Maximilian E. Kirschhock
@crowbrain.bsky.social
Postdoc @ Weizmann Institute on bats' navigation | PhD @ Uni Tübingen, Germany on numerical cognition in crows | birds/bats, brains & behavior
Pinned
A neuronal correlate for time interval estimation in the crow’s telencephalon - Nature Communications
It is unknown how birds estimate time using brains organized differently from mammals. Here, the authors show that neurons in the crow NCL encode duration categories, supporting abstract, cue-independ...
www.nature.com
I'm usually not very active here, but good news:
Together with @milliejohnston.bsky.social, our paper on time estimation in #crows got published in @natcomms.nature.com today!
We found crow neurons track time like a stopwatch — without a cortex! 🐦⏱️🧠
#SciComm #Science 🧪
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Together with @milliejohnston.bsky.social, our paper on time estimation in #crows got published in @natcomms.nature.com today!
We found crow neurons track time like a stopwatch — without a cortex! 🐦⏱️🧠
#SciComm #Science 🧪
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Reposted by Maximilian E. Kirschhock
1/n We have discovered that bees can keep track of time duration!
Bees can discriminate long 🟡🟡 vs short🟡 flashes, a bit like the "dash" and "dot" of the Morse code.
Check our new paper royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/... and videoclip youtu.be/hsGxU65OMQk?... @preparedmindslab.bsky.social
Bees can discriminate long 🟡🟡 vs short🟡 flashes, a bit like the "dash" and "dot" of the Morse code.
Check our new paper royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/... and videoclip youtu.be/hsGxU65OMQk?... @preparedmindslab.bsky.social
November 12, 2025 at 8:58 AM
1/n We have discovered that bees can keep track of time duration!
Bees can discriminate long 🟡🟡 vs short🟡 flashes, a bit like the "dash" and "dot" of the Morse code.
Check our new paper royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/... and videoclip youtu.be/hsGxU65OMQk?... @preparedmindslab.bsky.social
Bees can discriminate long 🟡🟡 vs short🟡 flashes, a bit like the "dash" and "dot" of the Morse code.
Check our new paper royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/... and videoclip youtu.be/hsGxU65OMQk?... @preparedmindslab.bsky.social
Reposted by Maximilian E. Kirschhock
Rats when they heard bats called "rats with wings"
October 27, 2025 at 11:21 PM
Rats when they heard bats called "rats with wings"
Never thought THAT would be part of my job description 😄
Doing our yearly localization-system inspection at the bat tunnel, 10 m above ground. This time joined by @crowbrain.bsky.social who got his crane license recently
October 21, 2025 at 6:22 PM
Never thought THAT would be part of my job description 😄
Reposted by Maximilian E. Kirschhock
Neuroscience projects last several years, and you are usually a bit jaded by the time you wrap it up. Not this one– spending several months on an island in the middle of nowhere, away from all the craziness of the world reminds you how beautiful the world really is.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=46sv...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=46sv...
Bat Island: The New Era of Science
YouTube video by Weizmann Institute of Science
www.youtube.com
October 17, 2025 at 7:07 AM
Neuroscience projects last several years, and you are usually a bit jaded by the time you wrap it up. Not this one– spending several months on an island in the middle of nowhere, away from all the craziness of the world reminds you how beautiful the world really is.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=46sv...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=46sv...
Reposted by Maximilian E. Kirschhock
The work with bats on barren, 7-acre Latham Island was Nachum Ulanovsky’s most complex undertaking yet.
By @claudia-lopez.bsky.social
#neuroskyence
www.thetransmitter.org/neuroetholog...
By @claudia-lopez.bsky.social
#neuroskyence
www.thetransmitter.org/neuroetholog...
October 16, 2025 at 6:15 PM
The work with bats on barren, 7-acre Latham Island was Nachum Ulanovsky’s most complex undertaking yet.
By @claudia-lopez.bsky.social
#neuroskyence
www.thetransmitter.org/neuroetholog...
By @claudia-lopez.bsky.social
#neuroskyence
www.thetransmitter.org/neuroetholog...
I’m just as excited that @shakedpa.bsky.social’s paper is finally out! Recording from bats flying freely outdoors felt like science fiction at first — now it’s real. Projects like this are why I joined Nachum Ulanovsky’s lab.
So cool! So proud! This is a new era of science 🧪
Check out Shaked's 🧵👇
So cool! So proud! This is a new era of science 🧪
Check out Shaked's 🧵👇
I am excited to share my PhD work on head-direction cells recorded in the wild, now published in @science.org, where we recorded neurons in bats flying outdoors on an island.
doi.org/10.1126/sci...
With @ray-neuro.bsky.social, Shir Maimon, Liora Las, Nachum Ulanovsky and many others
doi.org/10.1126/sci...
With @ray-neuro.bsky.social, Shir Maimon, Liora Las, Nachum Ulanovsky and many others
October 16, 2025 at 7:21 PM
I’m just as excited that @shakedpa.bsky.social’s paper is finally out! Recording from bats flying freely outdoors felt like science fiction at first — now it’s real. Projects like this are why I joined Nachum Ulanovsky’s lab.
So cool! So proud! This is a new era of science 🧪
Check out Shaked's 🧵👇
So cool! So proud! This is a new era of science 🧪
Check out Shaked's 🧵👇
Reposted by Maximilian E. Kirschhock
Our paper on #number discrimination in #Danionella is out #zebrafish #numbersense #number_sense #number
@mirkuz12
#scott_fraser
cell.com/iscience/ful...
@mirkuz12
#scott_fraser
cell.com/iscience/ful...
Numerical discrimination in Danionella
The transparent teleost Danionella cerebrum offers unique advantages for neuroscience
research, including small size, lifelong cranial transparency, and a simplified brain.
Despite its suitability for...
cell.com
October 6, 2025 at 3:38 PM
Our paper on #number discrimination in #Danionella is out #zebrafish #numbersense #number_sense #number
@mirkuz12
#scott_fraser
cell.com/iscience/ful...
@mirkuz12
#scott_fraser
cell.com/iscience/ful...
Reposted by Maximilian E. Kirschhock
New paper on precise tool use learning in carrion crows @currentbiology.bsky.social. We show that—like New Caledonian crows—expert carrion crows pay close attention to the working end of their tool, suggesting tool integration into their peripersonal space. 🧵 & vids! 👇
www.cell.com/current-biol...
www.cell.com/current-biol...
September 11, 2025 at 10:15 AM
New paper on precise tool use learning in carrion crows @currentbiology.bsky.social. We show that—like New Caledonian crows—expert carrion crows pay close attention to the working end of their tool, suggesting tool integration into their peripersonal space. 🧵 & vids! 👇
www.cell.com/current-biol...
www.cell.com/current-biol...
Congratulations @mollfw.bsky.social on this cool paper!
Really interesting study showing learning of tool use in carrion crows! www.cell.com/current-biol...
September 11, 2025 at 7:18 AM
Congratulations @mollfw.bsky.social on this cool paper!
Reposted by Maximilian E. Kirschhock
I'm delighted to share that, together with @crowbrain.bsky.social our paper on time estimation in crows is now published in @natcomms.nature.com
We found that crows not only keep track of time, but individual neurons prefer different time durations 🐦⏱️🧠
Check it out:
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
We found that crows not only keep track of time, but individual neurons prefer different time durations 🐦⏱️🧠
Check it out:
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
A neuronal correlate for time interval estimation in the crow’s telencephalon - Nature Communications
It is unknown how birds estimate time using brains organized differently from mammals. Here, the authors show that neurons in the crow NCL encode duration categories, supporting abstract, cue-independ...
www.nature.com
September 11, 2025 at 5:25 AM
I'm delighted to share that, together with @crowbrain.bsky.social our paper on time estimation in crows is now published in @natcomms.nature.com
We found that crows not only keep track of time, but individual neurons prefer different time durations 🐦⏱️🧠
Check it out:
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
We found that crows not only keep track of time, but individual neurons prefer different time durations 🐦⏱️🧠
Check it out:
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
I'm usually not very active here, but good news:
Together with @milliejohnston.bsky.social, our paper on time estimation in #crows got published in @natcomms.nature.com today!
We found crow neurons track time like a stopwatch — without a cortex! 🐦⏱️🧠
#SciComm #Science 🧪
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Together with @milliejohnston.bsky.social, our paper on time estimation in #crows got published in @natcomms.nature.com today!
We found crow neurons track time like a stopwatch — without a cortex! 🐦⏱️🧠
#SciComm #Science 🧪
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
A neuronal correlate for time interval estimation in the crow’s telencephalon - Nature Communications
It is unknown how birds estimate time using brains organized differently from mammals. Here, the authors show that neurons in the crow NCL encode duration categories, supporting abstract, cue-independ...
www.nature.com
September 10, 2025 at 12:10 PM
I'm usually not very active here, but good news:
Together with @milliejohnston.bsky.social, our paper on time estimation in #crows got published in @natcomms.nature.com today!
We found crow neurons track time like a stopwatch — without a cortex! 🐦⏱️🧠
#SciComm #Science 🧪
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Together with @milliejohnston.bsky.social, our paper on time estimation in #crows got published in @natcomms.nature.com today!
We found crow neurons track time like a stopwatch — without a cortex! 🐦⏱️🧠
#SciComm #Science 🧪
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Reposted by Maximilian E. Kirschhock
Without urgent action, a species that helps hold rainforests together might be gone for good.
👉 Read the full story: theconversation.com/yes-spe...
👉 Read the full story: theconversation.com/yes-spe...
September 9, 2025 at 2:26 AM
Without urgent action, a species that helps hold rainforests together might be gone for good.
👉 Read the full story: theconversation.com/yes-spe...
👉 Read the full story: theconversation.com/yes-spe...
Reposted by Maximilian E. Kirschhock
We know how visual objects influence spatial tuning in the hippocampus. A new study from @batwoman123.bsky.social shows that auditory objects can be egocentrically or allocentrically encoded in the hippocampus of echolocating bats 🦇.
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
@currentbiology.bsky.social
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
@currentbiology.bsky.social
Auditory object representation in the bat hippocampus
Cognitive maps enable the flexible selection of navigation paths. Acoustic cognitive maps, constructed from the spatial layout of sonar auditory objec…
www.sciencedirect.com
August 14, 2025 at 2:34 PM
We know how visual objects influence spatial tuning in the hippocampus. A new study from @batwoman123.bsky.social shows that auditory objects can be egocentrically or allocentrically encoded in the hippocampus of echolocating bats 🦇.
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
@currentbiology.bsky.social
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
@currentbiology.bsky.social
Reposted by Maximilian E. Kirschhock
The new issue is out👉https://www.cell.com/cell/current
On the cover, Eliav et al. reveal that hippocampal replays in bats flying in very large, naturalistic environments were highly fragmented and short, depicting trajectories covering only a small portion of the environment size.
On the cover, Eliav et al. reveal that hippocampal replays in bats flying in very large, naturalistic environments were highly fragmented and short, depicting trajectories covering only a small portion of the environment size.
July 24, 2025 at 4:17 PM
The new issue is out👉https://www.cell.com/cell/current
On the cover, Eliav et al. reveal that hippocampal replays in bats flying in very large, naturalistic environments were highly fragmented and short, depicting trajectories covering only a small portion of the environment size.
On the cover, Eliav et al. reveal that hippocampal replays in bats flying in very large, naturalistic environments were highly fragmented and short, depicting trajectories covering only a small portion of the environment size.
Reposted by Maximilian E. Kirschhock
🚨New in @cellpress.bsky.social
We discovered that hippocampal replays in natural-scale environments are highly fragmented, not full-length.
doi.org/10.1016/j.ce...
👇🧵
We discovered that hippocampal replays in natural-scale environments are highly fragmented, not full-length.
doi.org/10.1016/j.ce...
👇🧵
June 14, 2025 at 1:40 PM
🚨New in @cellpress.bsky.social
We discovered that hippocampal replays in natural-scale environments are highly fragmented, not full-length.
doi.org/10.1016/j.ce...
👇🧵
We discovered that hippocampal replays in natural-scale environments are highly fragmented, not full-length.
doi.org/10.1016/j.ce...
👇🧵
I second everything @shakedpa.bsky.social said (though I'm also biased of course 😃)
@mitpress.bsky.social
#neuroscience #naturalneuroscience #science 🧪
@mitpress.bsky.social
#neuroscience #naturalneuroscience #science 🧪
Since Nachum Ulanovsky is not on social media, I'm on PR duty today ;)
Nachum wrote a book titled "Natural Neuroscience"!
I am biased of course, but I think it's very relevant to whoever cares about the brain and about how we study it, from undergrads to professors.
mitpress.mit.edu/978026204499...
Nachum wrote a book titled "Natural Neuroscience"!
I am biased of course, but I think it's very relevant to whoever cares about the brain and about how we study it, from undergrads to professors.
mitpress.mit.edu/978026204499...
Natural Neuroscience
Natural neuroscience departs from the classical reductionist approach, which emphasizes control at the expense of natural behaviors, by proposing a shift tow...
mitpress.mit.edu
April 15, 2025 at 9:49 AM
I second everything @shakedpa.bsky.social said (though I'm also biased of course 😃)
@mitpress.bsky.social
#neuroscience #naturalneuroscience #science 🧪
@mitpress.bsky.social
#neuroscience #naturalneuroscience #science 🧪
Reposted by Maximilian E. Kirschhock
Nature Communications
Allocentric and egocentric spatial representations coexist in rodent medial entorhinal cortex
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Allocentric and egocentric spatial representations coexist in rodent medial entorhinal cortex
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Allocentric and egocentric spatial representations coexist in rodent medial entorhinal cortex - Nature Communications
Successful navigation relies on reciprocal transformation between different reference frames. Here the authors report egocentric representations of the angle and distance to the boundaries and center ...
www.nature.com
January 27, 2025 at 11:14 AM
Nature Communications
Allocentric and egocentric spatial representations coexist in rodent medial entorhinal cortex
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Allocentric and egocentric spatial representations coexist in rodent medial entorhinal cortex
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Reposted by Maximilian E. Kirschhock
Happy head direction cell day y’all!
On this day, 41 years ago, Jim Ranck recorded the first “HD cell” in his Brooklyn lab in 1984.
Jim shared the news with the world at SFN that year, showing a video of the cell’s firing on a TV he somehow acquired and brought to his poster… (1/3)
On this day, 41 years ago, Jim Ranck recorded the first “HD cell” in his Brooklyn lab in 1984.
Jim shared the news with the world at SFN that year, showing a video of the cell’s firing on a TV he somehow acquired and brought to his poster… (1/3)
January 15, 2025 at 1:19 PM
Happy head direction cell day y’all!
On this day, 41 years ago, Jim Ranck recorded the first “HD cell” in his Brooklyn lab in 1984.
Jim shared the news with the world at SFN that year, showing a video of the cell’s firing on a TV he somehow acquired and brought to his poster… (1/3)
On this day, 41 years ago, Jim Ranck recorded the first “HD cell” in his Brooklyn lab in 1984.
Jim shared the news with the world at SFN that year, showing a video of the cell’s firing on a TV he somehow acquired and brought to his poster… (1/3)
Reposted by Maximilian E. Kirschhock
We value things differently depending on the situation. A fascinating paper shows that the hippocampus feeds contextual information to the prefrontal cortex by altering theta wave phase alignment, enabling the PFC to adjust value judgments accordingly.
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
#neuroscience
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
#neuroscience
Context-dependent decision-making in the primate hippocampal–prefrontal circuit - Nature Neuroscience
The brain uses different valuation schemes across contexts. Elston and Wallis show this is supported by hippocampal encoding of context that is broadcast to prefrontal value subcircuits via theta sync...
www.nature.com
January 9, 2025 at 6:02 PM
We value things differently depending on the situation. A fascinating paper shows that the hippocampus feeds contextual information to the prefrontal cortex by altering theta wave phase alignment, enabling the PFC to adjust value judgments accordingly.
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
#neuroscience
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
#neuroscience
Reposted by Maximilian E. Kirschhock
New paper today!
We show that homing pigeons do not have an enlarged hippocampus when compared with other pigeons. They do, however, have higher hippocampal neuronal density and this could be important for navigation.
#neuroskyence #ornithology #anatomy
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
We show that homing pigeons do not have an enlarged hippocampus when compared with other pigeons. They do, however, have higher hippocampal neuronal density and this could be important for navigation.
#neuroskyence #ornithology #anatomy
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
The quantitative anatomy of the hippocampal formation in homing pigeons and other pigeon breeds: implications for spatial cognition - Brain Structure and Function
Artificial selection for specific behavioural and physical traits in domesticated animals has resulted in a wide variety of breeds. One of the most widely recognized examples of behavioural selection ...
link.springer.com
December 17, 2024 at 4:17 PM
New paper today!
We show that homing pigeons do not have an enlarged hippocampus when compared with other pigeons. They do, however, have higher hippocampal neuronal density and this could be important for navigation.
#neuroskyence #ornithology #anatomy
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
We show that homing pigeons do not have an enlarged hippocampus when compared with other pigeons. They do, however, have higher hippocampal neuronal density and this could be important for navigation.
#neuroskyence #ornithology #anatomy
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
Sharing as my personal bookmark - feel free to let me know your thoughts if you('ve) read it 😁
Nature Reviews Neuroscience
Multi-timescale neural dynamics for multisensory integration
#Neuroscience
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Multi-timescale neural dynamics for multisensory integration
#Neuroscience
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Multi-timescale neural dynamics for multisensory integration - Nature Reviews Neuroscience
How the brain routinely processes information from different sensory modalities during everyday tasks is not well understood. In this Perspective, Engel and Senkowski propose how oscillatory neural me...
www.nature.com
December 13, 2024 at 10:49 AM
Sharing as my personal bookmark - feel free to let me know your thoughts if you('ve) read it 😁
I trained #crows to (kind of) "count" up to 5. Different neurons take over every step of the counting process, from recognising the #number to producing it. 🧪🧠🐦⬛
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
December 5, 2024 at 6:02 AM
I trained #crows to (kind of) "count" up to 5. Different neurons take over every step of the counting process, from recognising the #number to producing it. 🧪🧠🐦⬛
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
#NeuralRecordings in butterflies?! Very excited to give this a read (& and a share) 🤩
With neural/tetrode recordings from behaving monarch butterflies, we revealed how goal and compass information are processed in the insect brain.
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
December 4, 2024 at 7:13 PM
#NeuralRecordings in butterflies?! Very excited to give this a read (& and a share) 🤩
Reposted by Maximilian E. Kirschhock
Our work on neural recordings in flying bats on an island.
@shakedpa.bsky.social is a great speaker and it's fun work!
🦇🧠🧪
@shakedpa.bsky.social is a great speaker and it's fun work!
🦇🧠🧪
December 4, 2024 at 9:33 AM
Our work on neural recordings in flying bats on an island.
@shakedpa.bsky.social is a great speaker and it's fun work!
🦇🧠🧪
@shakedpa.bsky.social is a great speaker and it's fun work!
🦇🧠🧪
Reposted by Maximilian E. Kirschhock
Zebrafish can sense numbers! 🔢🐟
In my first preLight post, I have highlighted the work from Peter Luu & colleagues revealing early emergence of number-selective neurons in larval zebrafish. #preprint #companyofbiologist #zebrafishologist
Take a look! ⬇️ 👀
prelights.biologists.com/highlights/n...
In my first preLight post, I have highlighted the work from Peter Luu & colleagues revealing early emergence of number-selective neurons in larval zebrafish. #preprint #companyofbiologist #zebrafishologist
Take a look! ⬇️ 👀
prelights.biologists.com/highlights/n...
Neural Basis of Number Sense in Larval Zebrafish - preLights
Zebrafish can sense numbers! This preprint reveals early emergence of number-selective neurons in larval zebrafish
prelights.biologists.com
November 8, 2024 at 3:23 PM
Zebrafish can sense numbers! 🔢🐟
In my first preLight post, I have highlighted the work from Peter Luu & colleagues revealing early emergence of number-selective neurons in larval zebrafish. #preprint #companyofbiologist #zebrafishologist
Take a look! ⬇️ 👀
prelights.biologists.com/highlights/n...
In my first preLight post, I have highlighted the work from Peter Luu & colleagues revealing early emergence of number-selective neurons in larval zebrafish. #preprint #companyofbiologist #zebrafishologist
Take a look! ⬇️ 👀
prelights.biologists.com/highlights/n...