Naoshige Uchida
@naoshigeuchida.bsky.social
Neuroscientist. Professor at Harvard University.
Studies the neural mechanisms underlying decision-making and learning. Dopamine.
Studies the neural mechanisms underlying decision-making and learning. Dopamine.
Reposted by Naoshige Uchida
🚨Our preprint is online!🚨
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
How do #dopamine neurons perform the key calculations in reinforcement #learning?
Read on to find out more! 🧵
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
How do #dopamine neurons perform the key calculations in reinforcement #learning?
Read on to find out more! 🧵
September 19, 2025 at 1:05 PM
🚨Our preprint is online!🚨
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
How do #dopamine neurons perform the key calculations in reinforcement #learning?
Read on to find out more! 🧵
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
How do #dopamine neurons perform the key calculations in reinforcement #learning?
Read on to find out more! 🧵
Reposted by Naoshige Uchida
My first paper with @naoshigeuchida.bsky.social is finally out in @natcomms.nature.com ! rdcu.be/eACGf
TL;DR: asymmetric learning rates can be induced by shifts in tonic dopamine giving rise to pessimistic/optimistic biases in agents or animals undergoing reinforcement learning .
TL;DR: asymmetric learning rates can be induced by shifts in tonic dopamine giving rise to pessimistic/optimistic biases in agents or animals undergoing reinforcement learning .
Tonic dopamine and biases in value learning linked through a biologically inspired reinforcement learning model
Nature Communications - Accurate future predictions are essential for guiding behavior, and disruptions in this process are associated with psychiatric disorders. Here the authors show that changes...
rdcu.be
August 13, 2025 at 9:55 PM
My first paper with @naoshigeuchida.bsky.social is finally out in @natcomms.nature.com ! rdcu.be/eACGf
TL;DR: asymmetric learning rates can be induced by shifts in tonic dopamine giving rise to pessimistic/optimistic biases in agents or animals undergoing reinforcement learning .
TL;DR: asymmetric learning rates can be induced by shifts in tonic dopamine giving rise to pessimistic/optimistic biases in agents or animals undergoing reinforcement learning .
Reposted by Naoshige Uchida
Our paper on foraging is now published in Neuron! Read it here:
www.cell.com/neuron/fullt...
This project was co-led by Michael Bukwich (not on Bluesky) and me, with major contributions from all co-authors. Huge thanks to the whole team!
www.cell.com/neuron/fullt...
This project was co-led by Michael Bukwich (not on Bluesky) and me, with major contributions from all co-authors. Huge thanks to the whole team!
Competitive integration of time and reward explains value-sensitive foraging decisions and frontal cortex ramping dynamics
Bukwich and Campbell et al. show that mice integrate elapsed time and reward intake,
scaled by a latent patience variable, to decide when to leave virtual “patches.” Frontal
cortex ramping activity ma...
www.cell.com
August 7, 2025 at 5:35 PM
Our paper on foraging is now published in Neuron! Read it here:
www.cell.com/neuron/fullt...
This project was co-led by Michael Bukwich (not on Bluesky) and me, with major contributions from all co-authors. Huge thanks to the whole team!
www.cell.com/neuron/fullt...
This project was co-led by Michael Bukwich (not on Bluesky) and me, with major contributions from all co-authors. Huge thanks to the whole team!
This year's Kyoto Prize in Adavanced Technology goes to Dr. Shun-ichi Amari!
www.kyotoprize.org/en/laureates...
www.kyotoprize.org/en/laureates...
Shun-ichi Amari | Kyoto Prize
Shun-ichi Amari
www.kyotoprize.org
June 25, 2025 at 10:00 PM
This year's Kyoto Prize in Adavanced Technology goes to Dr. Shun-ichi Amari!
www.kyotoprize.org/en/laureates...
www.kyotoprize.org/en/laureates...
Reposted by Naoshige Uchida
Our work with Pablo Tano, @hyunggoo-kim.bsky.social Athar Malik, Alexandre Pouget and @naoshigeuchida.bsky.social exploring how dopamine neurons could enable multi-timescale reinforcement learning in the brain is out in @nature.com
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Multi-timescale reinforcement learning in the brain - Nature
Individual dopaminergic neurons encode future rewards over distinct temporal horizons.
www.nature.com
June 4, 2025 at 6:11 PM
Our work with Pablo Tano, @hyunggoo-kim.bsky.social Athar Malik, Alexandre Pouget and @naoshigeuchida.bsky.social exploring how dopamine neurons could enable multi-timescale reinforcement learning in the brain is out in @nature.com
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Reposted by Naoshige Uchida
we're crowd-sourcing a searchable repository of tangible benefits stemming from federally-funded research. Come enjoy the great stories; or send in an idea; or volunteer to join the team.
publicusaresearchbenefits.com
please share and re-share so we get more great stories in there!
publicusaresearchbenefits.com
please share and re-share so we get more great stories in there!
Searchable database of tangible benefits that federally-funded research gave us.
A crowd-sourced site. Health and Well-being. National Security. Prosperity.
publicusaresearchbenefits.com
May 7, 2025 at 11:28 PM
we're crowd-sourcing a searchable repository of tangible benefits stemming from federally-funded research. Come enjoy the great stories; or send in an idea; or volunteer to join the team.
publicusaresearchbenefits.com
please share and re-share so we get more great stories in there!
publicusaresearchbenefits.com
please share and re-share so we get more great stories in there!
Reposted by Naoshige Uchida
New in the Deeper Learning blog: The Kempner’s Demba Ba explains his team’s recent Neuron paper on DUNL, a deep learning framework that tames the complexity of brain data.
bit.ly/KempnerDUNL
#AI #neuroscience #neuroskyence #ML
bit.ly/KempnerDUNL
#AI #neuroscience #neuroskyence #ML
Mechanistic Interpretability: A Challenge Common to Both Artificial and Biological Intelligence - Kempner Institute
In neuroscience, the past decade has witnessed major advances in our ability to record activity from the brain at both larger and finer scales. And yet, a mechanistic theory linking […]
bit.ly
April 14, 2025 at 7:05 PM
New in the Deeper Learning blog: The Kempner’s Demba Ba explains his team’s recent Neuron paper on DUNL, a deep learning framework that tames the complexity of brain data.
bit.ly/KempnerDUNL
#AI #neuroscience #neuroskyence #ML
bit.ly/KempnerDUNL
#AI #neuroscience #neuroskyence #ML
Reposted by Naoshige Uchida
MCB’s Daniel Cardozo Pinto and Wendy Valencia Montoya Named 2025 Harvard Junior Fellows
www.mcb.harvard.edu/department/n... @dcardozopinto.bsky.social @naoshigeuchida.bsky.social @rachellegaudet.bsky.social @dulaclab.bsky.social @harvardoeb.bsky.social
www.mcb.harvard.edu/department/n... @dcardozopinto.bsky.social @naoshigeuchida.bsky.social @rachellegaudet.bsky.social @dulaclab.bsky.social @harvardoeb.bsky.social
MCB’s Daniel Cardozo Pinto and Wendy Valencia Montoya Named 2025 Harvard Junior Fellows - Harvard University - Department of Molecular & Cellular Biology
Harvard has named Daniel Cardozo Pinto and Wendy Valencia Montoya as two of its newest Junior Fellows, joining the prestigious Society of Fellows this year. They will begin […]
www.mcb.harvard.edu
April 10, 2025 at 9:24 PM
MCB’s Daniel Cardozo Pinto and Wendy Valencia Montoya Named 2025 Harvard Junior Fellows
www.mcb.harvard.edu/department/n... @dcardozopinto.bsky.social @naoshigeuchida.bsky.social @rachellegaudet.bsky.social @dulaclab.bsky.social @harvardoeb.bsky.social
www.mcb.harvard.edu/department/n... @dcardozopinto.bsky.social @naoshigeuchida.bsky.social @rachellegaudet.bsky.social @dulaclab.bsky.social @harvardoeb.bsky.social
Our new paper. Prospective contingency explains behavior and dopamine signals during associative learning. Collaboration with @neurovenki.bsky.social , @gershbrain.bsky.social
rdcu.be/ed1na
rdcu.be/ed1na
I’m happy to share our latest work (co-lead by Selina Qian) has today been published in its final form in @:natureneuro.bsky.social: Read here: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41593-025-01915-4
(1/12)
(1/12)
March 18, 2025 at 3:11 PM
Our new paper. Prospective contingency explains behavior and dopamine signals during associative learning. Collaboration with @neurovenki.bsky.social , @gershbrain.bsky.social
rdcu.be/ed1na
rdcu.be/ed1na
Reposted by Naoshige Uchida
Decoding Learning: How Cues and Rewards Shape Behavior and Dopamine Signals 🧠 🧪🧫 🧬 #science #neuro
www.mcb.harvard.edu/department/n... @saramatias.bsky.social @naoshigeuchida.bsky.social @neurovenki.bsky.social @harvardbrainsci.bsky.social @natureneuro.bsky.social @rachellegaudet.bsky.social
www.mcb.harvard.edu/department/n... @saramatias.bsky.social @naoshigeuchida.bsky.social @neurovenki.bsky.social @harvardbrainsci.bsky.social @natureneuro.bsky.social @rachellegaudet.bsky.social
Decoding Learning: How Cues and Rewards Shape Behavior and Dopamine Signals - Harvard University - Department of Molecular & Cellular Biology
A new study from Naoshige Uchida’s MCB lab provides new insight into how the brain processes contingency during associative learning. Published in Nature Neuroscience (PDF), the study demonstrates […]
www.mcb.harvard.edu
March 18, 2025 at 1:37 PM
Decoding Learning: How Cues and Rewards Shape Behavior and Dopamine Signals 🧠 🧪🧫 🧬 #science #neuro
www.mcb.harvard.edu/department/n... @saramatias.bsky.social @naoshigeuchida.bsky.social @neurovenki.bsky.social @harvardbrainsci.bsky.social @natureneuro.bsky.social @rachellegaudet.bsky.social
www.mcb.harvard.edu/department/n... @saramatias.bsky.social @naoshigeuchida.bsky.social @neurovenki.bsky.social @harvardbrainsci.bsky.social @natureneuro.bsky.social @rachellegaudet.bsky.social
Reposted by Naoshige Uchida
How can we design human-interpretable AI models to explain why neurons behave as they do?
Excited to share our work in collaboration with @saramatias.bsky.social, Hao Wu, Simona Temereanca, @naoshigeuchida.bsky.social, @neurovenki.bsky.social, @paulmasset.bsky.social, and Demba Ba @harvard.edu 1/21
Excited to share our work in collaboration with @saramatias.bsky.social, Hao Wu, Simona Temereanca, @naoshigeuchida.bsky.social, @neurovenki.bsky.social, @paulmasset.bsky.social, and Demba Ba @harvard.edu 1/21
March 13, 2025 at 4:12 PM
How can we design human-interpretable AI models to explain why neurons behave as they do?
Excited to share our work in collaboration with @saramatias.bsky.social, Hao Wu, Simona Temereanca, @naoshigeuchida.bsky.social, @neurovenki.bsky.social, @paulmasset.bsky.social, and Demba Ba @harvard.edu 1/21
Excited to share our work in collaboration with @saramatias.bsky.social, Hao Wu, Simona Temereanca, @naoshigeuchida.bsky.social, @neurovenki.bsky.social, @paulmasset.bsky.social, and Demba Ba @harvard.edu 1/21
Happy to be a part of it! Congratultations, Bahareh Tolooshams, Sara Matias, and the team! Thanks, Demba Ba and Paul Masset, for their leadership!
"Interpretable deep learning for deconvolutional analysis of neural signals"
authors.elsevier.com/c/1klDA3BtfH...
"Interpretable deep learning for deconvolutional analysis of neural signals"
authors.elsevier.com/c/1klDA3BtfH...
New Deep Learning Framework Reveals Hidden Structure in Neural Activity 🧠 #neuro #science
www.mcb.harvard.edu/department/n... @naoshigeuchida.bsky.social @saramatias.bsky.social @neurovenki.bsky.social @btolooshams.bsky.social @kempnerinstitute.bsky.social @harvardbrainsci.bsky.social
www.mcb.harvard.edu/department/n... @naoshigeuchida.bsky.social @saramatias.bsky.social @neurovenki.bsky.social @btolooshams.bsky.social @kempnerinstitute.bsky.social @harvardbrainsci.bsky.social
New Deep Learning Framework Reveals Hidden Structure in Neural Activity - Harvard University - Department of Molecular & Cellular Biology
Understanding how neurons encode information is one of the most pressing challenges in neuroscience. A new study from a multidisciplinary team including MCB researchers and those from the […]
www.mcb.harvard.edu
March 12, 2025 at 10:14 PM
Happy to be a part of it! Congratultations, Bahareh Tolooshams, Sara Matias, and the team! Thanks, Demba Ba and Paul Masset, for their leadership!
"Interpretable deep learning for deconvolutional analysis of neural signals"
authors.elsevier.com/c/1klDA3BtfH...
"Interpretable deep learning for deconvolutional analysis of neural signals"
authors.elsevier.com/c/1klDA3BtfH...
Reposted by Naoshige Uchida
New Deep Learning Framework Reveals Hidden Structure in Neural Activity 🧠 #neuro #science
www.mcb.harvard.edu/department/n... @naoshigeuchida.bsky.social @saramatias.bsky.social @neurovenki.bsky.social @btolooshams.bsky.social @kempnerinstitute.bsky.social @harvardbrainsci.bsky.social
www.mcb.harvard.edu/department/n... @naoshigeuchida.bsky.social @saramatias.bsky.social @neurovenki.bsky.social @btolooshams.bsky.social @kempnerinstitute.bsky.social @harvardbrainsci.bsky.social
New Deep Learning Framework Reveals Hidden Structure in Neural Activity - Harvard University - Department of Molecular & Cellular Biology
Understanding how neurons encode information is one of the most pressing challenges in neuroscience. A new study from a multidisciplinary team including MCB researchers and those from the […]
www.mcb.harvard.edu
March 12, 2025 at 1:27 PM
New Deep Learning Framework Reveals Hidden Structure in Neural Activity 🧠 #neuro #science
www.mcb.harvard.edu/department/n... @naoshigeuchida.bsky.social @saramatias.bsky.social @neurovenki.bsky.social @btolooshams.bsky.social @kempnerinstitute.bsky.social @harvardbrainsci.bsky.social
www.mcb.harvard.edu/department/n... @naoshigeuchida.bsky.social @saramatias.bsky.social @neurovenki.bsky.social @btolooshams.bsky.social @kempnerinstitute.bsky.social @harvardbrainsci.bsky.social
Our new study: Dopamine in the tail of the striatum facilitates avoidance in threat–reward conflicts. Congrats Iku-Tsutsui Kimura, Melissa Tian and others! Led by Mitsuko Watabe-Uchida. www.nature.com/articles/s41...
March 10, 2025 at 4:32 PM
Our new study: Dopamine in the tail of the striatum facilitates avoidance in threat–reward conflicts. Congrats Iku-Tsutsui Kimura, Melissa Tian and others! Led by Mitsuko Watabe-Uchida. www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Turing Award Goes to 2 Pioneers of Artificial Intelligence www.nytimes.com/2025/03/05/t...
Turing Award Goes to A.I. Pioneers Andrew Barto and Richard Sutton
Andrew Barto and Richard Sutton developed reinforcement learning, a technique vital to chatbots like ChatGPT.
www.nytimes.com
March 5, 2025 at 12:21 PM
Turing Award Goes to 2 Pioneers of Artificial Intelligence www.nytimes.com/2025/03/05/t...
Reposted by Naoshige Uchida
In our new paper @dulaclab.bsky.social, we investigated a fundamental question in social neuroscience: the origin of "sociality" (the need of being together) at the levels of behavior, neuron type, neural circuit and sensory modulation. (Detailed digest below) (1/7)
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
February 27, 2025 at 4:05 PM
In our new paper @dulaclab.bsky.social, we investigated a fundamental question in social neuroscience: the origin of "sociality" (the need of being together) at the levels of behavior, neuron type, neural circuit and sensory modulation. (Detailed digest below) (1/7)
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Reposted by Naoshige Uchida
Our paper @dulaclab.bsky.social on social homeostasis is online today! We characterized “social rebound” behavior after social isolation in multiple mouse strains and revealed its neural basis. Intriguingly, soft touch plays a key role in satisfying social need!
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
February 26, 2025 at 5:40 PM
Our paper @dulaclab.bsky.social on social homeostasis is online today! We characterized “social rebound” behavior after social isolation in multiple mouse strains and revealed its neural basis. Intriguingly, soft touch plays a key role in satisfying social need!
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Reposted by Naoshige Uchida
Dulac Lab Identifies “Loneliness” Neurons in the Hypothalamus
🧠🧪🤖💡 #Science #Neuron
www.mcb.harvard.edu/department/n...
@dingliu.bsky.social @blogeman.bsky.social @dulaclab.bsky.social @naoshigeuchida.bsky.social @harvardbrainsci.bsky.social @neurovenki.bsky.social @rachellegaudet.bsky.social
🧠🧪🤖💡 #Science #Neuron
www.mcb.harvard.edu/department/n...
@dingliu.bsky.social @blogeman.bsky.social @dulaclab.bsky.social @naoshigeuchida.bsky.social @harvardbrainsci.bsky.social @neurovenki.bsky.social @rachellegaudet.bsky.social
Dulac Lab Identifies “Loneliness” Neurons in the Hypothalamus - Harvard University - Department of Molecular & Cellular Biology
Loneliness is encoded in the brain in a way that closely resembles the neural architectures governing drives like thirst and hunger, researchers from the Dulac Lab report. A […]
www.mcb.harvard.edu
February 26, 2025 at 10:32 PM
Dulac Lab Identifies “Loneliness” Neurons in the Hypothalamus
🧠🧪🤖💡 #Science #Neuron
www.mcb.harvard.edu/department/n...
@dingliu.bsky.social @blogeman.bsky.social @dulaclab.bsky.social @naoshigeuchida.bsky.social @harvardbrainsci.bsky.social @neurovenki.bsky.social @rachellegaudet.bsky.social
🧠🧪🤖💡 #Science #Neuron
www.mcb.harvard.edu/department/n...
@dingliu.bsky.social @blogeman.bsky.social @dulaclab.bsky.social @naoshigeuchida.bsky.social @harvardbrainsci.bsky.social @neurovenki.bsky.social @rachellegaudet.bsky.social
Reposted by Naoshige Uchida
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 Naoshige Uchida
Stand up for Science, on March 7th, in Boston. Please help spread this widely.
Boston, MA
Location: Massachusetts State House 24 Beacon St, Boston, MA, United States Address: 24 Beacon St., Boston, MA, 02133 Time: 12-4 PM Important information: Please do not fully block the sidewalk, st…
standupforscience2025.org
February 24, 2025 at 3:26 PM
Stand up for Science, on March 7th, in Boston. Please help spread this widely.
Reposted by Naoshige Uchida
Here it is finally: Our mathematical methods book for life scientists! Aimed at advanced undergrads and beginning grad students, plus all those who want a deeper look at the math behind quantitative biology. @portugueslab.bsky.social.
1/3
1/3
"Mathematics in Biology" is a concise but rigorous textbook for advanced undergraduate and graduate students across the biological sciences that provides a foundation for understanding the methods used in quantitative biology: @mameister4.bsky.social
Mathematics in Biology
Biology has turned into a quantitative science. The core problems in the life sciences today involve complex systems that require mathematical expression, ye...
mitpress.mit.edu
February 20, 2025 at 6:32 PM
Here it is finally: Our mathematical methods book for life scientists! Aimed at advanced undergrads and beginning grad students, plus all those who want a deeper look at the math behind quantitative biology. @portugueslab.bsky.social.
1/3
1/3
Our new paper on distributional reinforcement learning.
Excited that Adam Lowet's PhD work has been just been published in @nature.com at doi.org/10.1038/s415.... He has already posted about it on Twitter/X (see twitter.com/Adam_Lowet/s...), but let me re-post his thread here. 1/9
February 19, 2025 at 9:48 PM
Our new paper on distributional reinforcement learning.
Reposted by Naoshige Uchida
Excited that Adam Lowet's PhD work has been just been published in @nature.com at doi.org/10.1038/s415.... He has already posted about it on Twitter/X (see twitter.com/Adam_Lowet/s...), but let me re-post his thread here. 1/9
February 19, 2025 at 8:31 PM
Excited that Adam Lowet's PhD work has been just been published in @nature.com at doi.org/10.1038/s415.... He has already posted about it on Twitter/X (see twitter.com/Adam_Lowet/s...), but let me re-post his thread here. 1/9
Reposted by Naoshige Uchida
Interested in understanding how things work? In particular the tools you use to study the brain? Join us at TENSS 2025 where we brainstorm ideas, build and debug microscopes, electrophysiology and behavior rigs amidst the picturesque Transylvanian hills! tenss.ro
Apply by: February 16th!
Apply by: February 16th!
January 14, 2025 at 4:58 AM
Interested in understanding how things work? In particular the tools you use to study the brain? Join us at TENSS 2025 where we brainstorm ideas, build and debug microscopes, electrophysiology and behavior rigs amidst the picturesque Transylvanian hills! tenss.ro
Apply by: February 16th!
Apply by: February 16th!
Reposted by Naoshige Uchida
Nice to see this paper out from Jack Lindsey and his collaborators:
elifesciences.org/reviewed-pre...
They diagnose a fundamental problem with existing models of striatal plasticity, show how to fix it, and then reanalyze data from recordings of striatal projection neurons to support the model.
elifesciences.org/reviewed-pre...
They diagnose a fundamental problem with existing models of striatal plasticity, show how to fix it, and then reanalyze data from recordings of striatal projection neurons to support the model.
Dynamics of striatal action selection and reinforcement learning
elifesciences.org
December 9, 2024 at 10:08 AM
Nice to see this paper out from Jack Lindsey and his collaborators:
elifesciences.org/reviewed-pre...
They diagnose a fundamental problem with existing models of striatal plasticity, show how to fix it, and then reanalyze data from recordings of striatal projection neurons to support the model.
elifesciences.org/reviewed-pre...
They diagnose a fundamental problem with existing models of striatal plasticity, show how to fix it, and then reanalyze data from recordings of striatal projection neurons to support the model.