isolate a distinct region of fusiform cortex sensitive to this memorability.
🧠📈 #VisionScience 🧠💬
🧵👇
🧠📈 #VisionScience 🧠💬
🧵👇