sinan malik
@sinanmalik.bsky.social
RA @juliesemmelhack.bsky.social Lab| systems neuroscience | writes @preLights
Pinned
WHOLISTIC: A whole-body functional atlas of cellular dynamics
@sinanmalik.bsky.social covers work from the @mishaahrens.bsky.social Lab.
“This #preprint represents the kind of transformative science that redefines what is possible in a field.”
#preLight ⬇️
prelights.biologists.com/highlights/i...
@sinanmalik.bsky.social covers work from the @mishaahrens.bsky.social Lab.
“This #preprint represents the kind of transformative science that redefines what is possible in a field.”
#preLight ⬇️
prelights.biologists.com/highlights/i...
Imaging cellular activity simultaneously across all organs of a vertebrate reveals body-wide circuits - preLights
WHOLISTIC: A whole-body functional atlas of cellular dynamics
prelights.biologists.com
Really enjoyed highlighting this work by @vmsruetten.bsky.social from @mishaahrens.bsky.social lab for preLights. WHOLISTIC! A whole-body functional atlas of cellular dynamics. Lots of cool things in the preprint.
@hhmijanelia.bsky.social @prelights.bsky.social
@hhmijanelia.bsky.social @prelights.bsky.social
Reposted by sinan malik
Glutamate is the primary molecule that neurons use to communicate with each other.
Previously, scientists have mostly recorded when neurons fire output signals, but now with a new glutamate indicator, they can record the many inputs that causes cells to fire. 🧵
#neuroskyence
Previously, scientists have mostly recorded when neurons fire output signals, but now with a new glutamate indicator, they can record the many inputs that causes cells to fire. 🧵
#neuroskyence
December 23, 2025 at 6:01 PM
Glutamate is the primary molecule that neurons use to communicate with each other.
Previously, scientists have mostly recorded when neurons fire output signals, but now with a new glutamate indicator, they can record the many inputs that causes cells to fire. 🧵
#neuroskyence
Previously, scientists have mostly recorded when neurons fire output signals, but now with a new glutamate indicator, they can record the many inputs that causes cells to fire. 🧵
#neuroskyence
Reposted by sinan malik
I don't always get pretty, isolated, AND transfected primary neurons in culture, but when I do I take advantage.... Rat hippocampal neuron overexpressing ThymosinB4-mScarlet and imaged for 16hr on a @zeiss-microscopy.bsky.social LSM880 with Airyscan. #FluorescenceFriday #Microscopy
December 19, 2025 at 2:01 PM
I don't always get pretty, isolated, AND transfected primary neurons in culture, but when I do I take advantage.... Rat hippocampal neuron overexpressing ThymosinB4-mScarlet and imaged for 16hr on a @zeiss-microscopy.bsky.social LSM880 with Airyscan. #FluorescenceFriday #Microscopy
Reposted by sinan malik
Merry Christmas, Hanukkah, et al.
December 19, 2025 at 9:49 PM
Merry Christmas, Hanukkah, et al.
Really enjoyed highlighting this work by @vmsruetten.bsky.social from @mishaahrens.bsky.social lab for preLights. WHOLISTIC! A whole-body functional atlas of cellular dynamics. Lots of cool things in the preprint.
@hhmijanelia.bsky.social @prelights.bsky.social
@hhmijanelia.bsky.social @prelights.bsky.social
WHOLISTIC: A whole-body functional atlas of cellular dynamics
@sinanmalik.bsky.social covers work from the @mishaahrens.bsky.social Lab.
“This #preprint represents the kind of transformative science that redefines what is possible in a field.”
#preLight ⬇️
prelights.biologists.com/highlights/i...
@sinanmalik.bsky.social covers work from the @mishaahrens.bsky.social Lab.
“This #preprint represents the kind of transformative science that redefines what is possible in a field.”
#preLight ⬇️
prelights.biologists.com/highlights/i...
Imaging cellular activity simultaneously across all organs of a vertebrate reveals body-wide circuits - preLights
WHOLISTIC: A whole-body functional atlas of cellular dynamics
prelights.biologists.com
December 18, 2025 at 5:23 AM
Really enjoyed highlighting this work by @vmsruetten.bsky.social from @mishaahrens.bsky.social lab for preLights. WHOLISTIC! A whole-body functional atlas of cellular dynamics. Lots of cool things in the preprint.
@hhmijanelia.bsky.social @prelights.bsky.social
@hhmijanelia.bsky.social @prelights.bsky.social
Reposted by sinan malik
A paper from my PhD lab is on Science! This is a really cool new way to utilize EM connectome datasets. Congrats to the team!
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Spatial and morphological organization of mitochondria in neurons across a connectome
Neuronal function depends on mitochondria, but little is known about their organization across neurons. Using an electron microscopy Drosophila connectome, we uncovered quantitative rules governing th...
www.science.org
December 14, 2025 at 9:46 AM
A paper from my PhD lab is on Science! This is a really cool new way to utilize EM connectome datasets. Congrats to the team!
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Reposted by sinan malik
Check out our newest issue where we interview @juliesemmelhack.bsky.social, who studies the neural circuits of visual behavior at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. www.cell.com/current-biol...
Q & A
Interview with Julie Semmelhack, who studies the neural circuits of visual behavior
at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology.
www.cell.com
November 10, 2025 at 3:31 PM
Check out our newest issue where we interview @juliesemmelhack.bsky.social, who studies the neural circuits of visual behavior at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. www.cell.com/current-biol...
Reposted by sinan malik
It's finally out! Our paper on optogenetic interrogation of the lateral line: www.cell.com/iscience/ful...
This one involved a lot of sweat and tears, and it was a real tour de force. It was also the last paper we got to write with Jim, so it's a special one (and hence, the tears).
This one involved a lot of sweat and tears, and it was a real tour de force. It was also the last paper we got to write with Jim, so it's a special one (and hence, the tears).
Optogenetic interrogation of the zebrafish lateral line reveals brain-wide neural circuits involved in pattern separation
Zoology; Neuroscience; Sensory neuroscience
www.cell.com
December 9, 2025 at 7:15 PM
It's finally out! Our paper on optogenetic interrogation of the lateral line: www.cell.com/iscience/ful...
This one involved a lot of sweat and tears, and it was a real tour de force. It was also the last paper we got to write with Jim, so it's a special one (and hence, the tears).
This one involved a lot of sweat and tears, and it was a real tour de force. It was also the last paper we got to write with Jim, so it's a special one (and hence, the tears).
Reposted by sinan malik
The fun leaving your body the moment you're done with the science and it's time to get it published
December 4, 2025 at 11:15 AM
The fun leaving your body the moment you're done with the science and it's time to get it published
Reposted by sinan malik
We are very excited: @hannazwaka.bsky.social has been awarded a Leibniz Best Minds grant as a Junior Research Group Leader! Five years of independent research, tenure track and part of the Best Minds network – a real boost for her career.
December 4, 2025 at 12:52 PM
We are very excited: @hannazwaka.bsky.social has been awarded a Leibniz Best Minds grant as a Junior Research Group Leader! Five years of independent research, tenure track and part of the Best Minds network – a real boost for her career.
You're not you when you're hungry... and neither is a zebrafish!
Our new paper shows that hunger completely overrides the instinct to flee, making zebrafish approach potential threats instead. "Hunger shapes predator avoidance in zebrafish." @zebrafishrock.bsky.social 🐟
doi.org/10.1080/0394...
Our new paper shows that hunger completely overrides the instinct to flee, making zebrafish approach potential threats instead. "Hunger shapes predator avoidance in zebrafish." @zebrafishrock.bsky.social 🐟
doi.org/10.1080/0394...
Hunger shapes predator avoidance behaviour in zebrafish
All organisms, including humans, engage in behavioral choices and complex decision-making processes, which are crucial for survival. The mechanisms underlying behavioral choices require the acquisi...
doi.org
December 2, 2025 at 5:18 AM
You're not you when you're hungry... and neither is a zebrafish!
Our new paper shows that hunger completely overrides the instinct to flee, making zebrafish approach potential threats instead. "Hunger shapes predator avoidance in zebrafish." @zebrafishrock.bsky.social 🐟
doi.org/10.1080/0394...
Our new paper shows that hunger completely overrides the instinct to flee, making zebrafish approach potential threats instead. "Hunger shapes predator avoidance in zebrafish." @zebrafishrock.bsky.social 🐟
doi.org/10.1080/0394...
Reposted by sinan malik
when someone tells me not to use em dashes because AI uses em dashes
November 30, 2025 at 7:48 PM
when someone tells me not to use em dashes because AI uses em dashes
Reposted by sinan malik
(1/n) We are excited to share our new paper in Nature Communications, by Hagar Lavian (@hlavian.bsky.social) and team, revealing how the zebrafish brain integrates visual navigation signals! www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Visual motion and landmark position align with heading direction in the zebrafish interpeduncular nucleus - Nature Communications
How are various visual signals integrated in the vertebrate brain for navigation? Here authors show that different spatial signals are topographically organized and align to one another in the zebrafi...
www.nature.com
November 24, 2025 at 4:17 PM
(1/n) We are excited to share our new paper in Nature Communications, by Hagar Lavian (@hlavian.bsky.social) and team, revealing how the zebrafish brain integrates visual navigation signals! www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Reposted by sinan malik
Like most animals, fish move less at night. Underwater, stable posture requires movement. Find out how fish don't fall down at night in: Lighting and circadian cues shape locomotor strategies for balance and navigation in larval zebrafish from @yunluzhu.bsky.social
doi.org/10.1101/2025...
doi.org/10.1101/2025...
Lighting and circadian cues shape locomotor strategies for balance and navigation in larval zebrafish
Most fish are inherently unstable and must swim to stabilize posture. How diurnal fish reduce activity at night while maintaining postural control remains unclear. We defined distinct locomotor strate...
doi.org
November 19, 2025 at 3:24 AM
Like most animals, fish move less at night. Underwater, stable posture requires movement. Find out how fish don't fall down at night in: Lighting and circadian cues shape locomotor strategies for balance and navigation in larval zebrafish from @yunluzhu.bsky.social
doi.org/10.1101/2025...
doi.org/10.1101/2025...
Reposted by sinan malik
The changes we experience may be the source of our subjective experience of time.
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Time, space, memory and brain–body rhythms - Nature Reviews Neuroscience
Understanding how the brain represents experienced time and how representations of space and time are integrated to form episodic memories has been a goal of much neuroscientific research. In this Per...
www.nature.com
November 14, 2025 at 2:32 PM
The changes we experience may be the source of our subjective experience of time.
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Reposted by sinan malik
Going to the lab during the weekend to do cell culture work and trying to do everything at double speed
November 14, 2025 at 7:26 AM
Going to the lab during the weekend to do cell culture work and trying to do everything at double speed
Reposted by sinan malik
Writing the “Alternative Plans” part of the grant
November 13, 2025 at 3:21 PM
Writing the “Alternative Plans” part of the grant
Reposted by sinan malik
Now published in Molecular Metabolism, improved by the helpful reviewers! We hope to continue to leverage the #zebrafish to understand the neurometabolic and hormonal regulation of appetite and beyond!
Read the full article here: www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Read the full article here: www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
November 13, 2025 at 6:54 AM
Now published in Molecular Metabolism, improved by the helpful reviewers! We hope to continue to leverage the #zebrafish to understand the neurometabolic and hormonal regulation of appetite and beyond!
Read the full article here: www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Read the full article here: www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Reposted by sinan malik
✨ New preprint ✨ What if we could watch AND control thousands of individual neurons in behaving mice—with stable access over months? 🧠⚡ Our work introduces transgenic all-optical tools that make this possible - and a resulting surprising discovery! 🔭💡
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1... 1/13 🧵
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1... 1/13 🧵
Large-scale cellular-resolution read/write of activity enables discovery of cell types defined by complex circuit properties
The complexity of the mammalian brain’s vast population of interconnected neurons poses a formidable challenge to elucidate its underlying mechanisms of coordination and computation. A key step forwar...
www.biorxiv.org
November 13, 2025 at 12:24 AM
✨ New preprint ✨ What if we could watch AND control thousands of individual neurons in behaving mice—with stable access over months? 🧠⚡ Our work introduces transgenic all-optical tools that make this possible - and a resulting surprising discovery! 🔭💡
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1... 1/13 🧵
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1... 1/13 🧵
Reposted by sinan malik
How does a fish know when to blend in? Scientists identified a key circuit controlling camouflage in zebrafish – from cells in the retina sensing light to nerve cells in the brain controlling the release of a hormone that pales the skin to match bright backgrounds.
www.bi.mpg.de/news/2025-11...
www.bi.mpg.de/news/2025-11...
November 10, 2025 at 3:08 PM
How does a fish know when to blend in? Scientists identified a key circuit controlling camouflage in zebrafish – from cells in the retina sensing light to nerve cells in the brain controlling the release of a hormone that pales the skin to match bright backgrounds.
www.bi.mpg.de/news/2025-11...
www.bi.mpg.de/news/2025-11...
Reposted by sinan malik
Excited to share our paper now published in Cell!
'Zebrafish use spectral information to suppress the visual background'
Huge thanks to @neurofishh.bsky.social & @teuler.bsky.social
@cellpress.bsky.social @cp-cell.bsky.social
👇🏻
www.cell.com/cell/fulltex...
'Zebrafish use spectral information to suppress the visual background'
Huge thanks to @neurofishh.bsky.social & @teuler.bsky.social
@cellpress.bsky.social @cp-cell.bsky.social
👇🏻
www.cell.com/cell/fulltex...
Zebrafish use spectral information to suppress the visual background
Vertebrate eyes first evolved in water, where spectral content rapidly fades with
distance. Zebrafish exploit this loss by antagonizing cone signals to suppress the
background, pointing to distance es...
www.cell.com
November 4, 2025 at 9:16 AM
Excited to share our paper now published in Cell!
'Zebrafish use spectral information to suppress the visual background'
Huge thanks to @neurofishh.bsky.social & @teuler.bsky.social
@cellpress.bsky.social @cp-cell.bsky.social
👇🏻
www.cell.com/cell/fulltex...
'Zebrafish use spectral information to suppress the visual background'
Huge thanks to @neurofishh.bsky.social & @teuler.bsky.social
@cellpress.bsky.social @cp-cell.bsky.social
👇🏻
www.cell.com/cell/fulltex...
Reposted by sinan malik
Thank you so much for featuring our study🙏
Found them: the brain's specific "go" neurons for swimming. @fumikubo.bsky.social team discovers the inhibitory pretextal cells essential for optomotor response, dissociating it from eye movements. A stunning map from function to molecular identity. Thrilled to highlight this work! 🐟
Molecular roadmap of functionally defined optic-flow circuits. #neuroscience
As a “blend of careful physiology, elegant genetic access and rigorous behavioral readouts”, @sinanmalik.bsky.social highlights a #preprint @fumikubo.bsky.social & team
#preLight⬇️
prelights.biologists.com/highlights/m...
As a “blend of careful physiology, elegant genetic access and rigorous behavioral readouts”, @sinanmalik.bsky.social highlights a #preprint @fumikubo.bsky.social & team
#preLight⬇️
prelights.biologists.com/highlights/m...
October 31, 2025 at 6:09 AM
Thank you so much for featuring our study🙏
Found them: the brain's specific "go" neurons for swimming. @fumikubo.bsky.social team discovers the inhibitory pretextal cells essential for optomotor response, dissociating it from eye movements. A stunning map from function to molecular identity. Thrilled to highlight this work! 🐟
Molecular roadmap of functionally defined optic-flow circuits. #neuroscience
As a “blend of careful physiology, elegant genetic access and rigorous behavioral readouts”, @sinanmalik.bsky.social highlights a #preprint @fumikubo.bsky.social & team
#preLight⬇️
prelights.biologists.com/highlights/m...
As a “blend of careful physiology, elegant genetic access and rigorous behavioral readouts”, @sinanmalik.bsky.social highlights a #preprint @fumikubo.bsky.social & team
#preLight⬇️
prelights.biologists.com/highlights/m...
Molecular and functional dissection using CaMPARI-seq reveals the neuronal organization for dissociating optic flow-dependent behaviors - preLights
Molecular roadmap of functionally defined optic-flow circuits.
prelights.biologists.com
October 30, 2025 at 5:04 AM
Found them: the brain's specific "go" neurons for swimming. @fumikubo.bsky.social team discovers the inhibitory pretextal cells essential for optomotor response, dissociating it from eye movements. A stunning map from function to molecular identity. Thrilled to highlight this work! 🐟
Reposted by sinan malik
Out now in @currentbiology.bsky.social led by Kaarthik A Balakrishnan: We identify medullary circuits that represent the valence of thermal stimuli and control both long-term strategies of cold-avoidance and short term hot avoidance behaviors to enable thermoregulation. www.cell.com/current-biol...
Behavioral and circuit principles of temperature gradient navigation
Behavioral thermoregulation is critical for survival across animals. Balakrishnan
and Haesemeyer discover that thermoregulatory behavior in larval zebrafish is organized
into longer-term swim modes. T...
www.cell.com
October 24, 2025 at 2:57 PM
Out now in @currentbiology.bsky.social led by Kaarthik A Balakrishnan: We identify medullary circuits that represent the valence of thermal stimuli and control both long-term strategies of cold-avoidance and short term hot avoidance behaviors to enable thermoregulation. www.cell.com/current-biol...
Witnessed an Orchestra for the first time 'Silk Notes From Pipa'. Simply beautiful. Definition of teamwork and synchronicity.
October 22, 2025 at 12:53 PM
Witnessed an Orchestra for the first time 'Silk Notes From Pipa'. Simply beautiful. Definition of teamwork and synchronicity.
Reposted by sinan malik
Naturalistic approaches such as Ulanovsky’s open up “potential opportunities to really reveal why the brain is structured in the way it’s structured,” says Iain Couzin.
By @claudia-lopez.bsky.social
#neuroskyence
www.thetransmitter.org/neuroetholog...
By @claudia-lopez.bsky.social
#neuroskyence
www.thetransmitter.org/neuroetholog...
Diving in with Nachum Ulanovsky
With an eye toward realism, the neuroscientist, who has a new study about bats out today, creates microcosms of the natural world to understand animal behavior.
www.thetransmitter.org
October 20, 2025 at 7:03 PM
Naturalistic approaches such as Ulanovsky’s open up “potential opportunities to really reveal why the brain is structured in the way it’s structured,” says Iain Couzin.
By @claudia-lopez.bsky.social
#neuroskyence
www.thetransmitter.org/neuroetholog...
By @claudia-lopez.bsky.social
#neuroskyence
www.thetransmitter.org/neuroetholog...