Tjeerd Boonstra
@tjeerdwboonstra.bsky.social
Neuroscientist at Maastricht University. Complex networks, brain-body interactions and motor control. Editor for Imaging Neuroscience
Reposted by Tjeerd Boonstra
✨ My first preprint from my PhD with @tjeerdwboonstra.bsky.social is live ! We reveal reduced precision weighting of prediction errors in older adults during step initiation using Go/No-Go stepping paradigm and Hierarchical Gaussian Filter 👇
doi.org/10.64898/202...
doi.org/10.64898/202...
Reduced belief updating impairs adaptive step initiation in older adults
Ageing is associated with declines in mobility and balance that threaten independence and increase the risk of falls. Although these changes are often attributed to deterioration of muscular and senso...
doi.org
December 23, 2025 at 11:35 AM
✨ My first preprint from my PhD with @tjeerdwboonstra.bsky.social is live ! We reveal reduced precision weighting of prediction errors in older adults during step initiation using Go/No-Go stepping paradigm and Hierarchical Gaussian Filter 👇
doi.org/10.64898/202...
doi.org/10.64898/202...
Reposted by Tjeerd Boonstra
Every part of this is bonkers. The intro is bonkers. The transition to his health is bonkers. The mention that other presidents didn't need cognitive exams is bonkers. The claim that this screening test is somehow hard is bonkers. The idea that criticism of him is treason is bonkers. All of it.
December 10, 2025 at 2:40 AM
Every part of this is bonkers. The intro is bonkers. The transition to his health is bonkers. The mention that other presidents didn't need cognitive exams is bonkers. The claim that this screening test is somehow hard is bonkers. The idea that criticism of him is treason is bonkers. All of it.
Reposted by Tjeerd Boonstra
Rutger Bregman: "Donald Trump is the most openly corrupt president in American history”. A key line from the Reith lectures, which BBC excised without the author's permission. And now BBC is telling its journalists they may not quote the line anywhere. A shocking lapse in basic journalistic ethics.
BBC tells staff they cannot quote Trump line removed from Reith lecture
Journalists not allowed to repeat Rutger Bregman’s corruption claims against US president in coverage of edit
www.theguardian.com
November 27, 2025 at 5:43 PM
Rutger Bregman: "Donald Trump is the most openly corrupt president in American history”. A key line from the Reith lectures, which BBC excised without the author's permission. And now BBC is telling its journalists they may not quote the line anywhere. A shocking lapse in basic journalistic ethics.
Reposted by Tjeerd Boonstra
A note on learning physics ⚛️ for starting PhD students:
At the risk of saying something completely useless because everyone has it worked out
There is no magic trick, your classmates *may* be faster than you, but they are still studying as long as they need to and you are quite capable of the same
At the risk of saying something completely useless because everyone has it worked out
There is no magic trick, your classmates *may* be faster than you, but they are still studying as long as they need to and you are quite capable of the same
December 4, 2025 at 9:18 PM
A note on learning physics ⚛️ for starting PhD students:
At the risk of saying something completely useless because everyone has it worked out
There is no magic trick, your classmates *may* be faster than you, but they are still studying as long as they need to and you are quite capable of the same
At the risk of saying something completely useless because everyone has it worked out
There is no magic trick, your classmates *may* be faster than you, but they are still studying as long as they need to and you are quite capable of the same
Reposted by Tjeerd Boonstra
Brilliant eye-tracking study on statistics/structure 👀
"We conclude that linguistic knowledge guides moment-by-moment reading in two dissociable ways: Forward reading is driven by the word’s surprisal, and backward reading reflects syntactic structure building operations."
osf.io/preprints/ps...
"We conclude that linguistic knowledge guides moment-by-moment reading in two dissociable ways: Forward reading is driven by the word’s surprisal, and backward reading reflects syntactic structure building operations."
osf.io/preprints/ps...
OSF
osf.io
November 29, 2025 at 5:48 AM
Brilliant eye-tracking study on statistics/structure 👀
"We conclude that linguistic knowledge guides moment-by-moment reading in two dissociable ways: Forward reading is driven by the word’s surprisal, and backward reading reflects syntactic structure building operations."
osf.io/preprints/ps...
"We conclude that linguistic knowledge guides moment-by-moment reading in two dissociable ways: Forward reading is driven by the word’s surprisal, and backward reading reflects syntactic structure building operations."
osf.io/preprints/ps...
Reposted by Tjeerd Boonstra
SocArXiv announces moratorium on AI-topic papers
In light of record submission rates and a large volume of AI-generated slop, SocArXiv recently implemented a policy requiring ORCIDs linked in the OSF profile of submitting authors, and narrowing our focus to social science subjects. Today we are taking two more steps:
/1
/1
November 27, 2025 at 3:04 PM
SocArXiv announces moratorium on AI-topic papers
Reposted by Tjeerd Boonstra
November 26, 2025 at 6:35 PM
Reposted by Tjeerd Boonstra
** Recruiting a postdoc ** We are looking for a postdoc to work on emotion, mental health, and interoception, based in London at @ucl.ac.uk in my lab (Clinical and Affective Neuroscience). Part of a large Wellcome Grant (co-led with the brilliant @camillanord.bsky.social)
November 24, 2025 at 12:22 PM
** Recruiting a postdoc ** We are looking for a postdoc to work on emotion, mental health, and interoception, based in London at @ucl.ac.uk in my lab (Clinical and Affective Neuroscience). Part of a large Wellcome Grant (co-led with the brilliant @camillanord.bsky.social)
Reposted by Tjeerd Boonstra
The Sensorimotor Superlab with @gribblelab.org and @andpru.bsky.social is a unique place to work and learn. We are now accepting MSc and PhD applications for Fall 2026. Join our awesome team at Western University... For application instructions see diedrichsenlab.org and gribblelab.org/join.html!
Diedrichsenlab
diedrichsenlab.org
November 24, 2025 at 10:50 PM
The Sensorimotor Superlab with @gribblelab.org and @andpru.bsky.social is a unique place to work and learn. We are now accepting MSc and PhD applications for Fall 2026. Join our awesome team at Western University... For application instructions see diedrichsenlab.org and gribblelab.org/join.html!
Reposted by Tjeerd Boonstra
Y’all are reading this paper in the wrong way.
We love to trash dominant hypothesis, but we need to look for evidence against the manifold hypothesis elsewhere:
This elegant work doesn't show neural dynamics are high D, nor that we should stop using PCA
It’s quite the opposite!
(thread)
We love to trash dominant hypothesis, but we need to look for evidence against the manifold hypothesis elsewhere:
This elegant work doesn't show neural dynamics are high D, nor that we should stop using PCA
It’s quite the opposite!
(thread)
“Our findings challenge the conventional focus on low-dimensional coding subspaces as a sufficient framework for understanding neural computations, demonstrating that dimensions previously considered task-irrelevant and accounting for little variance can have a critical role in driving behavior.”
Neural dynamics outside task-coding dimensions drive decision trajectories through transient amplification
Most behaviors involve neural dynamics in high-dimensional activity spaces. A common approach is to extract dimensions that capture task-related variability, such as those separating stimuli or choice...
www.biorxiv.org
November 25, 2025 at 4:16 PM
Y’all are reading this paper in the wrong way.
We love to trash dominant hypothesis, but we need to look for evidence against the manifold hypothesis elsewhere:
This elegant work doesn't show neural dynamics are high D, nor that we should stop using PCA
It’s quite the opposite!
(thread)
We love to trash dominant hypothesis, but we need to look for evidence against the manifold hypothesis elsewhere:
This elegant work doesn't show neural dynamics are high D, nor that we should stop using PCA
It’s quite the opposite!
(thread)
Reposted by Tjeerd Boonstra
Kyle Kingsbury is not a journalist. He is not an op-ed writer.
He is a computer safety researcher.
And he has written one of the most compelling, comprehensive accounts of the ongoing hell in Chicago that you could possibly imagine.
In under 1600 words.
aphyr.com/posts/397-i-...
He is a computer safety researcher.
And he has written one of the most compelling, comprehensive accounts of the ongoing hell in Chicago that you could possibly imagine.
In under 1600 words.
aphyr.com/posts/397-i-...
November 9, 2025 at 8:49 PM
Kyle Kingsbury is not a journalist. He is not an op-ed writer.
He is a computer safety researcher.
And he has written one of the most compelling, comprehensive accounts of the ongoing hell in Chicago that you could possibly imagine.
In under 1600 words.
aphyr.com/posts/397-i-...
He is a computer safety researcher.
And he has written one of the most compelling, comprehensive accounts of the ongoing hell in Chicago that you could possibly imagine.
In under 1600 words.
aphyr.com/posts/397-i-...
Reposted by Tjeerd Boonstra
Neural manifolds that orchestrate walking and stopping https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.11.08.687367v1
November 9, 2025 at 10:16 AM
Neural manifolds that orchestrate walking and stopping https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.11.08.687367v1
Reposted by Tjeerd Boonstra
How much longer is the @royalsociety.org going to look away from the devastating actions of its honoured fellow, Elon Musk?
Such moral cowardice.
Such moral cowardice.
One analytical model shows that, as of November 5th, the dismantling of U.S.A.I.D. has already caused the deaths of 600,000 people, two-thirds of them children. https://newyorkermag.visitlink.me/jUzNSc
The Shutdown of U.S.A.I.D. Has Already Killed Hundreds of Thousands
The short documentary “Rovina’s Choice” tells the story of what goes when aid goes.
newyorkermag.visitlink.me
November 7, 2025 at 12:17 PM
How much longer is the @royalsociety.org going to look away from the devastating actions of its honoured fellow, Elon Musk?
Such moral cowardice.
Such moral cowardice.
Reposted by Tjeerd Boonstra
This is a solid open label LSD microdosing trial from a strong New Zealand team who are well aware of the shortcomings of all the research in the field.
Perhaps best to consider this study Part 1 of a larger project. The results are certainly promising but Part 2 is underway and it's the big one.
Perhaps best to consider this study Part 1 of a larger project. The results are certainly promising but Part 2 is underway and it's the big one.
LSD microdosing in major depressive disorder: results from an open-label trial
Major depressive disorder (MDD) affects approximately 5% of the global population. Classic psychedelics have shown promise in treating various mental …
www.sciencedirect.com
November 7, 2025 at 2:12 AM
This is a solid open label LSD microdosing trial from a strong New Zealand team who are well aware of the shortcomings of all the research in the field.
Perhaps best to consider this study Part 1 of a larger project. The results are certainly promising but Part 2 is underway and it's the big one.
Perhaps best to consider this study Part 1 of a larger project. The results are certainly promising but Part 2 is underway and it's the big one.
Reposted by Tjeerd Boonstra
De faculteitsraad Health, Medicine and Life sciences sprak dinsdag opnieuw over de werkdruk. Passen de normuren nog wel bij wat docenten feitelijk doen? De raad vroeg het bestuur om uitleg.
#Werkdruk #UniversiteitMaastricht #Normuren #Faculteitsraad
www.observantonline.nl/Home/Artikel...
#Werkdruk #UniversiteitMaastricht #Normuren #Faculteitsraad
www.observantonline.nl/Home/Artikel...
October 9, 2025 at 11:01 AM
De faculteitsraad Health, Medicine and Life sciences sprak dinsdag opnieuw over de werkdruk. Passen de normuren nog wel bij wat docenten feitelijk doen? De raad vroeg het bestuur om uitleg.
#Werkdruk #UniversiteitMaastricht #Normuren #Faculteitsraad
www.observantonline.nl/Home/Artikel...
#Werkdruk #UniversiteitMaastricht #Normuren #Faculteitsraad
www.observantonline.nl/Home/Artikel...
Reposted by Tjeerd Boonstra
Hoe ik vertrok uit Gaza – en voor het eerst oog in oog stond met een Israëlische soldaat decorrespondent.nl/16372/hoe-ik...
Hoe ik vertrok uit Gaza – en voor het eerst oog in oog stond met een Israëlische soldaat
Mijn leven lang kende ik het Israëlische leger alleen van veraf: van de vliegtuigen, raketten en drones die de dood over ons in Gaza uitstorten. Maar tijdens mijn evacuatie naar Nederland zag ik voor ...
decorrespondent.nl
September 19, 2025 at 10:39 AM
Hoe ik vertrok uit Gaza – en voor het eerst oog in oog stond met een Israëlische soldaat decorrespondent.nl/16372/hoe-ik...
Reposted by Tjeerd Boonstra
Launched in 2023, Imaging Neuroscience is now firmly established, with full indexing (PubMed, etc.) and 700 papers to date.
We're very happy to announce that we are able to reduce the APC to $1400.
Huge thanks to all authors, reviewers, editorial team+board, and MIT Press.
We're very happy to announce that we are able to reduce the APC to $1400.
Huge thanks to all authors, reviewers, editorial team+board, and MIT Press.
September 5, 2025 at 2:59 AM
Launched in 2023, Imaging Neuroscience is now firmly established, with full indexing (PubMed, etc.) and 700 papers to date.
We're very happy to announce that we are able to reduce the APC to $1400.
Huge thanks to all authors, reviewers, editorial team+board, and MIT Press.
We're very happy to announce that we are able to reduce the APC to $1400.
Huge thanks to all authors, reviewers, editorial team+board, and MIT Press.
Reposted by Tjeerd Boonstra
We developed Arnold - the first control policy that learns multiple motor skills across detailed musculoskeletal models. A small step towards understanding the computational principles behind motor intelligence.
Arnold: a generalist muscle transformer policy
Controlling high-dimensional and nonlinear musculoskeletal models of the human body is a foundational scientific challenge. Recent machine learning breakthroughs have heralded policies that master ind...
www.arxiv.org
September 4, 2025 at 8:45 AM
We developed Arnold - the first control policy that learns multiple motor skills across detailed musculoskeletal models. A small step towards understanding the computational principles behind motor intelligence.
Reposted by Tjeerd Boonstra
De druk op de Maastrichtse woningmarkt voor studenten lijkt een stuk lager dan voorgaande jaren. Het totaal aantal studenten stijgt nauwelijks, waardoor er geen extra kamers nodig zijn, zegt het hoofd van Maastricht Housing.
www.observantonline.nl/Home/Artikel...
#Studentenkamers #Maastricht
www.observantonline.nl/Home/Artikel...
#Studentenkamers #Maastricht
September 4, 2025 at 9:09 AM
De druk op de Maastrichtse woningmarkt voor studenten lijkt een stuk lager dan voorgaande jaren. Het totaal aantal studenten stijgt nauwelijks, waardoor er geen extra kamers nodig zijn, zegt het hoofd van Maastricht Housing.
www.observantonline.nl/Home/Artikel...
#Studentenkamers #Maastricht
www.observantonline.nl/Home/Artikel...
#Studentenkamers #Maastricht
Reposted by Tjeerd Boonstra
China added 256 GW of solar in H1 2025—over 2× the rest of the world combined (124 GW). With ~80–85% of new solar investment happening in China, it dwarfs nuclear builds & makes short-term coal bumps irrelevant. Exponential change is cementing China as the world’s energy leader. #Solar #BESS #SWB
September 2, 2025 at 8:22 AM
Reposted by Tjeerd Boonstra
🚨 New paper alert!
Excited to share our latest work in Movement Disorders:
“Somato-Cognitive Action Network in Focal Dystonia”
👉 doi.org/10.1002/mds....
We found asynchrony between SCAN and cerebellum in different dystonia subtypes. Thread below.
#dystonia #fMRI #PrecisionFunctionalMapping #neuro
Excited to share our latest work in Movement Disorders:
“Somato-Cognitive Action Network in Focal Dystonia”
👉 doi.org/10.1002/mds....
We found asynchrony between SCAN and cerebellum in different dystonia subtypes. Thread below.
#dystonia #fMRI #PrecisionFunctionalMapping #neuro
Somato‐Cognitive Action Network in Focal Dystonia
Background The central pathology causing idiopathic focal dystonia remains unclear. The recently identified somato-cognitive action network (SCAN) has been implicated. Objective We tested whether ...
doi.org
August 28, 2025 at 4:41 PM
🚨 New paper alert!
Excited to share our latest work in Movement Disorders:
“Somato-Cognitive Action Network in Focal Dystonia”
👉 doi.org/10.1002/mds....
We found asynchrony between SCAN and cerebellum in different dystonia subtypes. Thread below.
#dystonia #fMRI #PrecisionFunctionalMapping #neuro
Excited to share our latest work in Movement Disorders:
“Somato-Cognitive Action Network in Focal Dystonia”
👉 doi.org/10.1002/mds....
We found asynchrony between SCAN and cerebellum in different dystonia subtypes. Thread below.
#dystonia #fMRI #PrecisionFunctionalMapping #neuro
Reposted by Tjeerd Boonstra
Job alert 🚨 Fully funded PhD position available in our Maastricht lab! Are you interested in predictive processing, individual differences, and computational modelling of behavioural and neural data? Please apply! #NeuroJobs vacancies.maastrichtuniversity.nl/job/Maastric...
PhD Candidate: cognitive computational neuroscience of individual differences
PhD Candidate: cognitive computational neuroscience of individual differences
vacancies.maastrichtuniversity.nl
August 28, 2025 at 9:11 AM
Job alert 🚨 Fully funded PhD position available in our Maastricht lab! Are you interested in predictive processing, individual differences, and computational modelling of behavioural and neural data? Please apply! #NeuroJobs vacancies.maastrichtuniversity.nl/job/Maastric...
Reposted by Tjeerd Boonstra
PsyArXiv is seeking new moderators to help combat an increase in AI submissions! If you've ever posted a preprint to PsyArXiv, please consider joining. Minimum commitment 1h/month, there's a training session this Monday @ 1pm ET. More info here: forms.gle/9LB1rEtxHAeZ... #PsychSciSky
Expression of Interest in Serving as a PsyArXiv Moderator
As you might have heard, PsyArXiv is having some issues with an increase in low-quality submissions, ranging from AI generated manuscripts to inflate citation metrics, incoherent or nonsensical docume...
forms.gle
August 15, 2025 at 5:31 PM
PsyArXiv is seeking new moderators to help combat an increase in AI submissions! If you've ever posted a preprint to PsyArXiv, please consider joining. Minimum commitment 1h/month, there's a training session this Monday @ 1pm ET. More info here: forms.gle/9LB1rEtxHAeZ... #PsychSciSky
‘What if it’s just good enough, useful to many without being revolutionary?’
Great read on the current status of genAI and how it may further develop and affect our near future
Great read on the current status of genAI and how it may further develop and affect our near future
Hello. I wrote a nice long essay about AI and this very strange moment where we're constantly told we're living in the dawn of a strange new future but the only thing that's actually clear is that everyone feels pretty unmoored and uncertain. I hope you'll read it
AI Is a Mass-Delusion Event
Three years in, one of AI’s enduring impacts is to make people feel like they’re losing it.
www.theatlantic.com
August 19, 2025 at 6:45 PM
‘What if it’s just good enough, useful to many without being revolutionary?’
Great read on the current status of genAI and how it may further develop and affect our near future
Great read on the current status of genAI and how it may further develop and affect our near future
Reposted by Tjeerd Boonstra
1. The philosophy of science sometimes gets an unearned reputation as a purely academic exercise that offers little by way of concrete tools for advancing research.
This is wrong.
And today, as we grapple with how AI is changing the nature of scientific activity, it's desperately wrong.
This is wrong.
And today, as we grapple with how AI is changing the nature of scientific activity, it's desperately wrong.
August 19, 2025 at 4:59 AM
1. The philosophy of science sometimes gets an unearned reputation as a purely academic exercise that offers little by way of concrete tools for advancing research.
This is wrong.
And today, as we grapple with how AI is changing the nature of scientific activity, it's desperately wrong.
This is wrong.
And today, as we grapple with how AI is changing the nature of scientific activity, it's desperately wrong.