Dr. Headbutt 🌈🧪
@nicoleackermans.com
Assistant prof neuroscientist studying TBI in headbutters 🐏🐂🐐🪶 at U of Alabama CVN lab. Accepting PhD students!
Science correspondent for DTNS.
I'll happily ID the random bone you found in the woods!
Science correspondent for DTNS.
I'll happily ID the random bone you found in the woods!
Pinned
Dr. Headbutt 🌈🧪
@nicoleackermans.com
· Nov 13
Time for a reintroduction!
I'm an assistant professor at the U of Alabama. I run the Comparative Vertebrate Neurodegeneration Lab (the CoVeN to friends), where our main research focus is modeling chronic TBI in headbutting goats and woodpeckers. 1/...
🧪👩🔬🧠
I'm an assistant professor at the U of Alabama. I run the Comparative Vertebrate Neurodegeneration Lab (the CoVeN to friends), where our main research focus is modeling chronic TBI in headbutting goats and woodpeckers. 1/...
🧪👩🔬🧠
Last year was my first SICB conference. Everyone was so wonderfully weird and passionate about their research and animal models, I knew I had found my people!
I vowed to be more of my weird self at #SICB2026 so here is me testing that out!
My talk is Sunday at 2:15! & I'll have stickers
I vowed to be more of my weird self at #SICB2026 so here is me testing that out!
My talk is Sunday at 2:15! & I'll have stickers
December 30, 2025 at 6:02 PM
Last year was my first SICB conference. Everyone was so wonderfully weird and passionate about their research and animal models, I knew I had found my people!
I vowed to be more of my weird self at #SICB2026 so here is me testing that out!
My talk is Sunday at 2:15! & I'll have stickers
I vowed to be more of my weird self at #SICB2026 so here is me testing that out!
My talk is Sunday at 2:15! & I'll have stickers
HE'S COMING TO THE COTTAGE!!!!!!!
December 28, 2025 at 3:11 AM
HE'S COMING TO THE COTTAGE!!!!!!!
Reposted by Dr. Headbutt 🌈🧪
I am looking for a postdoc position + will be attending #SICB2026! My areas of interest/experience: sexual selection, reproduction, host-parasite interactions, animal behavior, (plus bio ed and disability advocacy in bio). I would be happy to chat with anyone attending who is looking for postdocs!
December 23, 2025 at 4:52 PM
I am looking for a postdoc position + will be attending #SICB2026! My areas of interest/experience: sexual selection, reproduction, host-parasite interactions, animal behavior, (plus bio ed and disability advocacy in bio). I would be happy to chat with anyone attending who is looking for postdocs!
Could Rudolph get dementia? 🦌
Nakayama et al. Found pathological pTau brain aggregation in 12 artiodactyl species (including reindeer). Adding to the long list of non-model species that naturally develop AD like pathology with age 🧪
doi.org/10.1093/jnen...
Nakayama et al. Found pathological pTau brain aggregation in 12 artiodactyl species (including reindeer). Adding to the long list of non-model species that naturally develop AD like pathology with age 🧪
doi.org/10.1093/jnen...
Phosphorylated tau aggregation in the brains of aged Artiodactyla animals
Abstract. The aggregation of amyloid-β (Aβ) and phosphorylated tau (p-tau) in the human brain is associated with Alzheimer disease (AD). Although Aβ aggreg
doi.org
December 22, 2025 at 4:10 PM
Could Rudolph get dementia? 🦌
Nakayama et al. Found pathological pTau brain aggregation in 12 artiodactyl species (including reindeer). Adding to the long list of non-model species that naturally develop AD like pathology with age 🧪
doi.org/10.1093/jnen...
Nakayama et al. Found pathological pTau brain aggregation in 12 artiodactyl species (including reindeer). Adding to the long list of non-model species that naturally develop AD like pathology with age 🧪
doi.org/10.1093/jnen...
🤯
I love past me for developing the habit of simultaneously drafting presentation slides when I write papers and/or grant proposals. It makes things sooooo much easier when people ask me to give a talk.
December 19, 2025 at 12:36 AM
🤯
We're working on a Goat-ify wrapped, stay posted 😆
That's a wrap! 3 goats, 12 hours, 12 lab members, 1218 headbutts, <50 videos, 3 pizzas, <$130 raised for research & a goat-ton of data analyzed!
Thank you to all those who tuned in & donated! We had a great time chatting with you all 😍 🐐 🧠 🧪
Thank you to all those who tuned in & donated! We had a great time chatting with you all 😍 🐐 🧠 🧪
December 18, 2025 at 10:40 PM
We're working on a Goat-ify wrapped, stay posted 😆
Something came up today that made me say "I need to get in touch with my Ibex guy"
My job is pretty cool.
My job is pretty cool.
December 18, 2025 at 5:56 PM
Something came up today that made me say "I need to get in touch with my Ibex guy"
My job is pretty cool.
My job is pretty cool.
Writing my talk for SICB and thought about this again. Hahahaha
When engineers discover biology...
They massacred my boy 🤦♀️
They massacred my boy 🤦♀️
December 18, 2025 at 4:46 PM
Writing my talk for SICB and thought about this again. Hahahaha
Reposted by Dr. Headbutt 🌈🧪
By the way I'm working on it
December 14, 2025 at 10:20 PM
By the way I'm working on it
Con-goat-ulations to Emma Bowie, founding member of the CVN lab for graduating with her BSc today! She also received the purple horn award, the highest honor in our lab for counting the most goat headbutts 😆
December 13, 2025 at 8:41 PM
Con-goat-ulations to Emma Bowie, founding member of the CVN lab for graduating with her BSc today! She also received the purple horn award, the highest honor in our lab for counting the most goat headbutts 😆
Ooh nice, my box full of heads just arrived.
December 12, 2025 at 5:41 PM
Ooh nice, my box full of heads just arrived.
I appreciate the people going out of their way to create content for the "what not to do" section of my prion disease lecture.
Yum. Prion burger 🦌
(In all seriousness, do not eat deer from CWD positive regions - prion disease is the arguably worst way to die)
Yum. Prion burger 🦌
(In all seriousness, do not eat deer from CWD positive regions - prion disease is the arguably worst way to die)
December 11, 2025 at 4:21 PM
I appreciate the people going out of their way to create content for the "what not to do" section of my prion disease lecture.
Yum. Prion burger 🦌
(In all seriousness, do not eat deer from CWD positive regions - prion disease is the arguably worst way to die)
Yum. Prion burger 🦌
(In all seriousness, do not eat deer from CWD positive regions - prion disease is the arguably worst way to die)
For those who weren't able to join our headbutting party live yesterday, you can find the recording here:
www.youtube.com/live/SGfaomS...
www.youtube.com/live/SGfaomS...
The CVN lab headbutting educational livestream
YouTube video by Dr.Headbutt
www.youtube.com
December 10, 2025 at 5:27 PM
For those who weren't able to join our headbutting party live yesterday, you can find the recording here:
www.youtube.com/live/SGfaomS...
www.youtube.com/live/SGfaomS...
I'm pretty sure we beat the Guinness World Record of "Longest goat headbutting stream ever".
Just sayin'
Just sayin'
December 10, 2025 at 1:03 AM
I'm pretty sure we beat the Guinness World Record of "Longest goat headbutting stream ever".
Just sayin'
Just sayin'
That's a wrap! 3 goats, 12 hours, 12 lab members, 1218 headbutts, <50 videos, 3 pizzas, <$130 raised for research & a goat-ton of data analyzed!
Thank you to all those who tuned in & donated! We had a great time chatting with you all 😍 🐐 🧠 🧪
Thank you to all those who tuned in & donated! We had a great time chatting with you all 😍 🐐 🧠 🧪
December 10, 2025 at 12:18 AM
That's a wrap! 3 goats, 12 hours, 12 lab members, 1218 headbutts, <50 videos, 3 pizzas, <$130 raised for research & a goat-ton of data analyzed!
Thank you to all those who tuned in & donated! We had a great time chatting with you all 😍 🐐 🧠 🧪
Thank you to all those who tuned in & donated! We had a great time chatting with you all 😍 🐐 🧠 🧪
We're over 1000 headbutts 😍 y'all have been such a great audience! A few more hours to go. Keep the great questions coming and our student hosts will keep answering them 🐐🧠
We just passed 550 headbutts! Yay for our data collection, boo for the goats' brain... 🧪
www.youtube.com/live/SGfaomS...
www.youtube.com/live/SGfaomS...
The CVN lab headbutting educational livestream
YouTube video by Dr.Headbutt
www.youtube.com
December 9, 2025 at 10:23 PM
We're over 1000 headbutts 😍 y'all have been such a great audience! A few more hours to go. Keep the great questions coming and our student hosts will keep answering them 🐐🧠
We just passed 550 headbutts! Yay for our data collection, boo for the goats' brain... 🧪
www.youtube.com/live/SGfaomS...
www.youtube.com/live/SGfaomS...
The CVN lab headbutting educational livestream
YouTube video by Dr.Headbutt
www.youtube.com
December 9, 2025 at 8:16 PM
We just passed 550 headbutts! Yay for our data collection, boo for the goats' brain... 🧪
www.youtube.com/live/SGfaomS...
www.youtube.com/live/SGfaomS...
It's lunch time and we have 8 people counting headbutts.
We are at 377 headbutts counted so far!! 🤯
BUT we are hungry and need pizza so if you have disposable income, throw us a buck to keep us streaming!
ko-fi.com/cvnlab
We are at 377 headbutts counted so far!! 🤯
BUT we are hungry and need pizza so if you have disposable income, throw us a buck to keep us streaming!
ko-fi.com/cvnlab
Support CVN lab
Support CVN lab
ko-fi.com
December 9, 2025 at 6:20 PM
It's lunch time and we have 8 people counting headbutts.
We are at 377 headbutts counted so far!! 🤯
BUT we are hungry and need pizza so if you have disposable income, throw us a buck to keep us streaming!
ko-fi.com/cvnlab
We are at 377 headbutts counted so far!! 🤯
BUT we are hungry and need pizza so if you have disposable income, throw us a buck to keep us streaming!
ko-fi.com/cvnlab
Undergrads Emma and Cameron are currently discussing their woodpecker research on our stream 🪶 🧪
And doing an awesome job!
Current headbutt count: 263
And doing an awesome job!
Current headbutt count: 263
December 9, 2025 at 5:44 PM
Undergrads Emma and Cameron are currently discussing their woodpecker research on our stream 🪶 🧪
And doing an awesome job!
Current headbutt count: 263
And doing an awesome job!
Current headbutt count: 263
Why are we counting headbutts on our livestream? First, we want to understand this behavior. But also, we're a neurodegeneration lab, so we want to know if goats give themselves brain injury. We have their brains, and we want to combine that data with behavior... 🧪
NicoleAckermans.com/live
NicoleAckermans.com/live
Live
The CVN lab will be performing a headbutting livestream “LAN party” to educate about what we do and raise funds for student travel. The event will take place on December 9th 2025, from …
NicoleAckermans.com
December 9, 2025 at 4:15 PM
Why are we counting headbutts on our livestream? First, we want to understand this behavior. But also, we're a neurodegeneration lab, so we want to know if goats give themselves brain injury. We have their brains, and we want to combine that data with behavior... 🧪
NicoleAckermans.com/live
NicoleAckermans.com/live
HEADBUTT LIVESTREAM UPDATE!
We've counted 23 headbutts so far! We're having a blast. Come hang out in the chat and ask us about our goats!
🧪 Please share widely! 🐐
We've counted 23 headbutts so far! We're having a blast. Come hang out in the chat and ask us about our goats!
🧪 Please share widely! 🐐
December 9, 2025 at 2:37 PM
HEADBUTT LIVESTREAM UPDATE!
We've counted 23 headbutts so far! We're having a blast. Come hang out in the chat and ask us about our goats!
🧪 Please share widely! 🐐
We've counted 23 headbutts so far! We're having a blast. Come hang out in the chat and ask us about our goats!
🧪 Please share widely! 🐐
On my way to get donuts for our 7am team. THESE GOATS AINT GONNA COUNT THEMSELVES!
Will we start on time? Depends on the donut guy :p
Nicoleackermans.com/live
Will we start on time? Depends on the donut guy :p
Nicoleackermans.com/live
a pink starfish with the words today 's the daaaay
Alt: a pink starfish with the words today 's the daaaay
media.tenor.com
December 9, 2025 at 12:25 PM
On my way to get donuts for our 7am team. THESE GOATS AINT GONNA COUNT THEMSELVES!
Will we start on time? Depends on the donut guy :p
Nicoleackermans.com/live
Will we start on time? Depends on the donut guy :p
Nicoleackermans.com/live
You always test your settings the day before a livestream because of course today my mic cable died and I crashed OBS 😆
December 8, 2025 at 9:06 PM
You always test your settings the day before a livestream because of course today my mic cable died and I crashed OBS 😆