Jimmy Dooley
@jimmycdooley.bsky.social
Purdue Assistant Professor seeing how infant movements teach our brains about our bodies. At home, I'm ~1.5 years into an 18+ year developmental experiment named Elaina.
Views are my own (but think what it says about society that I have to say that...)
Views are my own (but think what it says about society that I have to say that...)
I've got to say this is one of the COOLEST sounding papers I've seen in over a year! I skimmed the figures last night and can't wait for a proper read through soon
October 22, 2025 at 9:07 PM
I've got to say this is one of the COOLEST sounding papers I've seen in over a year! I skimmed the figures last night and can't wait for a proper read through soon
guess they're pulling out everything to get to 100% of spending
September 23, 2025 at 10:35 PM
guess they're pulling out everything to get to 100% of spending
We argue that instead of focusing on when in development "REM sleep" can be unambiguously called REM sleep, we should focus on how these REM sleep features map onto REM sleep functions. Understanding the relationships of features to functions is a key part of the next decade of sleep science.
June 13, 2025 at 4:50 PM
We argue that instead of focusing on when in development "REM sleep" can be unambiguously called REM sleep, we should focus on how these REM sleep features map onto REM sleep functions. Understanding the relationships of features to functions is a key part of the next decade of sleep science.
Basically, REM sleep (as it's defined in adults) has a bunch of components, or features, that all develop at their own rate. Gao et al.'s recent publication (Ontogenetic development of PGO waves during paradoxical sleep in kittens) shows us that PGO waves are the last of these features to show up
June 13, 2025 at 4:50 PM
Basically, REM sleep (as it's defined in adults) has a bunch of components, or features, that all develop at their own rate. Gao et al.'s recent publication (Ontogenetic development of PGO waves during paradoxical sleep in kittens) shows us that PGO waves are the last of these features to show up
Part of me thinks a piece of the problem is data analysis is so (relatively) easy now
I know some of this is survivor bias but I'm amazed at the depth of the theory (given the limited data) in the 60s and 70s classics
If analysis was still done by hand we'd think a lot more deeply before analyzing
I know some of this is survivor bias but I'm amazed at the depth of the theory (given the limited data) in the 60s and 70s classics
If analysis was still done by hand we'd think a lot more deeply before analyzing
June 7, 2025 at 3:38 PM
Part of me thinks a piece of the problem is data analysis is so (relatively) easy now
I know some of this is survivor bias but I'm amazed at the depth of the theory (given the limited data) in the 60s and 70s classics
If analysis was still done by hand we'd think a lot more deeply before analyzing
I know some of this is survivor bias but I'm amazed at the depth of the theory (given the limited data) in the 60s and 70s classics
If analysis was still done by hand we'd think a lot more deeply before analyzing
Just pre-ordered! So glad you did an audiobook. Otherwise with a 16 month old at home I don't stand a chance
May 31, 2025 at 1:12 AM
Just pre-ordered! So glad you did an audiobook. Otherwise with a 16 month old at home I don't stand a chance
To recap:
RN neurons are excited by some movements, inhibited by others
Their responses are kinematically precise
M1 shows no directional tuning at P24
So in P24 rats:
Motor cortex? Still learning
Red nucleus? Still doing
M1 isn’t motor yet, but it’s close.
What happens after P24? Stay tuned...
RN neurons are excited by some movements, inhibited by others
Their responses are kinematically precise
M1 shows no directional tuning at P24
So in P24 rats:
Motor cortex? Still learning
Red nucleus? Still doing
M1 isn’t motor yet, but it’s close.
What happens after P24? Stay tuned...
May 30, 2025 at 8:31 PM
To recap:
RN neurons are excited by some movements, inhibited by others
Their responses are kinematically precise
M1 shows no directional tuning at P24
So in P24 rats:
Motor cortex? Still learning
Red nucleus? Still doing
M1 isn’t motor yet, but it’s close.
What happens after P24? Stay tuned...
RN neurons are excited by some movements, inhibited by others
Their responses are kinematically precise
M1 shows no directional tuning at P24
So in P24 rats:
Motor cortex? Still learning
Red nucleus? Still doing
M1 isn’t motor yet, but it’s close.
What happens after P24? Stay tuned...
RN neurons showed way more variability in their wake responses than M1 neurons.
So we asked: Which neurons encode movement trajectory?
Answer: RN wins again.
“Tuned” M1 neurons only care about how big the movement was. But RN neurons? Nearly all the tuned ones cared about both size and direction.
So we asked: Which neurons encode movement trajectory?
Answer: RN wins again.
“Tuned” M1 neurons only care about how big the movement was. But RN neurons? Nearly all the tuned ones cared about both size and direction.
May 30, 2025 at 8:31 PM
RN neurons showed way more variability in their wake responses than M1 neurons.
So we asked: Which neurons encode movement trajectory?
Answer: RN wins again.
“Tuned” M1 neurons only care about how big the movement was. But RN neurons? Nearly all the tuned ones cared about both size and direction.
So we asked: Which neurons encode movement trajectory?
Answer: RN wins again.
“Tuned” M1 neurons only care about how big the movement was. But RN neurons? Nearly all the tuned ones cared about both size and direction.
We tracked limb trajectories and matched them to neural spikes from both M1 and RN in P24 rats. The results?
RN neurons weren’t just responsive. They were selective.
Take one RN neuron: Some wake movements (bilateral facial grooming) made it fire like crazy. Others suppressed it.
What about M1?
RN neurons weren’t just responsive. They were selective.
Take one RN neuron: Some wake movements (bilateral facial grooming) made it fire like crazy. Others suppressed it.
What about M1?
May 30, 2025 at 8:31 PM
We tracked limb trajectories and matched them to neural spikes from both M1 and RN in P24 rats. The results?
RN neurons weren’t just responsive. They were selective.
Take one RN neuron: Some wake movements (bilateral facial grooming) made it fire like crazy. Others suppressed it.
What about M1?
RN neurons weren’t just responsive. They were selective.
Take one RN neuron: Some wake movements (bilateral facial grooming) made it fire like crazy. Others suppressed it.
What about M1?