Elnaz Alikarami
@elnaza.bsky.social
Neuroscience researcher, Dentist, passionate amateur artist. Research analyst and project lead at Rainlab Quantums, a volunteer of the Neuromatch.
Advocate by spirit. An open-science fan. Always trying to make a change!
Www.elnazalikarami.com
Advocate by spirit. An open-science fan. Always trying to make a change!
Www.elnazalikarami.com
1.Ok, If I say something like this to my uncle/MP, I’ll probably hear:
“Sure, science is important —but when unemployment kills and families can’t pay rent, why should taxpayers cover lifetime salaries, and multi-million-dollar labs for basic research?” honestly, that’s not an unreasonable question.
“Sure, science is important —but when unemployment kills and families can’t pay rent, why should taxpayers cover lifetime salaries, and multi-million-dollar labs for basic research?” honestly, that’s not an unreasonable question.
A chemical extracted from carrot roots helped pave the way for flat-screen TVs, and six other discoveries that unintentionally changed the world.
Perfect talking points for when you need to defend basic science, whether it’s to your grumpy uncle or your MP.
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Perfect talking points for when you need to defend basic science, whether it’s to your grumpy uncle or your MP.
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
7 basic science discoveries that changed the world
Ozempic, MRI machines and flat screen televisions all emerged out of fundamental research decades earlier — the very types of study being slashed by the US government.
www.nature.com
November 11, 2025 at 5:12 AM
1.Ok, If I say something like this to my uncle/MP, I’ll probably hear:
“Sure, science is important —but when unemployment kills and families can’t pay rent, why should taxpayers cover lifetime salaries, and multi-million-dollar labs for basic research?” honestly, that’s not an unreasonable question.
“Sure, science is important —but when unemployment kills and families can’t pay rent, why should taxpayers cover lifetime salaries, and multi-million-dollar labs for basic research?” honestly, that’s not an unreasonable question.
As a person transitioning from research to clinic/industry back and forth, I only wish that researchers could understand that science is not under attack, scientists aren't under attack, not even their approach, their manner of practice is…, only if they understood this and improved themselves…
November 5, 2025 at 3:45 PM
As a person transitioning from research to clinic/industry back and forth, I only wish that researchers could understand that science is not under attack, scientists aren't under attack, not even their approach, their manner of practice is…, only if they understood this and improved themselves…
Reposted by Elnaz Alikarami
Thrilled to announce I'll be joining the Division of Neuroscience at @manchester.ac.uk as a Lecturer in Feb '26!
The DuLab will explore how the brain integrates sensory streams into internal maps 🌐 using the rodent head-direction circuit, the 'neural compass', as a starting point for the journey 🧭
The DuLab will explore how the brain integrates sensory streams into internal maps 🌐 using the rodent head-direction circuit, the 'neural compass', as a starting point for the journey 🧭
October 20, 2025 at 8:20 PM
Thrilled to announce I'll be joining the Division of Neuroscience at @manchester.ac.uk as a Lecturer in Feb '26!
The DuLab will explore how the brain integrates sensory streams into internal maps 🌐 using the rodent head-direction circuit, the 'neural compass', as a starting point for the journey 🧭
The DuLab will explore how the brain integrates sensory streams into internal maps 🌐 using the rodent head-direction circuit, the 'neural compass', as a starting point for the journey 🧭
Reposted by Elnaz Alikarami
Really excited to share this Opinion piece we've been working on with fellow head-direction cell geeks @apeyrache.bsky.social @desdemonafricker.bsky.social and (bsky-less?) Andrea Burgalossi! While head-direction cells pop up in many cortical regions, we think that one of them is quite unique (1/8)
The postsubiculum as a head-direction cortex
The organisation of thalamocortical networks follows a conserved structure. Traditionally, these are divided into primary sensory systems that receive…
www.sciencedirect.com
October 15, 2025 at 8:10 PM
Really excited to share this Opinion piece we've been working on with fellow head-direction cell geeks @apeyrache.bsky.social @desdemonafricker.bsky.social and (bsky-less?) Andrea Burgalossi! While head-direction cells pop up in many cortical regions, we think that one of them is quite unique (1/8)
Reposted by Elnaz Alikarami
Deeply embarrassing that Scientific American would lend its name to this claptrap.
Despite early, and familiar, copyright growing pains, Sora may be the prelude to AI-generated on-demand TV and movies
Want to See Marilyn Monroe in Game of Thrones? AI Could Make It Soon
Despite early, and familiar, copyright growing pains, Sora may be the prelude to AI-generated on-demand TV and movies
www.scientificamerican.com
October 15, 2025 at 4:23 AM
Deeply embarrassing that Scientific American would lend its name to this claptrap.
1/ I’ve lived this, I’ve studied it, and I’m using my experience to highlight broader inequities that many of us face.
BUT I wrote this piece solely with a researcher’s eye 👀
It’s not a personal account. It’s an evidence-based look at how “fit” shapes belonging and power.
medium.com/@elnaz.karam...
BUT I wrote this piece solely with a researcher’s eye 👀
It’s not a personal account. It’s an evidence-based look at how “fit” shapes belonging and power.
medium.com/@elnaz.karam...
Medium
https://medium.com/@elnaz.karami/when-the-system-says-fit-in…]
October 15, 2025 at 4:36 AM
1/ I’ve lived this, I’ve studied it, and I’m using my experience to highlight broader inequities that many of us face.
BUT I wrote this piece solely with a researcher’s eye 👀
It’s not a personal account. It’s an evidence-based look at how “fit” shapes belonging and power.
medium.com/@elnaz.karam...
BUT I wrote this piece solely with a researcher’s eye 👀
It’s not a personal account. It’s an evidence-based look at how “fit” shapes belonging and power.
medium.com/@elnaz.karam...
Reposted by Elnaz Alikarami
Fyi if you're an educator looking for videos about the brain and/or how neuroscience is done, check out
@brainfacts.org's YouTube page: youtube.com/@brainfactsorg
It includes submissions to their Brain Awareness Week video contest, which can be quite fun! #neuroskyence
@brainfacts.org's YouTube page: youtube.com/@brainfactsorg
It includes submissions to their Brain Awareness Week video contest, which can be quite fun! #neuroskyence
BrainFacts.org
BrainFacts.org is an authoritative source of information about the brain and nervous system for the public. The site is a public information initiative of The Kavli Foundation, the Gatsby Charitable F...
youtube.com
September 29, 2025 at 2:29 PM
Fyi if you're an educator looking for videos about the brain and/or how neuroscience is done, check out
@brainfacts.org's YouTube page: youtube.com/@brainfactsorg
It includes submissions to their Brain Awareness Week video contest, which can be quite fun! #neuroskyence
@brainfacts.org's YouTube page: youtube.com/@brainfactsorg
It includes submissions to their Brain Awareness Week video contest, which can be quite fun! #neuroskyence
Reposted by Elnaz Alikarami
So excited to see this preprint released from the lab into the wild.
Charlotte has developed a theory for how learning curriculum influences learning generalization.
Our theory makes straightforward neural predictions that can be tested in future experiments. (1/4)
🧠🤖 🧠📈 #MLSky
Charlotte has developed a theory for how learning curriculum influences learning generalization.
Our theory makes straightforward neural predictions that can be tested in future experiments. (1/4)
🧠🤖 🧠📈 #MLSky
🚨 New preprint alert!
🧠🤖
We propose a theory of how learning curriculum affects generalization through neural population dimensionality. Learning curriculum is a determining factor of neural dimensionality - where you start from determines where you end up.
🧠📈
A 🧵:
tinyurl.com/yr8tawj3
🧠🤖
We propose a theory of how learning curriculum affects generalization through neural population dimensionality. Learning curriculum is a determining factor of neural dimensionality - where you start from determines where you end up.
🧠📈
A 🧵:
tinyurl.com/yr8tawj3
The curriculum effect in visual learning: the role of readout dimensionality
Generalization of visual perceptual learning (VPL) to unseen conditions varies across tasks. Previous work suggests that training curriculum may be integral to generalization, yet a theoretical explan...
tinyurl.com
September 30, 2025 at 2:35 PM
So excited to see this preprint released from the lab into the wild.
Charlotte has developed a theory for how learning curriculum influences learning generalization.
Our theory makes straightforward neural predictions that can be tested in future experiments. (1/4)
🧠🤖 🧠📈 #MLSky
Charlotte has developed a theory for how learning curriculum influences learning generalization.
Our theory makes straightforward neural predictions that can be tested in future experiments. (1/4)
🧠🤖 🧠📈 #MLSky
Reposted by Elnaz Alikarami
Honored to be awarded the FRQ–IVADO Research Chair in "Social Neuro-AI & Inter-Personalized Psychiatry"!
Grateful to my team & colleagues at @cra-chusj.bsky.social & @mila-quebec.bsky.social, and my family for their support 🙏
Excited to keep bridging social neuroscience, AI & precision psychiatry🚀
Grateful to my team & colleagues at @cra-chusj.bsky.social & @mila-quebec.bsky.social, and my family for their support 🙏
Excited to keep bridging social neuroscience, AI & precision psychiatry🚀
🔷 IVADO announces 6 new #AI #research chairs with the support of the Fonds de recherche du Québec.
Awarded to professors from our 5 partner universities, they reflect the excellence and diversity of AI research in Québec.
👉 ivado.ca/en/2025/09/2...
@fondsrechercheqc.bsky.social #R3AI
Awarded to professors from our 5 partner universities, they reflect the excellence and diversity of AI research in Québec.
👉 ivado.ca/en/2025/09/2...
@fondsrechercheqc.bsky.social #R3AI
IVADO announces the creation of six new research chairs in artificial intelligence with the support of the Fonds de recherche du Québec | IVADO
ivado.ca
September 29, 2025 at 3:36 PM
Honored to be awarded the FRQ–IVADO Research Chair in "Social Neuro-AI & Inter-Personalized Psychiatry"!
Grateful to my team & colleagues at @cra-chusj.bsky.social & @mila-quebec.bsky.social, and my family for their support 🙏
Excited to keep bridging social neuroscience, AI & precision psychiatry🚀
Grateful to my team & colleagues at @cra-chusj.bsky.social & @mila-quebec.bsky.social, and my family for their support 🙏
Excited to keep bridging social neuroscience, AI & precision psychiatry🚀
Reposted by Elnaz Alikarami
Today is my first day as Director, Research & Innovation and CRCHUM Research Centre @crchum.bsky.social
(University of Montreal's main Research & Teaching Hospital).
Also starting a new research group @umontreal.ca.
Stay tuned for updates along this new collective journey!
(University of Montreal's main Research & Teaching Hospital).
Also starting a new research group @umontreal.ca.
Stay tuned for updates along this new collective journey!
October 1, 2025 at 8:47 PM
Today is my first day as Director, Research & Innovation and CRCHUM Research Centre @crchum.bsky.social
(University of Montreal's main Research & Teaching Hospital).
Also starting a new research group @umontreal.ca.
Stay tuned for updates along this new collective journey!
(University of Montreal's main Research & Teaching Hospital).
Also starting a new research group @umontreal.ca.
Stay tuned for updates along this new collective journey!
Reposted by Elnaz Alikarami
"I feel that there’s nothing more important than to pass on, to my son, the little piece of nothing and everything that I’ve observed — the happiness that comes from watching a dragonfly, spider, frog, lizard, elephant, parrot, mouse, orangutan, or ladybug."
Self-Medicating Chimps, Pugilistic Shrimp, and Other Remarkable Animals: An Illustrated Guide
A catalog of wondrous beings, excerpted from Emmanuelle Pouydebat's book "Atlas of Poetic Zoology."
thereader.mitpress.mit.edu
October 1, 2025 at 10:23 PM
"I feel that there’s nothing more important than to pass on, to my son, the little piece of nothing and everything that I’ve observed — the happiness that comes from watching a dragonfly, spider, frog, lizard, elephant, parrot, mouse, orangutan, or ladybug."
Reposted by Elnaz Alikarami
Jane Goodall understood better than most the impact humans have had on the planet. Having witnessed so much environmental deterioration during her lifetime, she was as much an activist as a scientist.
Read our piece from 2024 on the legendary primatologist. 💚
Read our piece from 2024 on the legendary primatologist. 💚
Jane Goodall Thinks It’s Not Too Late to Save the World
The world, the famed primatologist says, isn’t what it used to be—but there’s still time to save it, if we treat crises like climate change, biodiversity loss, and poverty as one.
www.wired.com
October 1, 2025 at 10:28 PM
Jane Goodall understood better than most the impact humans have had on the planet. Having witnessed so much environmental deterioration during her lifetime, she was as much an activist as a scientist.
Read our piece from 2024 on the legendary primatologist. 💚
Read our piece from 2024 on the legendary primatologist. 💚
I am playing with Muse device as a part of my work, Today I tried the resistance meditation that is centered around refuge.
I realized that I have no stability refuge except my family, which are in Iran so not a real refuge…
I am more nervous after my meditation now 🤦♀️
I realized that I have no stability refuge except my family, which are in Iran so not a real refuge…
I am more nervous after my meditation now 🤦♀️
September 22, 2025 at 3:43 AM
I am playing with Muse device as a part of my work, Today I tried the resistance meditation that is centered around refuge.
I realized that I have no stability refuge except my family, which are in Iran so not a real refuge…
I am more nervous after my meditation now 🤦♀️
I realized that I have no stability refuge except my family, which are in Iran so not a real refuge…
I am more nervous after my meditation now 🤦♀️
Reposted by Elnaz Alikarami
The CTRL-Labs decoding model paper is out! Saw this presented at Cosyne this year, very cool to see it out.
I would say this is the clearest demonstration of scaling laws in neural decoding to-date.
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
🧠📈 🧪
I would say this is the clearest demonstration of scaling laws in neural decoding to-date.
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
🧠📈 🧪
A generic non-invasive neuromotor interface for human-computer interaction - Nature
A high-bandwidth neuromotor interface offers performant out-of-the-box generalization across people.
www.nature.com
September 18, 2025 at 1:34 PM
The CTRL-Labs decoding model paper is out! Saw this presented at Cosyne this year, very cool to see it out.
I would say this is the clearest demonstration of scaling laws in neural decoding to-date.
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
🧠📈 🧪
I would say this is the clearest demonstration of scaling laws in neural decoding to-date.
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
🧠📈 🧪
Reposted by Elnaz Alikarami
If you're interested in spiking neural networks, you should know about surrogate gradient descent and @fzenke.bsky.social's SPyTorch tutorial which shows just how easy it is to apply this method that's changing the whole field. Check out my paean below. 👇
In our latest “This paper changed my life,” @neural-reckoning.org explains how @fzenke.bsky.social's 2019 paper, and its related coding tutorial SpyTorch, made it possible to apply modern machine learning to spiking neural networks.
#neuroskyence
www.thetransmitter.org/this-paper-c...
#neuroskyence
www.thetransmitter.org/this-paper-c...
This paper changed my life: Dan Goodman on a paper that reignited the field of spiking neural networks
Friedemann Zenke’s 2019 paper, and its related coding tutorial SpyTorch, made it possible to apply modern machine learning to spiking neural networks. The innovation reinvigorated the field.
www.thetransmitter.org
September 17, 2025 at 7:02 PM
If you're interested in spiking neural networks, you should know about surrogate gradient descent and @fzenke.bsky.social's SPyTorch tutorial which shows just how easy it is to apply this method that's changing the whole field. Check out my paean below. 👇
Reposted by Elnaz Alikarami
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
my wife (2nd author) just published in Cell
working from home is not without pressure you know?
#neuroscience
my wife (2nd author) just published in Cell
working from home is not without pressure you know?
#neuroscience
Distinct circuit motifs evaluate opposing innate values of odors
Evaluating the innate value of objects is critical for expressing adaptive behaviors. However, where and how this computation takes place in the brain…
www.sciencedirect.com
September 17, 2025 at 4:29 PM
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
my wife (2nd author) just published in Cell
working from home is not without pressure you know?
#neuroscience
my wife (2nd author) just published in Cell
working from home is not without pressure you know?
#neuroscience
I am digging into use of HRV in sleep research with the folks in the field.
In my latest article, I unpack the science of HRV biofeedback—and how wearable tech is translating this from controlled lab settings into everyday use for stress, sleep, and performance.
medium.com/@elnaz.karam...
In my latest article, I unpack the science of HRV biofeedback—and how wearable tech is translating this from controlled lab settings into everyday use for stress, sleep, and performance.
medium.com/@elnaz.karam...
Heart Rate Variability, Biofeedback, and the Future of Personalized Regulation
Your heartbeat is more than just a rhythm. The autonomic nervous system orchestrates rapid adjustments to maintain balance across…
medium.com
September 17, 2025 at 2:46 PM
I am digging into use of HRV in sleep research with the folks in the field.
In my latest article, I unpack the science of HRV biofeedback—and how wearable tech is translating this from controlled lab settings into everyday use for stress, sleep, and performance.
medium.com/@elnaz.karam...
In my latest article, I unpack the science of HRV biofeedback—and how wearable tech is translating this from controlled lab settings into everyday use for stress, sleep, and performance.
medium.com/@elnaz.karam...
Reposted by Elnaz Alikarami
"Sleep, like aging, may be an inescapable consequence of aerobic metabolism."
Really enjoyed this thought-provoking paper 🧠💤🪰 - congrats to @rafsarnataro.bsky.social and team on this impressive work!
No wonder the Krebs cycle always put me to sleep 😅
#neuroskyence
Really enjoyed this thought-provoking paper 🧠💤🪰 - congrats to @rafsarnataro.bsky.social and team on this impressive work!
No wonder the Krebs cycle always put me to sleep 😅
#neuroskyence
September 14, 2025 at 3:12 PM
"Sleep, like aging, may be an inescapable consequence of aerobic metabolism."
Really enjoyed this thought-provoking paper 🧠💤🪰 - congrats to @rafsarnataro.bsky.social and team on this impressive work!
No wonder the Krebs cycle always put me to sleep 😅
#neuroskyence
Really enjoyed this thought-provoking paper 🧠💤🪰 - congrats to @rafsarnataro.bsky.social and team on this impressive work!
No wonder the Krebs cycle always put me to sleep 😅
#neuroskyence
This is a great input I received. To respond that:
1/ Social influence doesn’t stop at politics or media—it’s present in science too.
Scientists are not immune to bandwagon effects—repeated claims in literature can start to feel more “true” (illusory truth effect), even when replication is weak.
1/ Social influence doesn’t stop at politics or media—it’s present in science too.
Scientists are not immune to bandwagon effects—repeated claims in literature can start to feel more “true” (illusory truth effect), even when replication is weak.
September 16, 2025 at 10:55 PM
This is a great input I received. To respond that:
1/ Social influence doesn’t stop at politics or media—it’s present in science too.
Scientists are not immune to bandwagon effects—repeated claims in literature can start to feel more “true” (illusory truth effect), even when replication is weak.
1/ Social influence doesn’t stop at politics or media—it’s present in science too.
Scientists are not immune to bandwagon effects—repeated claims in literature can start to feel more “true” (illusory truth effect), even when replication is weak.
Reposted by Elnaz Alikarami
International collaborations enable the sharing of resources and expertise, as well as more broadly applicable and reproducible results. But new U.S. federal funding restrictions are putting them in jeopardy, writes @lucinauddin.bsky.social.
#neuroskyence
www.thetransmitter.org/funding/inte...
#neuroskyence
www.thetransmitter.org/funding/inte...
International scientific collaboration is more necessary—yet more challenging—than ever
These partnerships accelerate neuroscience by enabling researchers to share resources and expertise, as well as generate more relevant and reproducible results. But new federal funding restrictions in...
www.thetransmitter.org
September 15, 2025 at 6:17 PM
International collaborations enable the sharing of resources and expertise, as well as more broadly applicable and reproducible results. But new U.S. federal funding restrictions are putting them in jeopardy, writes @lucinauddin.bsky.social.
#neuroskyence
www.thetransmitter.org/funding/inte...
#neuroskyence
www.thetransmitter.org/funding/inte...
Reposted by Elnaz Alikarami
Is anarchist science possible? As an experiment, we got together a large group of computational neuroscientists from around the world to work on a single project without top down direction. Read on to find out what happened. 🤖🧠🧪
September 4, 2025 at 2:59 PM
Is anarchist science possible? As an experiment, we got together a large group of computational neuroscientists from around the world to work on a single project without top down direction. Read on to find out what happened. 🤖🧠🧪
Reposted by Elnaz Alikarami
For those interested in open neuroscience learning tools, check out the preprint for “RetINaBox: A hands-on tool for experimental neuroscience" that a couple students in my lab worked on in collaboration with the Trenholm lab:
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
🧠📈 🧪
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
🧠📈 🧪
RetINaBox: A hands-on learning tool for experimental neuroscience
An exciting aspect of neuroscience research is developing and testing hypotheses via experimentation. However, due to logistical and financial hurdles, this compelling part of neuroscience research is...
www.biorxiv.org
September 15, 2025 at 3:02 PM
For those interested in open neuroscience learning tools, check out the preprint for “RetINaBox: A hands-on tool for experimental neuroscience" that a couple students in my lab worked on in collaboration with the Trenholm lab:
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
🧠📈 🧪
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
🧠📈 🧪
Reposted by Elnaz Alikarami
Such a fun collaboration to be a part of! Turns out, like many things in the brain, inhibition-stabilization is the answer. 👀🧭⚖️
Thrilled to share that our work is now published in Science! ✨
We found a preference for visual objects in the mouse spatial navigation system where they dynamically refine head-direction coding. In short, objects boost our inner compass! 🧭
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
🧵1/
We found a preference for visual objects in the mouse spatial navigation system where they dynamically refine head-direction coding. In short, objects boost our inner compass! 🧭
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
🧵1/
September 11, 2025 at 9:23 PM
Such a fun collaboration to be a part of! Turns out, like many things in the brain, inhibition-stabilization is the answer. 👀🧭⚖️
Have you ever changed your mind in a meeting, not for evidence but because everyone else agreed?
There’s neuroscience to explore 🧠
I just published a piece on how the brain rewards consensus, why repetition feels like truth, and what that means in the age of the infodemic.
medium.com/@elnaz.karam...
There’s neuroscience to explore 🧠
I just published a piece on how the brain rewards consensus, why repetition feels like truth, and what that means in the age of the infodemic.
medium.com/@elnaz.karam...
The Neuroscience of Social Influence: How Our Brains Shape Belief
Have you ever noticed yourself doubting your own opinion after seeing everyone else agree on something different? Or felt a sudden…
medium.com
September 7, 2025 at 7:19 PM
Have you ever changed your mind in a meeting, not for evidence but because everyone else agreed?
There’s neuroscience to explore 🧠
I just published a piece on how the brain rewards consensus, why repetition feels like truth, and what that means in the age of the infodemic.
medium.com/@elnaz.karam...
There’s neuroscience to explore 🧠
I just published a piece on how the brain rewards consensus, why repetition feels like truth, and what that means in the age of the infodemic.
medium.com/@elnaz.karam...
Just published on Medium: Combating the Infodemic.
Personal experience as an Iranian: I’ve felt overwhelmed by headlines during the recent Iran–Israel war—proof of how framing shapes what we feel + believe.
Based on brilliant research of @profsanderlinden.bsky.social
medium.com/@elnaz.karam...
Personal experience as an Iranian: I’ve felt overwhelmed by headlines during the recent Iran–Israel war—proof of how framing shapes what we feel + believe.
Based on brilliant research of @profsanderlinden.bsky.social
medium.com/@elnaz.karam...
Combating the Infodemic: The Subtle Art of Propaganda Through News Framing and How to Spot It
Have you ever read a headline that felt true but left you uneasy — like it was nudging you toward a conclusion without saying it outright…
medium.com
August 26, 2025 at 8:28 PM
Just published on Medium: Combating the Infodemic.
Personal experience as an Iranian: I’ve felt overwhelmed by headlines during the recent Iran–Israel war—proof of how framing shapes what we feel + believe.
Based on brilliant research of @profsanderlinden.bsky.social
medium.com/@elnaz.karam...
Personal experience as an Iranian: I’ve felt overwhelmed by headlines during the recent Iran–Israel war—proof of how framing shapes what we feel + believe.
Based on brilliant research of @profsanderlinden.bsky.social
medium.com/@elnaz.karam...