John Tuthill
@tuthill.bsky.social
Neuroscientist at UW studying proprioception and motor control. Promoting the people and work in my lab (www.tuthill.casa). Also pursuing a snow fly side habit (www.snowflyproject.org).
Pinned
John Tuthill
@tuthill.bsky.social
· Dec 9
How do neural circuits generate the walking rhythm?
Using connectome simulations, @sarahpugly.bsky.social found a minimal central pattern generator (CPG) that produces oscillations in leg motor neurons. Same circuit motif for each 🪰 leg.
w @bingbrunton.bsky.social
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Using connectome simulations, @sarahpugly.bsky.social found a minimal central pattern generator (CPG) that produces oscillations in leg motor neurons. Same circuit motif for each 🪰 leg.
w @bingbrunton.bsky.social
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
fascinating story of hydra intrigue
January 15, 2026 at 11:20 PM
fascinating story of hydra intrigue
Reposted by John Tuthill
The appropriations bill that includes NIH is being finalized.
The Senate bill includes a bipartisan amendment from Senators Capito (WV) and Baldwin (WI) limiting multi-year funding of grants.
The House version does not and OMB has issued a veto threat if the House includes such language.
1/3
The Senate bill includes a bipartisan amendment from Senators Capito (WV) and Baldwin (WI) limiting multi-year funding of grants.
The House version does not and OMB has issued a veto threat if the House includes such language.
1/3
a close up of a brown surface with a few spots
ALT: a close up of a brown surface with a few spots
media.tenor.com
January 14, 2026 at 1:33 PM
The appropriations bill that includes NIH is being finalized.
The Senate bill includes a bipartisan amendment from Senators Capito (WV) and Baldwin (WI) limiting multi-year funding of grants.
The House version does not and OMB has issued a veto threat if the House includes such language.
1/3
The Senate bill includes a bipartisan amendment from Senators Capito (WV) and Baldwin (WI) limiting multi-year funding of grants.
The House version does not and OMB has issued a veto threat if the House includes such language.
1/3
Reposted by John Tuthill
Exciting new preprint on oxytocin neural circuits for massage led by Manon Bohic in Vicky Abraira’s lab. Sasha and I were glad to contribute imaging experiments to this collaborative effort, spanning mice to humans. Vicky is a master at bringing people together.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
Oxytocin Modulation of Spinal Circuits Drives Therapeutic Benefits of Massage
Across social species, social touch enhances well-being and reduces pain - two seemingly distinct benefits that enhance survival. Yet where and how the nervous system integrates these functions, and w...
www.biorxiv.org
January 13, 2026 at 3:39 PM
Exciting new preprint on oxytocin neural circuits for massage led by Manon Bohic in Vicky Abraira’s lab. Sasha and I were glad to contribute imaging experiments to this collaborative effort, spanning mice to humans. Vicky is a master at bringing people together.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
the convergence (both evolutionarily and socio-scientifically) of the head direction encoding systems in the zebrafish habenula and fly central complex is one of my favorite corners of neuroscience to watch right now 🍿
January 12, 2026 at 6:19 PM
the convergence (both evolutionarily and socio-scientifically) of the head direction encoding systems in the zebrafish habenula and fly central complex is one of my favorite corners of neuroscience to watch right now 🍿
yes, my life was changed by a science paper about ants walking on stilts.
A 2006 Science paper revealed how ants pull off extraordinary feats of navigation. In the latest “This paper changed my life,” @tuthill.bsky.social discusses how this paper inspired him to consider how other insects sense their own bodies.
#neuroskyence
www.thetransmitter.org/this-paper-c...
#neuroskyence
www.thetransmitter.org/this-paper-c...
This paper changed my life: John Tuthill reflects on the subjectivity of selfhood
Wittlinger, Wehner and Wolf’s 2006 “stilts and stumps” Science paper revealed how ants pull off extraordinary feats of navigation using a biological odometer, and it inspired Tuthill to consider how…
www.thetransmitter.org
January 12, 2026 at 5:59 PM
yes, my life was changed by a science paper about ants walking on stilts.
Reposted by John Tuthill
Excited to share @rbrianroome.bsky.social ‘s beautiful paper on development of the dorsal horn of the mouse spinal cord @science.org
This is how the anatomical organization and cell types that process pain, touch, body position and more are laid down.
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
This is how the anatomical organization and cell types that process pain, touch, body position and more are laid down.
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Ontogeny of the spinal cord dorsal horn
The dorsal horn of the mammalian spinal cord is organized into laminae where each layer is populated by different neuron types, has distinctive circuit connections, and plays specialized roles in beha...
www.science.org
January 8, 2026 at 7:59 PM
Excited to share @rbrianroome.bsky.social ‘s beautiful paper on development of the dorsal horn of the mouse spinal cord @science.org
This is how the anatomical organization and cell types that process pain, touch, body position and more are laid down.
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
This is how the anatomical organization and cell types that process pain, touch, body position and more are laid down.
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
@annmclemens.bsky.social (and her artwork) is about as far you can get from AI slop.
PhD position(s)🚨deadline 20th Jan
1-development of brain & behaviour in the precocial spiny mouse tinyurl.com/yaxhy5y2
2-social behaviour & neurophysiology in a menstruating rodent using AI tinyurl.com/ykv93cts
apply ✍️
@ai4bicdt.bsky.social @sidb-edinburgh.bsky.social @edinunineuro.bsky.social
1-development of brain & behaviour in the precocial spiny mouse tinyurl.com/yaxhy5y2
2-social behaviour & neurophysiology in a menstruating rodent using AI tinyurl.com/ykv93cts
apply ✍️
@ai4bicdt.bsky.social @sidb-edinburgh.bsky.social @edinunineuro.bsky.social
January 8, 2026 at 6:05 PM
@annmclemens.bsky.social (and her artwork) is about as far you can get from AI slop.
Another banger from Peter Bräunig. His papes are always crazy and understated. Same with Hans Joachim Pflüger. There is just something special insect neuroethologists with umlauts. Bässler is another example.
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
Electrosensitivity in planthoppers (Insecta: Hemiptera: Auchenorrhyncha: Fulgoromorpha) - Journal of Comparative Physiology A
Extracellular recordings from the sensory pits, conspicuous sensory organs on the cuticle of planthopper nymphs (suborder Fulgoromorpha), were performed. No responses to sound, ultrasound, direct mech...
link.springer.com
January 8, 2026 at 1:04 AM
Another banger from Peter Bräunig. His papes are always crazy and understated. Same with Hans Joachim Pflüger. There is just something special insect neuroethologists with umlauts. Bässler is another example.
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
Reposted by John Tuthill
Ascona meetings on neural circuits are amazing conferences in a beautiful setting in Switzerland spanning all scales from genetics and micro-circuit cracking to high level cognition. Check asconacircuits.org for the 2026 program and register soon, as it typically reaches capacity very quickly 🧠🧪
January 5, 2026 at 12:23 PM
Ascona meetings on neural circuits are amazing conferences in a beautiful setting in Switzerland spanning all scales from genetics and micro-circuit cracking to high level cognition. Check asconacircuits.org for the 2026 program and register soon, as it typically reaches capacity very quickly 🧠🧪
“By switching from firing sodium to calcium spikes, these neurons implement a ∼180° realignment between the vector encoded in the neuronal population and the fly’s internal compass signal, thus inverting the vector.”
A beautiful set of experimental results and analyses. Congrats to Itzel et al.!
A beautiful set of experimental results and analyses. Congrats to Itzel et al.!
www.cell.com/cell/fulltex...
We had a lot of fun working on this project (led by Itzel Ishida, not on bluesky). Some interesting highlights from the paper -
We had a lot of fun working on this project (led by Itzel Ishida, not on bluesky). Some interesting highlights from the paper -
Neuronal calcium spikes enable vector inversion in the Drosophila brain
In the fly central complex, PFNa neurons switch from firing classical sodium spikes
when depolarized to firing non-canonical T-type calcium spikes when hyperpolarized.
This bidirectional spiking allow...
www.cell.com
January 6, 2026 at 8:53 PM
“By switching from firing sodium to calcium spikes, these neurons implement a ∼180° realignment between the vector encoded in the neuronal population and the fly’s internal compass signal, thus inverting the vector.”
A beautiful set of experimental results and analyses. Congrats to Itzel et al.!
A beautiful set of experimental results and analyses. Congrats to Itzel et al.!
Reposted by John Tuthill
How does the brain control locomotion? In our new preprint, we uncover a brain circuit in Drosophila that controls forward walking independently of turning. This dedicated locomotor circuit enables flexible motor control and might reflect a shared principle across species. doi.org/10.64898/202...
January 5, 2026 at 4:25 PM
How does the brain control locomotion? In our new preprint, we uncover a brain circuit in Drosophila that controls forward walking independently of turning. This dedicated locomotor circuit enables flexible motor control and might reflect a shared principle across species. doi.org/10.64898/202...
a bright spot in this otherwise dismal year was the journalism and commentary provided by @thetransmitter.bsky.social. i am grateful that this publication exists and i hope @simonsfoundation.org continues to support them.
Amid a tumultuous year, researchers opined on policy changes, funding uncertainty, scientific trends and AI’s impact. Read essays by @tuthill.bsky.social, @bingbrunton.bsky.social, @kordinglab.bsky.social, @eboyden3.bsky.social, @docbecca.bsky.social, and Tim Requarth.
#neuroskyence
bit.ly/44NL9jy
#neuroskyence
bit.ly/44NL9jy
The Transmitter’s favorite essays of 2025
Throughout a tumultuous year in science, researchers opined on policy changes and funding uncertainty, as well as scientific trends and the impact of artificial-intelligence tools on the field.
bit.ly
December 29, 2025 at 4:30 PM
a bright spot in this otherwise dismal year was the journalism and commentary provided by @thetransmitter.bsky.social. i am grateful that this publication exists and i hope @simonsfoundation.org continues to support them.
Reposted by John Tuthill
More news (not good) from NIH
The renewal request from National Institute of Neurological Diseases and Stroke Director Walter Koroshetz has been denied.
I guess the NIH_leadership™ needed another position to fill with their time-tested recruitment process.
The renewal request from National Institute of Neurological Diseases and Stroke Director Walter Koroshetz has been denied.
I guess the NIH_leadership™ needed another position to fill with their time-tested recruitment process.
December 27, 2025 at 4:17 PM
More news (not good) from NIH
The renewal request from National Institute of Neurological Diseases and Stroke Director Walter Koroshetz has been denied.
I guess the NIH_leadership™ needed another position to fill with their time-tested recruitment process.
The renewal request from National Institute of Neurological Diseases and Stroke Director Walter Koroshetz has been denied.
I guess the NIH_leadership™ needed another position to fill with their time-tested recruitment process.
0.00003 foot tall xmas tree from a Drosophila flight steering muscle 🎄
image by @anne-sustar.bsky.social
image by @anne-sustar.bsky.social
December 24, 2025 at 11:34 PM
0.00003 foot tall xmas tree from a Drosophila flight steering muscle 🎄
image by @anne-sustar.bsky.social
image by @anne-sustar.bsky.social
Reposted by John Tuthill
Adam Kampff prioritized spreading knowledge over publishing flashy papers in prestigious journals, but colleagues say his mark on neuroscience was undeniable. The researcher and educator passed away on 9 December.
By Lauren Schneider
www.thetransmitter.org/systems-neur...
By Lauren Schneider
www.thetransmitter.org/systems-neur...
Remembering Adam Kampff, neuroscience educator and researcher
Kampff’s do-it-yourself approach inspired a generation of neuroscientists.
www.thetransmitter.org
December 24, 2025 at 3:15 PM
Adam Kampff prioritized spreading knowledge over publishing flashy papers in prestigious journals, but colleagues say his mark on neuroscience was undeniable. The researcher and educator passed away on 9 December.
By Lauren Schneider
www.thetransmitter.org/systems-neur...
By Lauren Schneider
www.thetransmitter.org/systems-neur...
no epstein files today but as consolation it seems that they have finally chosen to declassify the infamous "MODIFICATIONS OF THE FLY FOOT FOR HUMAN NEEDS" technical report from the US Army Tank Automotive Command and it's even more salacious than anticipated
apps.dtic.mil/sti/html/tr/...
apps.dtic.mil/sti/html/tr/...
December 19, 2025 at 7:02 PM
no epstein files today but as consolation it seems that they have finally chosen to declassify the infamous "MODIFICATIONS OF THE FLY FOOT FOR HUMAN NEEDS" technical report from the US Army Tank Automotive Command and it's even more salacious than anticipated
apps.dtic.mil/sti/html/tr/...
apps.dtic.mil/sti/html/tr/...
Reposted by John Tuthill
⚡️Mitochondria make ATP, the energy that powers life. But in neurons, with axons up to a meter long, how do these tiny power plants stay functional in the right places? We went looking. 1/n www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
Self-renewal of neuronal mitochondria through asymmetric division
Mitochondrial ATP production is essential for life. Mitochondrial function depends on the spatio-temporal coordination of nuclear and mitochondrial genome expression, yet how this coordination occurs ...
www.biorxiv.org
December 18, 2025 at 8:36 PM
⚡️Mitochondria make ATP, the energy that powers life. But in neurons, with axons up to a meter long, how do these tiny power plants stay functional in the right places? We went looking. 1/n www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
Reposted by John Tuthill
How do animals channel sensory information into motor pathways to generate flexible behavioral output? Excited to share a new preprint addressing this question by leveraging the new #maleCNS connectome, behavioral experiments, and in-vivo recordings: doi.org/10.64898/202.... A long🧵...
December 19, 2025 at 7:02 AM
How do animals channel sensory information into motor pathways to generate flexible behavioral output? Excited to share a new preprint addressing this question by leveraging the new #maleCNS connectome, behavioral experiments, and in-vivo recordings: doi.org/10.64898/202.... A long🧵...
Grateful to @pewtrusts.org for funding our snow fly work, in collaboration with Sebastian Brauchi at Universidad Austral de Chile.
We are now looking for post-docs to work on the biophysical mechanisms that allow snow fly neurons and muscles to function below zero.
newsroom.uw.edu/news-release...
We are now looking for post-docs to work on the biophysical mechanisms that allow snow fly neurons and muscles to function below zero.
newsroom.uw.edu/news-release...
Most insects slow down in bitter cold. Not snow flies. - UW Medicine | Newsroom
newsroom.uw.edu
December 18, 2025 at 10:48 PM
Grateful to @pewtrusts.org for funding our snow fly work, in collaboration with Sebastian Brauchi at Universidad Austral de Chile.
We are now looking for post-docs to work on the biophysical mechanisms that allow snow fly neurons and muscles to function below zero.
newsroom.uw.edu/news-release...
We are now looking for post-docs to work on the biophysical mechanisms that allow snow fly neurons and muscles to function below zero.
newsroom.uw.edu/news-release...
Reposted by John Tuthill
Multiple anthropogenic stressors can negatively impact species but can a single stressor also have multiple, concurrent impacts? Here we show that light pollution creates several simultaneous impacts to the nocturnal movement ecology of a moth and a spider: tinyurl.com/5eku5bff (1/5)
December 17, 2025 at 8:15 PM
Multiple anthropogenic stressors can negatively impact species but can a single stressor also have multiple, concurrent impacts? Here we show that light pollution creates several simultaneous impacts to the nocturnal movement ecology of a moth and a spider: tinyurl.com/5eku5bff (1/5)
Reposted by John Tuthill
A Go Fund Me link has been shared to support Adam Kampff's educational organization @noblackboxes.bsky.social - for those who wish to support you can find a link here gofund.me/245cb96ff
Donate to In Memory of Adam: His Legacy of Education for Everyone, organized by Elena Dreosti
Adam’s greatest loves were his ideas, his work, and our two chil… Elena Dreosti needs your support for In Memory of Adam: His Legacy of Education for Everyone
gofund.me
December 15, 2025 at 4:19 PM
A Go Fund Me link has been shared to support Adam Kampff's educational organization @noblackboxes.bsky.social - for those who wish to support you can find a link here gofund.me/245cb96ff
Reposted by John Tuthill
*First preprint from our lab* !!!!!
How does the brain learn to anchor its internal sense of direction to the outside world? 🧭
led by Mark Plitt @markplitt.bsky.social & Dan Turner-Evans, w/ Vivek Jayaraman:
“Octopamine instructs head direction plasticity” www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
Thread ⬇️
How does the brain learn to anchor its internal sense of direction to the outside world? 🧭
led by Mark Plitt @markplitt.bsky.social & Dan Turner-Evans, w/ Vivek Jayaraman:
“Octopamine instructs head direction plasticity” www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
Thread ⬇️
December 15, 2025 at 6:26 PM
*First preprint from our lab* !!!!!
How does the brain learn to anchor its internal sense of direction to the outside world? 🧭
led by Mark Plitt @markplitt.bsky.social & Dan Turner-Evans, w/ Vivek Jayaraman:
“Octopamine instructs head direction plasticity” www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
Thread ⬇️
How does the brain learn to anchor its internal sense of direction to the outside world? 🧭
led by Mark Plitt @markplitt.bsky.social & Dan Turner-Evans, w/ Vivek Jayaraman:
“Octopamine instructs head direction plasticity” www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
Thread ⬇️
the legend Jim Truman; "my heart is that of an accountant in the body of a scientist"
December 12, 2025 at 7:36 PM
the legend Jim Truman; "my heart is that of an accountant in the body of a scientist"
Reposted by John Tuthill
Video abstract for our preprint, “Connectome simulations identify a central pattern generator circuit for fly walking”, bit.ly/4pubCuN
Animated by T Sloan @quorumetrix.bsky.social, narrated by @sarahpugly.bsky.social, music by J McNamara, collab w @bingbrunton.bsky.social.
youtu.be/twAZlL6olS4
Animated by T Sloan @quorumetrix.bsky.social, narrated by @sarahpugly.bsky.social, music by J McNamara, collab w @bingbrunton.bsky.social.
youtu.be/twAZlL6olS4
Connectome simulations identify a central pattern generator circuit for fly walking
YouTube video by Bing Wen Brunton
youtu.be
December 9, 2025 at 5:50 PM
Video abstract for our preprint, “Connectome simulations identify a central pattern generator circuit for fly walking”, bit.ly/4pubCuN
Animated by T Sloan @quorumetrix.bsky.social, narrated by @sarahpugly.bsky.social, music by J McNamara, collab w @bingbrunton.bsky.social.
youtu.be/twAZlL6olS4
Animated by T Sloan @quorumetrix.bsky.social, narrated by @sarahpugly.bsky.social, music by J McNamara, collab w @bingbrunton.bsky.social.
youtu.be/twAZlL6olS4
How do neural circuits generate the walking rhythm?
Using connectome simulations, @sarahpugly.bsky.social found a minimal central pattern generator (CPG) that produces oscillations in leg motor neurons. Same circuit motif for each 🪰 leg.
w @bingbrunton.bsky.social
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Using connectome simulations, @sarahpugly.bsky.social found a minimal central pattern generator (CPG) that produces oscillations in leg motor neurons. Same circuit motif for each 🪰 leg.
w @bingbrunton.bsky.social
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
December 9, 2025 at 5:50 PM
How do neural circuits generate the walking rhythm?
Using connectome simulations, @sarahpugly.bsky.social found a minimal central pattern generator (CPG) that produces oscillations in leg motor neurons. Same circuit motif for each 🪰 leg.
w @bingbrunton.bsky.social
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Using connectome simulations, @sarahpugly.bsky.social found a minimal central pattern generator (CPG) that produces oscillations in leg motor neurons. Same circuit motif for each 🪰 leg.
w @bingbrunton.bsky.social
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...