Denise J. Cai, Ph.D.
@denisejcai.bsky.social
Prof. of Neuroscience @SinaiBrain · Investigating memory stability & flexibility · Advocate for open science · Mom of two littles · Amateur chef · she/her · denisecailab.com
Reunion with past and present Cai lab & Shuman lab members (and collaborators). Spending time with you guys is easily the best part of my job.
@tristanshuman.bsky.social
@sinaibrain.bsky.social
@sfn.org
@tristanshuman.bsky.social
@sinaibrain.bsky.social
@sfn.org
November 17, 2025 at 7:31 AM
Reunion with past and present Cai lab & Shuman lab members (and collaborators). Spending time with you guys is easily the best part of my job.
@tristanshuman.bsky.social
@sinaibrain.bsky.social
@sfn.org
@tristanshuman.bsky.social
@sinaibrain.bsky.social
@sfn.org
Congrats @sjo09.bsky.social! Your trailblazing engram discoveries are unforgettable. So happy that the Peter Seeburg Integrative Neuroscience Prize is honoring YOUR Era's tour @sfn.org.
November 17, 2025 at 7:17 AM
Congrats @sjo09.bsky.social! Your trailblazing engram discoveries are unforgettable. So happy that the Peter Seeburg Integrative Neuroscience Prize is honoring YOUR Era's tour @sfn.org.
Are you at #SfN25 and want VIP access to the Cai-Tye Collective event on Nov 17?
Come by my lab members' posters for a bracelet!
Hailey Rosenblum: Nov 15, 1-5pm PSTR040.05/BB6
Zoé Christenson Wick: Nov 17, 8am-12pm PSTR192.01/RR13
Zach Pennington: Nov 17, 1-5pm PSTR234.05/CC7
Come by my lab members' posters for a bracelet!
Hailey Rosenblum: Nov 15, 1-5pm PSTR040.05/BB6
Zoé Christenson Wick: Nov 17, 8am-12pm PSTR192.01/RR13
Zach Pennington: Nov 17, 1-5pm PSTR234.05/CC7
November 14, 2025 at 8:15 PM
Are you at #SfN25 and want VIP access to the Cai-Tye Collective event on Nov 17?
Come by my lab members' posters for a bracelet!
Hailey Rosenblum: Nov 15, 1-5pm PSTR040.05/BB6
Zoé Christenson Wick: Nov 17, 8am-12pm PSTR192.01/RR13
Zach Pennington: Nov 17, 1-5pm PSTR234.05/CC7
Come by my lab members' posters for a bracelet!
Hailey Rosenblum: Nov 15, 1-5pm PSTR040.05/BB6
Zoé Christenson Wick: Nov 17, 8am-12pm PSTR192.01/RR13
Zach Pennington: Nov 17, 1-5pm PSTR234.05/CC7
🎉 Join us on Monday for the best party of the year!
The Cai-Tye Collective is throwing a bash at #SfN25 and everyone is invited!
🎉 November 17, 9pm at Parq Nightclub in San Diego. See you all there!
The Cai-Tye Collective is throwing a bash at #SfN25 and everyone is invited!
🎉 November 17, 9pm at Parq Nightclub in San Diego. See you all there!
November 14, 2025 at 4:39 PM
🎉 Join us on Monday for the best party of the year!
The Cai-Tye Collective is throwing a bash at #SfN25 and everyone is invited!
🎉 November 17, 9pm at Parq Nightclub in San Diego. See you all there!
The Cai-Tye Collective is throwing a bash at #SfN25 and everyone is invited!
🎉 November 17, 9pm at Parq Nightclub in San Diego. See you all there!
🧠 The Cai Lab will be at #SfN25!
Be sure to stop by the poster sessions to check out Hailey's work on decision-making, @zachtpennington.bsky.social's work on stress, @zoechristensonwick.bsky.social's work on seizures, Alexa's work on cocaine seeking, and Sandra's work on context representations 🤓
Be sure to stop by the poster sessions to check out Hailey's work on decision-making, @zachtpennington.bsky.social's work on stress, @zoechristensonwick.bsky.social's work on seizures, Alexa's work on cocaine seeking, and Sandra's work on context representations 🤓
November 13, 2025 at 7:17 PM
🧠 The Cai Lab will be at #SfN25!
Be sure to stop by the poster sessions to check out Hailey's work on decision-making, @zachtpennington.bsky.social's work on stress, @zoechristensonwick.bsky.social's work on seizures, Alexa's work on cocaine seeking, and Sandra's work on context representations 🤓
Be sure to stop by the poster sessions to check out Hailey's work on decision-making, @zachtpennington.bsky.social's work on stress, @zoechristensonwick.bsky.social's work on seizures, Alexa's work on cocaine seeking, and Sandra's work on context representations 🤓
We're brewing up some Halloween fun in the Cai & Shuman Labs! ⚗️🎃
Just look at all the creativity everyone poured into their costumes! We have the coolest crew 👩🔬🧪
Just look at all the creativity everyone poured into their costumes! We have the coolest crew 👩🔬🧪
October 31, 2025 at 5:34 PM
We're brewing up some Halloween fun in the Cai & Shuman Labs! ⚗️🎃
Just look at all the creativity everyone poured into their costumes! We have the coolest crew 👩🔬🧪
Just look at all the creativity everyone poured into their costumes! We have the coolest crew 👩🔬🧪
October 20, 2025 at 2:46 PM
I can’t stop replaying the #memories from our first-ever New York Memory Hub conference! So grateful to everyone who made it a success and inspired us with their research 🧠
October 17, 2025 at 2:52 PM
I can’t stop replaying the #memories from our first-ever New York Memory Hub conference! So grateful to everyone who made it a success and inspired us with their research 🧠
It has been an immense honor to learn & grow with two of the greatest scientists I know: @zachtpennington.bsky.social & @joezaki.bsky.social 🧑🔬
Listen in on our conversation about mentorship, building trust and creating a safe space to disagree: neuronline.sfn.org/professional...
Listen in on our conversation about mentorship, building trust and creating a safe space to disagree: neuronline.sfn.org/professional...
October 3, 2025 at 8:34 PM
It has been an immense honor to learn & grow with two of the greatest scientists I know: @zachtpennington.bsky.social & @joezaki.bsky.social 🧑🔬
Listen in on our conversation about mentorship, building trust and creating a safe space to disagree: neuronline.sfn.org/professional...
Listen in on our conversation about mentorship, building trust and creating a safe space to disagree: neuronline.sfn.org/professional...
That's a wrap! So many incredible talks at our Memory Hub Conference today! 🧠
September 26, 2025 at 9:15 PM
That's a wrap! So many incredible talks at our Memory Hub Conference today! 🧠
This morning's Memory Hub talks were fantastic! And the trainee data blitzes were 🔥
September 26, 2025 at 4:58 PM
This morning's Memory Hub talks were fantastic! And the trainee data blitzes were 🔥
We kicked off the first annual New York Memory Hub conference this morning 🧠
Talks are in full swing!
Talks are in full swing!
September 26, 2025 at 2:03 PM
We kicked off the first annual New York Memory Hub conference this morning 🧠
Talks are in full swing!
Talks are in full swing!
Looking forward to tomorrow's "Perspectives Across Biology" panel at the @chanzuckerberg.bsky.social Imaging the Future meeting! If you're at CZI this week, come check it out and join the conversation 🧑🔬
September 17, 2025 at 7:59 PM
Looking forward to tomorrow's "Perspectives Across Biology" panel at the @chanzuckerberg.bsky.social Imaging the Future meeting! If you're at CZI this week, come check it out and join the conversation 🧑🔬
Had such a great time in Napa Valley at the @onemindorg.bsky.social Summit on the Future of Mental Health Research 🧠
As a past One Mind Rising Star Awardee, it was so inspiring to connect with other awardees and see the incredible research being done by this year’s winners ⭐️
As a past One Mind Rising Star Awardee, it was so inspiring to connect with other awardees and see the incredible research being done by this year’s winners ⭐️
September 16, 2025 at 2:36 PM
Had such a great time in Napa Valley at the @onemindorg.bsky.social Summit on the Future of Mental Health Research 🧠
As a past One Mind Rising Star Awardee, it was so inspiring to connect with other awardees and see the incredible research being done by this year’s winners ⭐️
As a past One Mind Rising Star Awardee, it was so inspiring to connect with other awardees and see the incredible research being done by this year’s winners ⭐️
🎨 Not only are we excellent scientists, but it looks like we're also quite talented artists, too!
Had a blast hanging out and painting with the Cai and Shuman Labs 🖌️
Had a blast hanging out and painting with the Cai and Shuman Labs 🖌️
August 20, 2025 at 7:19 PM
🎨 Not only are we excellent scientists, but it looks like we're also quite talented artists, too!
Had a blast hanging out and painting with the Cai and Shuman Labs 🖌️
Had a blast hanging out and painting with the Cai and Shuman Labs 🖌️
Resources for Miniscope2C: github.com/denisecailab...
Sign up if you’re interested in attending a future workshop to learn how to build and use your own Miniscope2C: forms.gle/F41LQfrg3kvM...
(10/10)
Sign up if you’re interested in attending a future workshop to learn how to build and use your own Miniscope2C: forms.gle/F41LQfrg3kvM...
(10/10)
July 14, 2025 at 4:55 PM
Resources for Miniscope2C: github.com/denisecailab...
Sign up if you’re interested in attending a future workshop to learn how to build and use your own Miniscope2C: forms.gle/F41LQfrg3kvM...
(10/10)
Sign up if you’re interested in attending a future workshop to learn how to build and use your own Miniscope2C: forms.gle/F41LQfrg3kvM...
(10/10)
We found that when tracking the same neurons across days with dTomato, hippocampal spatial coding shifts over time in freely behaving animals performing a spatial navigation task, which is consistent with previous findings.
(6/10)
(6/10)
July 14, 2025 at 4:55 PM
We found that when tracking the same neurons across days with dTomato, hippocampal spatial coding shifts over time in freely behaving animals performing a spatial navigation task, which is consistent with previous findings.
(6/10)
(6/10)
To test for crosstalk, we compared activity in overlapping GCaMP and dTomato signals. Calcium events in the GCaMP channel showed no corresponding change in dTomato, confirming minimal crosstalk between channels 🎯
(5/10)
(5/10)
July 14, 2025 at 4:55 PM
To test for crosstalk, we compared activity in overlapping GCaMP and dTomato signals. Calcium events in the GCaMP channel showed no corresponding change in dTomato, confirming minimal crosstalk between channels 🎯
(5/10)
(5/10)
To validate our dual-channel Miniscope, we recorded from the hippocampal CA1 in mice running on a linear track, where neurons co-expressed a dynamic calcium signal (GCaMP) and a static nuclear marker (dTomato).
(4/10)
(4/10)
July 14, 2025 at 4:55 PM
To validate our dual-channel Miniscope, we recorded from the hippocampal CA1 in mice running on a linear track, where neurons co-expressed a dynamic calcium signal (GCaMP) and a static nuclear marker (dTomato).
(4/10)
(4/10)
We used a dichroic mirror to split each emission wavelength and used two CMOS sensors to acquire the images from both channels simultaneously. One LED excites both fluorophores, and swappable filters/dichroics make it versatile for different fluorophore combos.
(3/10)
(3/10)
July 14, 2025 at 4:55 PM
We used a dichroic mirror to split each emission wavelength and used two CMOS sensors to acquire the images from both channels simultaneously. One LED excites both fluorophores, and swappable filters/dichroics make it versatile for different fluorophore combos.
(3/10)
(3/10)
Undoubtedly, there’s been a growing need to image multiple fluorescent signals at once—and we’ve made that possible. Miniscope2C lets researchers track the same neurons over time using a static marker alongside activity signals (across weeks and even months!).
(2/10)
(2/10)
July 14, 2025 at 4:55 PM
Undoubtedly, there’s been a growing need to image multiple fluorescent signals at once—and we’ve made that possible. Miniscope2C lets researchers track the same neurons over time using a static marker alongside activity signals (across weeks and even months!).
(2/10)
(2/10)
What’s better than a one-channel #Miniscope? 🥁 A TWO-CHANNEL Miniscope!
Our new Miniscope2C is a dual-channel, open-source Miniscope that lets you record 2 fluorescent signals simultaneously in freely moving animals.
Read the paper here: www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
(1/10)
Our new Miniscope2C is a dual-channel, open-source Miniscope that lets you record 2 fluorescent signals simultaneously in freely moving animals.
Read the paper here: www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
(1/10)
July 14, 2025 at 4:55 PM
What’s better than a one-channel #Miniscope? 🥁 A TWO-CHANNEL Miniscope!
Our new Miniscope2C is a dual-channel, open-source Miniscope that lets you record 2 fluorescent signals simultaneously in freely moving animals.
Read the paper here: www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
(1/10)
Our new Miniscope2C is a dual-channel, open-source Miniscope that lets you record 2 fluorescent signals simultaneously in freely moving animals.
Read the paper here: www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
(1/10)
I'm delighted to be in Verona for this year's Spring Hippocampal Research Conference. So many inspiring talks and exciting #Neuroscience research being done! I have some pretty cool colleagues 🧠 #Neuroskyence
@tjryan.bsky.social, @okaysteve.bsky.social, @gisellavetere.bsky.social
@tjryan.bsky.social, @okaysteve.bsky.social, @gisellavetere.bsky.social
May 22, 2025 at 2:33 PM
I'm delighted to be in Verona for this year's Spring Hippocampal Research Conference. So many inspiring talks and exciting #Neuroscience research being done! I have some pretty cool colleagues 🧠 #Neuroskyence
@tjryan.bsky.social, @okaysteve.bsky.social, @gisellavetere.bsky.social
@tjryan.bsky.social, @okaysteve.bsky.social, @gisellavetere.bsky.social
Hello, Dublin! Thrilled to be a part of #EngramsandEnsembles2025 to talk all things #Learning and #Memory at @tcddublin.bsky.social! 🧠 #Neuroskyence
So much fun catching up with friends and colleagues!
So much fun catching up with friends and colleagues!
May 16, 2025 at 3:47 PM
Hello, Dublin! Thrilled to be a part of #EngramsandEnsembles2025 to talk all things #Learning and #Memory at @tcddublin.bsky.social! 🧠 #Neuroskyence
So much fun catching up with friends and colleagues!
So much fun catching up with friends and colleagues!
The Cai Lab is at @mpfneuro.bsky.social's Emerging Neurotechnology course this week, running a #Miniscope workshop. The course kicked off Monday with an AMAZING keynote by Nobel Laureate @stefanhelllabs.bsky.social.
Looking forward to the rest of the week’s activities! 🤓 #Neuroskyence
Looking forward to the rest of the week’s activities! 🤓 #Neuroskyence
April 16, 2025 at 8:47 PM
The Cai Lab is at @mpfneuro.bsky.social's Emerging Neurotechnology course this week, running a #Miniscope workshop. The course kicked off Monday with an AMAZING keynote by Nobel Laureate @stefanhelllabs.bsky.social.
Looking forward to the rest of the week’s activities! 🤓 #Neuroskyence
Looking forward to the rest of the week’s activities! 🤓 #Neuroskyence