Ciro Randazzo
@cirorandazzo.bsky.social
bme @ columbia
brainard lab @ ucsf
cog sci/mcintyre lab @ utd
brainard lab @ ucsf
cog sci/mcintyre lab @ utd
I've decided to try a month of daily blogging. I want to build a habit of excitement for thinking and writing. This could go terribly wrong!
cirorandazzo.com/2025/11/29/i...
cirorandazzo.com/2025/11/29/i...
1. This is it Frodo. | Ciro Randazzo
Write an awesome description for your new site here. You can edit this line in _config.yml. It will appear in your document head meta (for Google search results) and in your feed.xml site description.
cirorandazzo.com
November 29, 2025 at 6:05 PM
I've decided to try a month of daily blogging. I want to build a habit of excitement for thinking and writing. This could go terribly wrong!
cirorandazzo.com/2025/11/29/i...
cirorandazzo.com/2025/11/29/i...
Reposted by Ciro Randazzo
I agree, we might not. But at least it's not obviously a wrong thing to do to play around on easy mode first. Especially as easy mode is already pretty hard.
November 20, 2025 at 5:05 PM
I agree, we might not. But at least it's not obviously a wrong thing to do to play around on easy mode first. Especially as easy mode is already pretty hard.
Reposted by Ciro Randazzo
Many of our big insights into brain function come from trying to mimic it, writes @timothyoleary.bsky.social. This lesson should guide how we organize research programs.
www.thetransmitter.org/systems-neur...
#neuroskyence
www.thetransmitter.org/systems-neur...
#neuroskyence
Neuroscience needs engineers—for more reasons than you think
Adopting an engineering mindset will help the field focus its research priorities.
www.thetransmitter.org
November 3, 2025 at 2:22 PM
Many of our big insights into brain function come from trying to mimic it, writes @timothyoleary.bsky.social. This lesson should guide how we organize research programs.
www.thetransmitter.org/systems-neur...
#neuroskyence
www.thetransmitter.org/systems-neur...
#neuroskyence
Reposted by Ciro Randazzo
I once saw a (very interesting) talk about sleep in which the speaker started by saying that we don't really know how to define sleep, and then proceeded to operationalize sleep in flies as basically periods when they are still for a long time. This got me thinking...
September 21, 2025 at 12:29 PM
I once saw a (very interesting) talk about sleep in which the speaker started by saying that we don't really know how to define sleep, and then proceeded to operationalize sleep in flies as basically periods when they are still for a long time. This got me thinking...
Reposted by Ciro Randazzo
First time holding the Neuralink implant. Our hospital network will be leading the first clinical trials here in Canada. Let’s go!
@uhnresearch.ca @uhn.ca #Neuralink #neuroscience #AI #neuroAI #compneuro
@uhnresearch.ca @uhn.ca #Neuralink #neuroscience #AI #neuroAI #compneuro
May 26, 2025 at 11:15 AM
First time holding the Neuralink implant. Our hospital network will be leading the first clinical trials here in Canada. Let’s go!
@uhnresearch.ca @uhn.ca #Neuralink #neuroscience #AI #neuroAI #compneuro
@uhnresearch.ca @uhn.ca #Neuralink #neuroscience #AI #neuroAI #compneuro
Reposted by Ciro Randazzo
“Traits” are central units of biological analysis—but how should they be individuated, and relative to which ontogenetic frame of reference? In my new paper, I argue that answering this isn’t easy—and matters more than it seems. 📃👇 link.springer.com/article/10.1... #philsci #HPBio #evosky #evodevo
July 18, 2025 at 6:33 PM
“Traits” are central units of biological analysis—but how should they be individuated, and relative to which ontogenetic frame of reference? In my new paper, I argue that answering this isn’t easy—and matters more than it seems. 📃👇 link.springer.com/article/10.1... #philsci #HPBio #evosky #evodevo
Reposted by Ciro Randazzo
yes I have been translating Matlab to Python, how could you tell;
July 18, 2025 at 8:02 PM
yes I have been translating Matlab to Python, how could you tell;
Reposted by Ciro Randazzo
Happy 107th Birthday, Brenda Milner! Her contributions to neuropsychology shaped the way we understand the human brain. From surviving two world wars and two pandemics, to paving the way for future generations of researchers, Milner’s legacy continues. @mcgill.ca @cusm-muhc.bsky.social
July 15, 2025 at 2:05 PM
Happy 107th Birthday, Brenda Milner! Her contributions to neuropsychology shaped the way we understand the human brain. From surviving two world wars and two pandemics, to paving the way for future generations of researchers, Milner’s legacy continues. @mcgill.ca @cusm-muhc.bsky.social
Reposted by Ciro Randazzo
Thrilled to see our TinyRNN paper in @nature! We show how tiny RNNs predict choices of individual subjects accurately while staying fully interpretable. This approach can transform how we model cognitive processes in both healthy and disordered decisions. doi.org/10.1038/s415...
Discovering cognitive strategies with tiny recurrent neural networks - Nature
Modelling biological decision-making with tiny recurrent neural networks enables more accurate predictions of animal choices than classical cognitive models and offers insights into the underlying cog...
doi.org
July 2, 2025 at 7:03 PM
Thrilled to see our TinyRNN paper in @nature! We show how tiny RNNs predict choices of individual subjects accurately while staying fully interpretable. This approach can transform how we model cognitive processes in both healthy and disordered decisions. doi.org/10.1038/s415...
Reposted by Ciro Randazzo
The most important thing about science the public needs to remember is that the set of experimental and theoretical methods we refer to as "science" is the best, most reliable way of knowing we currently have.
It's rough around the edges but it works way better than anything else.
It's rough around the edges but it works way better than anything else.
Watching people not realize this about his work, and then seeing it weaponized against climate policy, sent poor old Bruno Latour into a full-blown case of abyss gaze.
June 24, 2025 at 4:57 AM
The most important thing about science the public needs to remember is that the set of experimental and theoretical methods we refer to as "science" is the best, most reliable way of knowing we currently have.
It's rough around the edges but it works way better than anything else.
It's rough around the edges but it works way better than anything else.
Reposted by Ciro Randazzo
1/N
How do neural dynamics in motor cortex interact with those in subcortical networks to flexibly control movement? I’m beyond thrilled to share our work on this problem, led by Eric Kirk @eric-kirk.bsky.social with help from Kangjia Cai!
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
How do neural dynamics in motor cortex interact with those in subcortical networks to flexibly control movement? I’m beyond thrilled to share our work on this problem, led by Eric Kirk @eric-kirk.bsky.social with help from Kangjia Cai!
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
June 23, 2025 at 12:28 PM
1/N
How do neural dynamics in motor cortex interact with those in subcortical networks to flexibly control movement? I’m beyond thrilled to share our work on this problem, led by Eric Kirk @eric-kirk.bsky.social with help from Kangjia Cai!
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
How do neural dynamics in motor cortex interact with those in subcortical networks to flexibly control movement? I’m beyond thrilled to share our work on this problem, led by Eric Kirk @eric-kirk.bsky.social with help from Kangjia Cai!
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Reposted by Ciro Randazzo
Very happy to share the latest from my postdoc!
10 yrs of mouse social networks + 1.25 yrs of acoustic data ➡️ insight into vocalization & sociality in a wild population of your favorite lab model 🐁
paper: bit.ly/4n93yyD
data: bit.ly/4lfFBEk
code: bit.ly/4kNnMwx
#bioacoustics #neuroskyence
1/8
10 yrs of mouse social networks + 1.25 yrs of acoustic data ➡️ insight into vocalization & sociality in a wild population of your favorite lab model 🐁
paper: bit.ly/4n93yyD
data: bit.ly/4lfFBEk
code: bit.ly/4kNnMwx
#bioacoustics #neuroskyence
1/8
June 18, 2025 at 6:26 PM
Very happy to share the latest from my postdoc!
10 yrs of mouse social networks + 1.25 yrs of acoustic data ➡️ insight into vocalization & sociality in a wild population of your favorite lab model 🐁
paper: bit.ly/4n93yyD
data: bit.ly/4lfFBEk
code: bit.ly/4kNnMwx
#bioacoustics #neuroskyence
1/8
10 yrs of mouse social networks + 1.25 yrs of acoustic data ➡️ insight into vocalization & sociality in a wild population of your favorite lab model 🐁
paper: bit.ly/4n93yyD
data: bit.ly/4lfFBEk
code: bit.ly/4kNnMwx
#bioacoustics #neuroskyence
1/8
Reposted by Ciro Randazzo
Spending a few days with intramural researcher at NIH has me thinking about the old Bell Labs, the storied research institute where major breakthroughs in physics, chemistry and mat sci (and associated @nobelprize.bsky.social awards) were made in the 70s-80s 1/n
June 13, 2025 at 4:04 PM
Spending a few days with intramural researcher at NIH has me thinking about the old Bell Labs, the storied research institute where major breakthroughs in physics, chemistry and mat sci (and associated @nobelprize.bsky.social awards) were made in the 70s-80s 1/n
Reposted by Ciro Randazzo
The Cognitive Computational Neuroscience conference is in Amsterdam this year, but you don't have to go that far to attend. Local meetups/watch parties are being organized all over, including the one I'm hosting in New York!
Check them out and register (free!) here 👇
#neuroskyence #compneurosky
Check them out and register (free!) here 👇
#neuroskyence #compneurosky
Local Meetups
2025.ccneuro.org
June 11, 2025 at 7:47 PM
The Cognitive Computational Neuroscience conference is in Amsterdam this year, but you don't have to go that far to attend. Local meetups/watch parties are being organized all over, including the one I'm hosting in New York!
Check them out and register (free!) here 👇
#neuroskyence #compneurosky
Check them out and register (free!) here 👇
#neuroskyence #compneurosky
Reposted by Ciro Randazzo
Whale vocalizations not only resemble human vowels, but also behave like ones!
We previously discovered that sperm whales have analogues to human vowels.
In a new preprint, we analyze linguistic behavior of whale vowels.
We previously discovered that sperm whales have analogues to human vowels.
In a new preprint, we analyze linguistic behavior of whale vowels.
June 10, 2025 at 7:05 PM
Whale vocalizations not only resemble human vowels, but also behave like ones!
We previously discovered that sperm whales have analogues to human vowels.
In a new preprint, we analyze linguistic behavior of whale vowels.
We previously discovered that sperm whales have analogues to human vowels.
In a new preprint, we analyze linguistic behavior of whale vowels.
Anyone familiar with mechanistic studies concerning neuroprotective effects of exercise, etc? I see headlines like this often and I've heard clinical advice that activity can slow progression of neurodegenerative diseases-not sure how this works.
#neuroskyence #neurology
bsky.app/profile/deme...
#neuroskyence #neurology
bsky.app/profile/deme...
🧠 Resistance Training Improves Brain White Matter in People with Memory Problems
In this 2024 study of 44 older adults with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), resistance training improved white matter integrity in the fronto-occipital (B) and corticospinal fasciculi (D), and ... 2/2
In this 2024 study of 44 older adults with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), resistance training improved white matter integrity in the fronto-occipital (B) and corticospinal fasciculi (D), and ... 2/2
June 7, 2025 at 2:37 AM
Anyone familiar with mechanistic studies concerning neuroprotective effects of exercise, etc? I see headlines like this often and I've heard clinical advice that activity can slow progression of neurodegenerative diseases-not sure how this works.
#neuroskyence #neurology
bsky.app/profile/deme...
#neuroskyence #neurology
bsky.app/profile/deme...
Reposted by Ciro Randazzo
New preprint! 🧠🤖
How do we build neural decoders that are:
⚡️ fast enough for real-time use
🎯 accurate across diverse tasks
🌍 generalizable to new sessions, subjects, and even species?
We present POSSM, a hybrid SSM architecture that optimizes for all three of these axes!
🧵1/7
How do we build neural decoders that are:
⚡️ fast enough for real-time use
🎯 accurate across diverse tasks
🌍 generalizable to new sessions, subjects, and even species?
We present POSSM, a hybrid SSM architecture that optimizes for all three of these axes!
🧵1/7
June 6, 2025 at 5:40 PM
New preprint! 🧠🤖
How do we build neural decoders that are:
⚡️ fast enough for real-time use
🎯 accurate across diverse tasks
🌍 generalizable to new sessions, subjects, and even species?
We present POSSM, a hybrid SSM architecture that optimizes for all three of these axes!
🧵1/7
How do we build neural decoders that are:
⚡️ fast enough for real-time use
🎯 accurate across diverse tasks
🌍 generalizable to new sessions, subjects, and even species?
We present POSSM, a hybrid SSM architecture that optimizes for all three of these axes!
🧵1/7
Reposted by Ciro Randazzo
If you haven't been looking recently at the Open Encyclopedia of Cognitive Science (oecs.mit.edu), here's your reminder that we are a free, open access resource for learning about the science of mind.
Today we are launching our new Thematic Collections to organize our growing set of articles!
Today we are launching our new Thematic Collections to organize our growing set of articles!
May 30, 2025 at 12:18 AM
If you haven't been looking recently at the Open Encyclopedia of Cognitive Science (oecs.mit.edu), here's your reminder that we are a free, open access resource for learning about the science of mind.
Today we are launching our new Thematic Collections to organize our growing set of articles!
Today we are launching our new Thematic Collections to organize our growing set of articles!
Reposted by Ciro Randazzo
Big week for astrocyte research: 3 new Science papers link astrocytes to behavior. We're excited to add to the momentum with our new PNAS paper: a theory, grounded in biology, proposing astrocytes as key players in memory storage and recall. w/ JJ Slotine and @krotov.bsky.social
(1/6)
(1/6)
May 28, 2025 at 7:44 PM
Big week for astrocyte research: 3 new Science papers link astrocytes to behavior. We're excited to add to the momentum with our new PNAS paper: a theory, grounded in biology, proposing astrocytes as key players in memory storage and recall. w/ JJ Slotine and @krotov.bsky.social
(1/6)
(1/6)
Reposted by Ciro Randazzo
Over the last few years we have been developing methods for markerless motion capture of biomechanics and getting them into the clinics, such as at @abilitylab.bsky.social.
We are now developing foundation models from these large datasets and testing what this enables. Two recent preprints:
We are now developing foundation models from these large datasets and testing what this enables. Two recent preprints:
May 27, 2025 at 9:36 PM
Over the last few years we have been developing methods for markerless motion capture of biomechanics and getting them into the clinics, such as at @abilitylab.bsky.social.
We are now developing foundation models from these large datasets and testing what this enables. Two recent preprints:
We are now developing foundation models from these large datasets and testing what this enables. Two recent preprints:
Reposted by Ciro Randazzo
Info theory offers powerful measures for capturing complexity & interaction among elements of a complex system, like the brain! 🧠 Here's our new unified reference for key info-theoretic time series measures ft. 📊 visuals, ➗equations, & 💬descriptions:
arxiv.org/abs/2505.13080
arxiv.org/abs/2505.13080
May 20, 2025 at 3:26 AM
Info theory offers powerful measures for capturing complexity & interaction among elements of a complex system, like the brain! 🧠 Here's our new unified reference for key info-theoretic time series measures ft. 📊 visuals, ➗equations, & 💬descriptions:
arxiv.org/abs/2505.13080
arxiv.org/abs/2505.13080
Reposted by Ciro Randazzo
Finally got around to incorporating all Github feedback on my open access textbook, making around 20 minor improvements, and updating some references. 17 chapters of state of the art stats and methods education, freely available for any course you teach. lakens.github.io/statistical_...
May 17, 2025 at 3:58 PM
Finally got around to incorporating all Github feedback on my open access textbook, making around 20 minor improvements, and updating some references. 17 chapters of state of the art stats and methods education, freely available for any course you teach. lakens.github.io/statistical_...
Reposted by Ciro Randazzo
Because we must build good things while we scream about the bad, I have started a "Data for Good" team @data-for-good-team.bsky.social that partners with organizations needing short-term data science help. We have three projects ongoing & will add more as our capacity grows.
data-for-good-team.org
data-for-good-team.org
May 10, 2025 at 3:33 PM
Because we must build good things while we scream about the bad, I have started a "Data for Good" team @data-for-good-team.bsky.social that partners with organizations needing short-term data science help. We have three projects ongoing & will add more as our capacity grows.
data-for-good-team.org
data-for-good-team.org
Reposted by Ciro Randazzo
Hot takes/kind reminders
a) “the bitter lesson”’s promise of scale did not deliver wrt AI reasoning & higher cog functions—O3 hallucinates 2x more than O1
b) prediction is not understanding, hallucinating is worse
c) gen AI could help neuroAI but following latest AI trends is not a paradigm shift
a) “the bitter lesson”’s promise of scale did not deliver wrt AI reasoning & higher cog functions—O3 hallucinates 2x more than O1
b) prediction is not understanding, hallucinating is worse
c) gen AI could help neuroAI but following latest AI trends is not a paradigm shift
How can we make progress in developing a general model of neural computation rather than a series of disjointed models tied to specific experimental circumstances, ask Eva Dyer and @tyrellturing.bsky.social in the latest entry in our NeuroAI series.
www.thetransmitter.org/neuroai/acce...
www.thetransmitter.org/neuroai/acce...
Accepting “bitter lesson” and embracing brain’s complexity
To gain insight into complex neural data, we must move toward a data-driven regime, employing large models trained on vast amounts of data. Experts weigh in.
www.thetransmitter.org
May 8, 2025 at 6:42 PM
Hot takes/kind reminders
a) “the bitter lesson”’s promise of scale did not deliver wrt AI reasoning & higher cog functions—O3 hallucinates 2x more than O1
b) prediction is not understanding, hallucinating is worse
c) gen AI could help neuroAI but following latest AI trends is not a paradigm shift
a) “the bitter lesson”’s promise of scale did not deliver wrt AI reasoning & higher cog functions—O3 hallucinates 2x more than O1
b) prediction is not understanding, hallucinating is worse
c) gen AI could help neuroAI but following latest AI trends is not a paradigm shift