Vinny Costa
@vincentcostaphd.bsky.social
Neuroscientist (PhD) exploring how the primate 🧠 learns and decides, while exploiting the consumption of 🍕 and 🥯
Lab website: www.fullcolorbrain.com
SYR/UFL/NIMH/ONPRC/EMORY
Lab website: www.fullcolorbrain.com
SYR/UFL/NIMH/ONPRC/EMORY
Reposted by Vinny Costa
A chemogenetic application to curb cocaine reinforcement www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Cocaine chemogenetics blunts drug-seeking by synthetic physiology - Nature
Cocaine chemogenetics in rats is a selective approach for countering drug reinforcement by clamping dopamine release in the presence of cocaine.
www.nature.com
January 2, 2026 at 7:28 PM
A chemogenetic application to curb cocaine reinforcement www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Reposted by Vinny Costa
When I explain to people what is involved with writing a successful grant, they simply don’t believe me.
I explained it once to a famous person from Pixar, and he looked me square in the eye and said: You mean all the cancer and Alzheimer’s grants work that way? You’ve gotta be &$%#ing kidding me!
I explained it once to a famous person from Pixar, and he looked me square in the eye and said: You mean all the cancer and Alzheimer’s grants work that way? You’ve gotta be &$%#ing kidding me!
I don't think you non-science people realize what it takes to get a grant funded by NIH. Started experiments in Sept 2021 to generate 3 new mouse mutants to model human disease. Prelim dara shows they have relevant disease phenotypes worthy of study. Need a small grant first to characterize /1
January 3, 2026 at 1:14 AM
When I explain to people what is involved with writing a successful grant, they simply don’t believe me.
I explained it once to a famous person from Pixar, and he looked me square in the eye and said: You mean all the cancer and Alzheimer’s grants work that way? You’ve gotta be &$%#ing kidding me!
I explained it once to a famous person from Pixar, and he looked me square in the eye and said: You mean all the cancer and Alzheimer’s grants work that way? You’ve gotta be &$%#ing kidding me!
Manuscript accepted.
Now that is the way to start off 2026.
Now that is the way to start off 2026.
January 2, 2026 at 10:08 PM
Manuscript accepted.
Now that is the way to start off 2026.
Now that is the way to start off 2026.
If you’re going to @acnporg.bsky.social in a week or my colleague Sanne van Rooij will presenting this research during the “Promising Targets” symposium bsky.app/profile/ajsh...
December 31, 2025 at 4:53 PM
If you’re going to @acnporg.bsky.social in a week or my colleague Sanne van Rooij will presenting this research during the “Promising Targets” symposium bsky.app/profile/ajsh...
Glad to see this published in 2025 so I can wipe it from my memory and never have to think about it again after midnight.
Who reviews this junk?
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Who reviews this junk?
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
TransBrain: a computational framework for translating brain-wide phenotypes between humans and mice - Nature Methods
TransBrain translates brain phenotypes between mouse and human via homology mapping, thus making it possible to capitalize on the wealth of knowledge about the mouse brain and gain insights into the h...
www.nature.com
December 31, 2025 at 2:41 PM
Glad to see this published in 2025 so I can wipe it from my memory and never have to think about it again after midnight.
Who reviews this junk?
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Who reviews this junk?
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Reposted by Vinny Costa
Austin Schubert (Saunders Lab) won "Most Innovative Approach" at the Cure SYNGAP1 conference. His poster was titled "Brain–wide discovery of when, where, and how SYNGAP1 haploinsufficiency alters neurodevelopment through single cell RNA profiling.”
cc: @trill-nye.bsky.social @your-arpy.bsky.social
cc: @trill-nye.bsky.social @your-arpy.bsky.social
December 30, 2025 at 11:27 PM
Austin Schubert (Saunders Lab) won "Most Innovative Approach" at the Cure SYNGAP1 conference. His poster was titled "Brain–wide discovery of when, where, and how SYNGAP1 haploinsufficiency alters neurodevelopment through single cell RNA profiling.”
cc: @trill-nye.bsky.social @your-arpy.bsky.social
cc: @trill-nye.bsky.social @your-arpy.bsky.social
Reposted by Vinny Costa
One thing to add here is the immense impact this incredibly tiny fraction of PIs has had on our knowledge of the brain! To quote a great NHP neuroscientist that shall remain anonymous: this is real science!
December 30, 2025 at 11:49 PM
One thing to add here is the immense impact this incredibly tiny fraction of PIs has had on our knowledge of the brain! To quote a great NHP neuroscientist that shall remain anonymous: this is real science!
For 2026, I dare the human & rodent behavioral & cognitive neuroscience communities to find one NHP paper relevant to your research & cite it regularly next year when writing up your manuscripts. If you already cite one, find another one and double up. #Neuroskyence bsky.app/profile/vinc...
I definitely didn’t just scrape the web to get the h-index and total citation count as of 12/30/2025 for 319 living and dead nonhuman primate researchers to get a sense of publication metrics by rank on tenure-track.
December 30, 2025 at 10:21 PM
For 2026, I dare the human & rodent behavioral & cognitive neuroscience communities to find one NHP paper relevant to your research & cite it regularly next year when writing up your manuscripts. If you already cite one, find another one and double up. #Neuroskyence bsky.app/profile/vinc...
Reposted by Vinny Costa
Just published my review of neuroscience in 2025, on The Spike.
The 10th of these, would you believe?
This year we have foundation models, breakthroughs in using light to understand the brain, a gene therapy, and more
Enjoy!
medium.com/the-spike/20...
The 10th of these, would you believe?
This year we have foundation models, breakthroughs in using light to understand the brain, a gene therapy, and more
Enjoy!
medium.com/the-spike/20...
2025: A Review of the Year in Neuroscience
Enlightening the brain
medium.com
December 30, 2025 at 3:52 PM
Just published my review of neuroscience in 2025, on The Spike.
The 10th of these, would you believe?
This year we have foundation models, breakthroughs in using light to understand the brain, a gene therapy, and more
Enjoy!
medium.com/the-spike/20...
The 10th of these, would you believe?
This year we have foundation models, breakthroughs in using light to understand the brain, a gene therapy, and more
Enjoy!
medium.com/the-spike/20...
I definitely didn’t just scrape the web to get the h-index and total citation count as of 12/30/2025 for 319 living and dead nonhuman primate researchers to get a sense of publication metrics by rank on tenure-track.
December 30, 2025 at 8:15 PM
I definitely didn’t just scrape the web to get the h-index and total citation count as of 12/30/2025 for 319 living and dead nonhuman primate researchers to get a sense of publication metrics by rank on tenure-track.
Reposted by Vinny Costa
Reminder that Ritalin floods the brain with dopamine & norepinephrine for 10-14 hrs. Any neuron anywhere in the brain with any of the subtypes of DA or NE receptor is gonna feel it regardless of arbitrarily assigned network
Hmmm. Puzzling. I wish the authors would have discussed how these results might be reconciled with ones reporting that Ritalin influences the neural and behavioral correlates of attention in a predictable way. e.g. I don't think this paper showing such is cited?
doi.org/10.1073/pnas...
doi.org/10.1073/pnas...
December 27, 2025 at 6:16 PM
Reminder that Ritalin floods the brain with dopamine & norepinephrine for 10-14 hrs. Any neuron anywhere in the brain with any of the subtypes of DA or NE receptor is gonna feel it regardless of arbitrarily assigned network
Did I sleep in too late & miss out on the announcement that rs-fMRI networks can be reliably used to infer cognitive functions and psychiatric diagnoses?
December 27, 2025 at 2:50 AM
Did I sleep in too late & miss out on the announcement that rs-fMRI networks can be reliably used to infer cognitive functions and psychiatric diagnoses?
Reposted by Vinny Costa
this reminds me of a useful article I read a few years ago - useful because some pigs have to be confronted, and one rarely wrestles a pig in isolation from others...and why it is all about getting above the traps that the pig sets up for you
www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/ambi...
www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/ambi...
Practical Pig Wrestling
What's the best way to deal with people who are just out to prove you wrong? Here's a plan. You'll need one if you want to stay out of the traps they'll set for you.
www.psychologytoday.com
December 26, 2025 at 5:55 PM
this reminds me of a useful article I read a few years ago - useful because some pigs have to be confronted, and one rarely wrestles a pig in isolation from others...and why it is all about getting above the traps that the pig sets up for you
www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/ambi...
www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/ambi...
Reposted by Vinny Costa
iGluSnFR4 is now available @natmethods.nature.com
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Glutamate indicators with increased sensitivity and tailored deactivation rates 🧪
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Glutamate indicators with increased sensitivity and tailored deactivation rates 🧪
Glutamate indicators with increased sensitivity and tailored deactivation rates - Nature Methods
iGluSnFR4f and iGluSnFR4s are the latest generation of genetically encoded glutamate sensors. They are advantageous for detecting rapid dynamics and large population activity, respectively, as demonst...
www.nature.com
December 23, 2025 at 1:21 PM
iGluSnFR4 is now available @natmethods.nature.com
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Glutamate indicators with increased sensitivity and tailored deactivation rates 🧪
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Glutamate indicators with increased sensitivity and tailored deactivation rates 🧪
Apropos of nothing I was reminded of this quote today by Bernard Shaw:
“Do not wrestle a pig. You get dirty, and besides, the pig likes it.”
“Do not wrestle a pig. You get dirty, and besides, the pig likes it.”
a man in a black hat is pointing at a man in a white hat
ALT: a man in a black hat is pointing at a man in a white hat
media.tenor.com
December 24, 2025 at 4:05 AM
Apropos of nothing I was reminded of this quote today by Bernard Shaw:
“Do not wrestle a pig. You get dirty, and besides, the pig likes it.”
“Do not wrestle a pig. You get dirty, and besides, the pig likes it.”
Reposted by Vinny Costa
A study in Nature finds that five groups of disorders share most of their genetic risk in a screen of 14 psychiatric conditions, including depression, anxiety, and schizophrenia. The findings could help to improve diagnoses and lead to new treatments that work across several conditions. 🧬 🧪
Mapping the genetic landscape across 14 psychiatric disorders - Nature
Genomic analyses applied to 14 childhood- and adult-onset psychiatric disorders identifies five underlying genomic factors that explain the majority of the genetic variance of the individual disorders.
go.nature.com
December 21, 2025 at 2:38 AM
A study in Nature finds that five groups of disorders share most of their genetic risk in a screen of 14 psychiatric conditions, including depression, anxiety, and schizophrenia. The findings could help to improve diagnoses and lead to new treatments that work across several conditions. 🧬 🧪
Reposted by Vinny Costa
HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO ALL OF YOU!🎄✨
December 19, 2025 at 6:08 PM
HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO ALL OF YOU!🎄✨
Reposted by Vinny Costa
Love it when random but intriguing results in the lab have me tracking down pre-internet periodicals at the library.
December 19, 2025 at 3:35 PM
Love it when random but intriguing results in the lab have me tracking down pre-internet periodicals at the library.
Reposted by Vinny Costa
We invite applications for postdoctoral researchers with strong expertise in in vivo electrophysiology and circuit neuroscience to join our team at the Paris Brain Institute (ICM).
December 17, 2025 at 2:31 PM
We invite applications for postdoctoral researchers with strong expertise in in vivo electrophysiology and circuit neuroscience to join our team at the Paris Brain Institute (ICM).
I might actually submit to eLife if this were the case.
You should be able to respond to reviewer comments with memes to liven up the peer review process.
December 18, 2025 at 3:30 AM
I might actually submit to eLife if this were the case.
Reposted by Vinny Costa
🥳Excited to share our latest human multipatch paper, now out in @natneuro.nature.com
🧠 We studied the cellular and synaptic physiology of human L2–3 pyramidal neurons and identified subtype-specific local connectivity rules across individuals.
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Join us: penglab.de
🧠 We studied the cellular and synaptic physiology of human L2–3 pyramidal neurons and identified subtype-specific local connectivity rules across individuals.
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Join us: penglab.de
December 13, 2025 at 7:59 AM
🥳Excited to share our latest human multipatch paper, now out in @natneuro.nature.com
🧠 We studied the cellular and synaptic physiology of human L2–3 pyramidal neurons and identified subtype-specific local connectivity rules across individuals.
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Join us: penglab.de
🧠 We studied the cellular and synaptic physiology of human L2–3 pyramidal neurons and identified subtype-specific local connectivity rules across individuals.
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Join us: penglab.de
“Biological fidelity is a computational necessity!!!”
Going to put that on a t-shirt
Going to put that on a t-shirt
Thrilled to see our PNAS paper featured in @giacomoi.bsky.social commentary. A fantastic recognition of how biologically grounded cortical microcircuits can accelerate the next generation of NeuroAI—and a meaningful step connecting it to neuroscience www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
Biological fidelity: The engine driving the neuromorphic renaissance | PNAS
Biological fidelity: The engine driving the neuromorphic renaissance
www.pnas.org
December 12, 2025 at 12:18 AM
“Biological fidelity is a computational necessity!!!”
Going to put that on a t-shirt
Going to put that on a t-shirt
Reposted by Vinny Costa
Delighted to share our latest article on brain mechanisms of pain, appetitive & aversive learning, led by @yilizhao.bsky.social & In-seon Lee, out now in @sfnjournals.bsky.social! We show that brain mechanisms of expectancy are domain general, not unique to pain! www.jneurosci.org/content/earl...
December 11, 2025 at 2:19 PM
Delighted to share our latest article on brain mechanisms of pain, appetitive & aversive learning, led by @yilizhao.bsky.social & In-seon Lee, out now in @sfnjournals.bsky.social! We show that brain mechanisms of expectancy are domain general, not unique to pain! www.jneurosci.org/content/earl...
Reposted by Vinny Costa
This new ERC study uses an overlapping set of human 🧠 donors as our just dropped locus coeruleus preprint. Availability of data from both regions in the same donor facilitates our current efforts to analyze molecular signaling across the circuit, which is highly vulnerable in Alzheimer's disease.
This dataset is paired with a spatial transcriptomic analysis of the locus coeruleus from the same donors. This work led by @berniejmulvey.bsky.social is also now in pre-print!
bsky.app/profile/berniejmulvey.bsky.social/post/3m4isvuqabm2v
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
bsky.app/profile/berniejmulvey.bsky.social/post/3m4isvuqabm2v
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
December 11, 2025 at 1:40 PM
This new ERC study uses an overlapping set of human 🧠 donors as our just dropped locus coeruleus preprint. Availability of data from both regions in the same donor facilitates our current efforts to analyze molecular signaling across the circuit, which is highly vulnerable in Alzheimer's disease.
Reposted by Vinny Costa
Great news! We are looking for an NHP neuroscientist as the assistant professor level. We have no preconceived ideas -- looking for the most exciting research going. If you have any questions, please reach out. universityaffairs.ca/search-jobs/...
Search Jobs - University Affairs
universityaffairs.ca
December 10, 2025 at 3:01 PM
Great news! We are looking for an NHP neuroscientist as the assistant professor level. We have no preconceived ideas -- looking for the most exciting research going. If you have any questions, please reach out. universityaffairs.ca/search-jobs/...