Ken Paller
@paller.bsky.social
Cognitive neuroscientist at Northwestern U investigating memory, sleep, consciousness, other stuff
http://kenpaller.com
http://kenpaller.com
Pinned
Ken Paller
@paller.bsky.social
· Nov 18
Do House-Elves Clean Your Brain While You Sleep?
Sleep will consume one-third of your life. You can’t avoid it, nor should you. Sound slumber can make you feel wonderful. But there’s more to it. Sleep is also essential for learning. Much of who you ...
kids.frontiersin.org
Do House-Elves Clean Your Brain While You Sleep?
-- the title of a fun paper I wrote covering memory and sleep from a cognitive neuroscience perspective, intended for young readers... and for the young at heart
kids.frontiersin.org/articles/10....
-- the title of a fun paper I wrote covering memory and sleep from a cognitive neuroscience perspective, intended for young readers... and for the young at heart
kids.frontiersin.org/articles/10....
Guest Essay: ICE committed murder in Minneapolis - where do we go from here? evanstonroundtable.com/2026/01/18/g...
Guest Essay: ICE committed murder in Minneapolis - where do we go from here? - Evanston RoundTable
I first started to write this piece on the evening of January 7th. I saw at around 11 a.m. that morning that a woman in Minnesota had been shot by ICE. At
evanstonroundtable.com
January 18, 2026 at 9:14 PM
Guest Essay: ICE committed murder in Minneapolis - where do we go from here? evanstonroundtable.com/2026/01/18/g...
Reposted by Ken Paller
This is actually extremely troubling because it means that every ICE employee has a 50K incentive to help ensure that Trump (or JD) is re-elected.
I just found out last night that the $50k enrollment bonus only pays out after 5 years of service, and reader, the laugh I let out when I read that woke the dog from across the house. These absolute fucking grapes aren't seeing a dime of that money. No way they can ride out 5 years of this job.
ICE recruitment is going well.
January 12, 2026 at 1:08 AM
This is actually extremely troubling because it means that every ICE employee has a 50K incentive to help ensure that Trump (or JD) is re-elected.
Reposted by Ken Paller
Please find the full PDF on our website and from the publisher here:
meditation.mgh.harvard.edu
meditation.mgh.harvard.edu/files/Prueit...
doi.org/10.1093/nc/n...
May this work become a benefit to all who grapple with the puzzles, perils, and possibilities of pain 🙏
meditation.mgh.harvard.edu
meditation.mgh.harvard.edu/files/Prueit...
doi.org/10.1093/nc/n...
May this work become a benefit to all who grapple with the puzzles, perils, and possibilities of pain 🙏
Meditation Research Program
Select Publications
meditation.mgh.harvard.edu
January 12, 2026 at 11:07 AM
Please find the full PDF on our website and from the publisher here:
meditation.mgh.harvard.edu
meditation.mgh.harvard.edu/files/Prueit...
doi.org/10.1093/nc/n...
May this work become a benefit to all who grapple with the puzzles, perils, and possibilities of pain 🙏
meditation.mgh.harvard.edu
meditation.mgh.harvard.edu/files/Prueit...
doi.org/10.1093/nc/n...
May this work become a benefit to all who grapple with the puzzles, perils, and possibilities of pain 🙏
Reposted by Ken Paller
About 100 people at this vigil in Evanston, IL, to mourn Renee Nicole Good, victim of ICE terrorism.
January 8, 2026 at 1:35 AM
About 100 people at this vigil in Evanston, IL, to mourn Renee Nicole Good, victim of ICE terrorism.
Laura’s great public service — advice related to possible early signs of dementia
An ethical dilemma advice columnists face is whether to point out something the letter writer didn't ask about (like: have you considered that your partner might be cheating?). The second Q in this week's column is about a mother/co-worker. I think she has dementia, and I say so. (1/2)
My Work Just Made a Terrifying New Hire. I Fear What It Will Take to Avoid Him.
Weighing safety versus privacy.
slate.com
January 5, 2026 at 4:44 PM
Laura’s great public service — advice related to possible early signs of dementia
Getting the word out about sleep apnea
One of the things I love about being a sleep researcher is the spontaneous conversations that arise. I'm at an airport bar now and another customer (a CPAP user for 10 years who talked about how life-changing it is) & I just got our fantastic (and sleepy) barkeep signed up for a sleep apnea test.
January 1, 2026 at 4:40 PM
Getting the word out about sleep apnea
Reposted by Ken Paller
Sleep colleagues, please submit tonight to be considered for a short talk.
Announcing the 5th International Sleep Replay Workshop (ISRW): March 6, 2026, Vancouver, prior to CNS.
Program: poster session, discussion groups, 2 symposia, 7 short talks, & many opportunities to interact.
Register by Dec 19 at isrw.bio.uci.edu
All researchers focused on sleep/cognition welcome.
Program: poster session, discussion groups, 2 symposia, 7 short talks, & many opportunities to interact.
Register by Dec 19 at isrw.bio.uci.edu
All researchers focused on sleep/cognition welcome.
The 5th International Sleep Replay Workshop
urldefense.com
December 20, 2025 at 1:46 AM
Sleep colleagues, please submit tonight to be considered for a short talk.
Reposted by Ken Paller
The 5th International Sleep Replay Workshop is just 80 days away- Mar 6th in Vancouver!
isrw.bio.uci.edu
If you'd like to be considered to give a short talk, register by December 19th, 2025.
General registration & poster submission ends February 15th, 2026.
@cnsmtg.bsky.social
Please repost
isrw.bio.uci.edu
If you'd like to be considered to give a short talk, register by December 19th, 2025.
General registration & poster submission ends February 15th, 2026.
@cnsmtg.bsky.social
Please repost
International Sleep Replay Workshop – International Sleep Replay Workshop
isrw.bio.uci.edu
December 15, 2025 at 2:39 PM
The 5th International Sleep Replay Workshop is just 80 days away- Mar 6th in Vancouver!
isrw.bio.uci.edu
If you'd like to be considered to give a short talk, register by December 19th, 2025.
General registration & poster submission ends February 15th, 2026.
@cnsmtg.bsky.social
Please repost
isrw.bio.uci.edu
If you'd like to be considered to give a short talk, register by December 19th, 2025.
General registration & poster submission ends February 15th, 2026.
@cnsmtg.bsky.social
Please repost
Reposted by Ken Paller
Thanks to @cnn.com for covering our research on London taxi drivers in their new, rather chatty, format 'Creators'
Taxi driver Tom Scullion is the star of this piece. He trains others to learn the knowledge an has so many insights into that process.
#neuroskyence
www.youtube.com/watch?v=K7df...
Taxi driver Tom Scullion is the star of this piece. He trains others to learn the knowledge an has so many insights into that process.
#neuroskyence
www.youtube.com/watch?v=K7df...
December 13, 2025 at 4:25 PM
Thanks to @cnn.com for covering our research on London taxi drivers in their new, rather chatty, format 'Creators'
Taxi driver Tom Scullion is the star of this piece. He trains others to learn the knowledge an has so many insights into that process.
#neuroskyence
www.youtube.com/watch?v=K7df...
Taxi driver Tom Scullion is the star of this piece. He trains others to learn the knowledge an has so many insights into that process.
#neuroskyence
www.youtube.com/watch?v=K7df...
Reposted by Ken Paller
CNS 2026! Be sure to register - it will be great to see so many cognitive science and neuroscience folks coming to Vancouver. And be sure to also check out the affiliated International Sleep Replay Workshop: isrw.bio.uci.edu
December 6, 2025 at 8:56 AM
CNS 2026! Be sure to register - it will be great to see so many cognitive science and neuroscience folks coming to Vancouver. And be sure to also check out the affiliated International Sleep Replay Workshop: isrw.bio.uci.edu
Reposted by Ken Paller
This critique of twin studies is well written and convincing. www.madinamerica.com/2024/09/the-...
The Long-Disputed Science of Twin Studies
Twin studies and heritability estimates are used in support of biological determinism and in defense of the global inequality status quo.
www.madinamerica.com
December 2, 2025 at 7:14 AM
This critique of twin studies is well written and convincing. www.madinamerica.com/2024/09/the-...
Reposted by Ken Paller
Scientists have pinpointed how the brain generates ‘aha’ moments. Neuroscientists have identified a clear brain pattern behind the phenomenon of sudden insight, by scanning volunteers as they deciphered hidden images. buff.ly/pW93qmK
#ShareGoodNewsToo
#ShareGoodNewsToo
How Your Brain Creates ‘Aha’ Moments and Why They Stick | Quanta Magazine
A sudden flash of insight is a product of your brain. Neuroscientists track the neural activity underlying an “aha” and how it might boost memory.
buff.ly
November 25, 2025 at 1:50 PM
Scientists have pinpointed how the brain generates ‘aha’ moments. Neuroscientists have identified a clear brain pattern behind the phenomenon of sudden insight, by scanning volunteers as they deciphered hidden images. buff.ly/pW93qmK
#ShareGoodNewsToo
#ShareGoodNewsToo
Announcing the 5th International Sleep Replay Workshop (ISRW): March 6, 2026, Vancouver, prior to CNS.
Program: poster session, discussion groups, 2 symposia, 7 short talks, & many opportunities to interact.
Register by Dec 19 at isrw.bio.uci.edu
All researchers focused on sleep/cognition welcome.
Program: poster session, discussion groups, 2 symposia, 7 short talks, & many opportunities to interact.
Register by Dec 19 at isrw.bio.uci.edu
All researchers focused on sleep/cognition welcome.
The 5th International Sleep Replay Workshop
urldefense.com
November 20, 2025 at 5:57 PM
Announcing the 5th International Sleep Replay Workshop (ISRW): March 6, 2026, Vancouver, prior to CNS.
Program: poster session, discussion groups, 2 symposia, 7 short talks, & many opportunities to interact.
Register by Dec 19 at isrw.bio.uci.edu
All researchers focused on sleep/cognition welcome.
Program: poster session, discussion groups, 2 symposia, 7 short talks, & many opportunities to interact.
Register by Dec 19 at isrw.bio.uci.edu
All researchers focused on sleep/cognition welcome.
Reposted by Ken Paller
The 25 most powerful ideas of the 21st century:
1. Dream engineering
"For years, trying to convince scientists to take dreams seriously was a nightmare. Now the tide has turned ..."
www.sciencefocus.com/future-techn...
1. Dream engineering
"For years, trying to convince scientists to take dreams seriously was a nightmare. Now the tide has turned ..."
www.sciencefocus.com/future-techn...
The 25 most powerful ideas of the 21st century (so far), picked by the world’s top thinkers | BBC Science Focus Magazine
We're a quarter of the way into the new century. To mark this milestone, we asked the UK's top minds to highlight some of the game-changing scientific breakthroughs shaping our world since the year 20...
www.sciencefocus.com
November 19, 2025 at 6:41 AM
The 25 most powerful ideas of the 21st century:
1. Dream engineering
"For years, trying to convince scientists to take dreams seriously was a nightmare. Now the tide has turned ..."
www.sciencefocus.com/future-techn...
1. Dream engineering
"For years, trying to convince scientists to take dreams seriously was a nightmare. Now the tide has turned ..."
www.sciencefocus.com/future-techn...
Reposted by Ken Paller
Tomorrow 12pm (ET) at the MIT Consciousness Club. Consciousness Emerges From Neural Dynamics - Earl K. Miller (hey, that's me!). Join us via Zoom.
sites.google.com/view/mit-con...
#neuroscience
sites.google.com/view/mit-con...
#neuroscience
MIT Consciousness Club
The MIT Consciousness Club aims to foster interdisciplinary research on consciousness at MIT and in the broader Boston area by organizing a monthly event featuring an expert talk on consciousness foll...
sites.google.com
November 19, 2025 at 12:56 PM
Tomorrow 12pm (ET) at the MIT Consciousness Club. Consciousness Emerges From Neural Dynamics - Earl K. Miller (hey, that's me!). Join us via Zoom.
sites.google.com/view/mit-con...
#neuroscience
sites.google.com/view/mit-con...
#neuroscience
Reposted by Ken Paller
Please repost! Fully funded four-year PhD studentship opportunity on sleep deprivation and neurovascular dysfunction on the BBSRC Yorkshire Bioscience Doctoral Training Partnership, including annual stipend, research costs and home tuition fees tinyurl.com/ms7v2pcx
Disrupted Sleep: Mechanisms Linking Sleep Deprivation, Neurovascular Dysfunction, and Metabolic Pathways at Leeds Beckett University on FindAPhD.com
PhD Project - Disrupted Sleep: Mechanisms Linking Sleep Deprivation, Neurovascular Dysfunction, and Metabolic Pathways at Leeds Beckett University, listed on FindAPhD.com
tinyurl.com
November 14, 2025 at 1:53 PM
Please repost! Fully funded four-year PhD studentship opportunity on sleep deprivation and neurovascular dysfunction on the BBSRC Yorkshire Bioscience Doctoral Training Partnership, including annual stipend, research costs and home tuition fees tinyurl.com/ms7v2pcx
Reposted by Ken Paller
Come say hi if you're going to #sfn25 and want to chat about cognitive enhancement, sleep, or memory! I'm around starting this evening and will be postering on Tuesday morning !
November 15, 2025 at 4:06 PM
Come say hi if you're going to #sfn25 and want to chat about cognitive enhancement, sleep, or memory! I'm around starting this evening and will be postering on Tuesday morning !
The ISRW will happen again this coming March 6 in Vancouver
#CNS2026 | Satellite - International Sleep Replay Workshop
Friday, March 6, 2026, 8:00 am - 6:00 pm, Salon F
The workshop is open to all: experience with sleep research is not required. Register here: isrw.bio.uci.edu Registration Deadline, February 15th
@cogneuronews.bsky.social #SleepRelay
Friday, March 6, 2026, 8:00 am - 6:00 pm, Salon F
The workshop is open to all: experience with sleep research is not required. Register here: isrw.bio.uci.edu Registration Deadline, February 15th
@cogneuronews.bsky.social #SleepRelay
Workshops, Socials & Special Events - Cognitive Neuroscience Society
March 7 – 10, 2026 CNS Account CNS 2026 | Workshops, Socials & Special Events SESSION DATE TIME LOCATION Satellite – International Sleep Replay Workshop Friday, March 6 8:00 am – 6:00 pm Salon F Wor...
www.cogneurosociety.org
November 14, 2025 at 1:31 AM
The ISRW will happen again this coming March 6 in Vancouver
Reposted by Ken Paller
Very well done story on 60 Minutes about the harms of grant terminations and freezes at Harvard with Joan Brugge, Don Engbar, David Liu, and a very compelling young cancer patient, now cured with Liu's technology.
Transcript and video here
www.cbsnews.com/news/researc...
Transcript and video here
www.cbsnews.com/news/researc...
Battle between Trump and universities hurting scientific research in need of federal funding
Federal research funding to universities has fueled breakthroughs for years. The White House is pressuring universities to align with the president's political agenda, or risk losing their funding.
www.cbsnews.com
November 10, 2025 at 1:03 AM
Very well done story on 60 Minutes about the harms of grant terminations and freezes at Harvard with Joan Brugge, Don Engbar, David Liu, and a very compelling young cancer patient, now cured with Liu's technology.
Transcript and video here
www.cbsnews.com/news/researc...
Transcript and video here
www.cbsnews.com/news/researc...
Reposted by Ken Paller
There is no room for apathy right now.
We must do what we can to peacefully resist the brutal and violent abuses of power meant to intimidate and terrify our communities.
We must do what we can to peacefully resist the brutal and violent abuses of power meant to intimidate and terrify our communities.
Evanston mayor @danielbiss.bsky.social is launching investigations into reports of immigration agents brutalizing community members.
“They appear to have just started beating people up for no reason.”
“They appear to have just started beating people up for no reason.”
November 6, 2025 at 2:52 PM
There is no room for apathy right now.
We must do what we can to peacefully resist the brutal and violent abuses of power meant to intimidate and terrify our communities.
We must do what we can to peacefully resist the brutal and violent abuses of power meant to intimidate and terrify our communities.
Reposted by Ken Paller
Trump and the federal government continue to brutally violate protestors' rights. But don't take it from me -- hear it straight from Jennifer, an Evanston resident violently detained for hours on Halloween.
Watch the full interview on youtube.com/@bissforcongress
Watch the full interview on youtube.com/@bissforcongress
November 6, 2025 at 6:25 PM
Trump and the federal government continue to brutally violate protestors' rights. But don't take it from me -- hear it straight from Jennifer, an Evanston resident violently detained for hours on Halloween.
Watch the full interview on youtube.com/@bissforcongress
Watch the full interview on youtube.com/@bissforcongress
Reposted by Ken Paller
Today, I went on CNN to inform people of the ways ICE is tormenting our communities with unwarranted violence and I will not let it stand.
Watch the full interview on YouTube ➡️ youtu.be/G_g7VD5mzWs?...
Watch the full interview on YouTube ➡️ youtu.be/G_g7VD5mzWs?...
November 3, 2025 at 2:32 AM
Today, I went on CNN to inform people of the ways ICE is tormenting our communities with unwarranted violence and I will not let it stand.
Watch the full interview on YouTube ➡️ youtu.be/G_g7VD5mzWs?...
Watch the full interview on YouTube ➡️ youtu.be/G_g7VD5mzWs?...
Reposted by Ken Paller
Registration is now! Come one, come all
#CNS2026 Satellite - International Sleep Replay Workshop, Friday, March 6, 2026, 8:00 am - 6:00 pm, Grand Ballroom
CNS 2026 will be preceded by a one-day satellite event focusing on sleep and memory - the 5th International Sleep Replay Workshop. Learn more: isrw.bio.uci.edu
@cnsnews.bsky.social
CNS 2026 will be preceded by a one-day satellite event focusing on sleep and memory - the 5th International Sleep Replay Workshop. Learn more: isrw.bio.uci.edu
@cnsnews.bsky.social
October 23, 2025 at 2:16 AM
Registration is now! Come one, come all
Reposted by Ken Paller
#CNS2026 Satellite - International Sleep Replay Workshop, Friday, March 6, 2026, 8:00 am - 6:00 pm, Grand Ballroom
CNS 2026 will be preceded by a one-day satellite event focusing on sleep and memory - the 5th International Sleep Replay Workshop. Learn more: isrw.bio.uci.edu
@cnsnews.bsky.social
CNS 2026 will be preceded by a one-day satellite event focusing on sleep and memory - the 5th International Sleep Replay Workshop. Learn more: isrw.bio.uci.edu
@cnsnews.bsky.social
October 14, 2025 at 7:32 PM
#CNS2026 Satellite - International Sleep Replay Workshop, Friday, March 6, 2026, 8:00 am - 6:00 pm, Grand Ballroom
CNS 2026 will be preceded by a one-day satellite event focusing on sleep and memory - the 5th International Sleep Replay Workshop. Learn more: isrw.bio.uci.edu
@cnsnews.bsky.social
CNS 2026 will be preceded by a one-day satellite event focusing on sleep and memory - the 5th International Sleep Replay Workshop. Learn more: isrw.bio.uci.edu
@cnsnews.bsky.social
“For the first time” say these authors in 2025 — but what about glowacki et al 2022 www.technologyreview.com/2022/08/06/1...
October 13, 2025 at 1:18 AM
“For the first time” say these authors in 2025 — but what about glowacki et al 2022 www.technologyreview.com/2022/08/06/1...