Matt Collie
@mottcallie.bsky.social
🧠 neuroscientist. 🪰 fly postdoc in the wilson lab (harvard) studying the neural mechanisms of adaptive feedback control. he/him.
Pinned
Specialized parallel pathways for adaptive control of visual object pursuit
To pursue a moving visual object, the brain must generate motor commands that continuously steer the object to the center of the visual field via feedback. The gain of this control loop is flexible, y...
doi.org
Delighted to share an updated pre-print on how adaptive control in visual pursuit is implemented at the circuit level. New behavior and neuronal data in females (!) shows how two AOTU pathways are key elements in both sexes.
Check it out on @biorxiv-neursci.bsky.social :
doi.org/10.1101/2025...
Check it out on @biorxiv-neursci.bsky.social :
doi.org/10.1101/2025...
Always fun designing the most unnecessarily extravagant posters for our department happy hours 😁
November 4, 2025 at 6:20 PM
Always fun designing the most unnecessarily extravagant posters for our department happy hours 😁
Delighted to share an updated pre-print on how adaptive control in visual pursuit is implemented at the circuit level. New behavior and neuronal data in females (!) shows how two AOTU pathways are key elements in both sexes.
Check it out on @biorxiv-neursci.bsky.social :
doi.org/10.1101/2025...
Check it out on @biorxiv-neursci.bsky.social :
doi.org/10.1101/2025...
Specialized parallel pathways for adaptive control of visual object pursuit
To pursue a moving visual object, the brain must generate motor commands that continuously steer the object to the center of the visual field via feedback. The gain of this control loop is flexible, y...
doi.org
November 3, 2025 at 4:58 PM
Delighted to share an updated pre-print on how adaptive control in visual pursuit is implemented at the circuit level. New behavior and neuronal data in females (!) shows how two AOTU pathways are key elements in both sexes.
Check it out on @biorxiv-neursci.bsky.social :
doi.org/10.1101/2025...
Check it out on @biorxiv-neursci.bsky.social :
doi.org/10.1101/2025...
Reposted by Matt Collie
Do flies feel pain?
Spooky new preprint from our lab on the cells and circuits that mediate nociceptive behaviors in adult Drosophila, led by graduate student (and newly minted PhD!) @jonesjes.bsky.social.
🪰⚡👻🎃
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Spooky new preprint from our lab on the cells and circuits that mediate nociceptive behaviors in adult Drosophila, led by graduate student (and newly minted PhD!) @jonesjes.bsky.social.
🪰⚡👻🎃
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
October 29, 2025 at 6:56 PM
Do flies feel pain?
Spooky new preprint from our lab on the cells and circuits that mediate nociceptive behaviors in adult Drosophila, led by graduate student (and newly minted PhD!) @jonesjes.bsky.social.
🪰⚡👻🎃
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Spooky new preprint from our lab on the cells and circuits that mediate nociceptive behaviors in adult Drosophila, led by graduate student (and newly minted PhD!) @jonesjes.bsky.social.
🪰⚡👻🎃
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
How it feels pushing a pre-print update (thread coming soon!)
October 23, 2025 at 6:04 PM
How it feels pushing a pre-print update (thread coming soon!)
Reposted by Matt Collie
Excited to share our new #biorxivpreprint
We discovered that the fruit fly #drosophila erecta requires food odor to mate and arousal is further enhanced by social group motion.
Cross-species analysis of brain activity reveals a novel gate evolved from within a conserved circuit
shorturl.at/gGYm7
We discovered that the fruit fly #drosophila erecta requires food odor to mate and arousal is further enhanced by social group motion.
Cross-species analysis of brain activity reveals a novel gate evolved from within a conserved circuit
shorturl.at/gGYm7
October 16, 2025 at 6:34 AM
Excited to share our new #biorxivpreprint
We discovered that the fruit fly #drosophila erecta requires food odor to mate and arousal is further enhanced by social group motion.
Cross-species analysis of brain activity reveals a novel gate evolved from within a conserved circuit
shorturl.at/gGYm7
We discovered that the fruit fly #drosophila erecta requires food odor to mate and arousal is further enhanced by social group motion.
Cross-species analysis of brain activity reveals a novel gate evolved from within a conserved circuit
shorturl.at/gGYm7
Reposted by Matt Collie
Excited to share our new #biorxivpreprint:
“Sexual dimorphism in the complete connectome of the Drosophila male central nervous system” www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
We describe the #connectomics reconstruction and analysis of an entire adult #maleCNS #drosophila central nervous system. 1/10
“Sexual dimorphism in the complete connectome of the Drosophila male central nervous system” www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
We describe the #connectomics reconstruction and analysis of an entire adult #maleCNS #drosophila central nervous system. 1/10
October 15, 2025 at 4:17 PM
Excited to share our new #biorxivpreprint:
“Sexual dimorphism in the complete connectome of the Drosophila male central nervous system” www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
We describe the #connectomics reconstruction and analysis of an entire adult #maleCNS #drosophila central nervous system. 1/10
“Sexual dimorphism in the complete connectome of the Drosophila male central nervous system” www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
We describe the #connectomics reconstruction and analysis of an entire adult #maleCNS #drosophila central nervous system. 1/10
😍
Exciting news for #drosophila #connectomics and #neuroscience enthusiasts: the Drosophila male central nervous system connectome is now live for exploration. Find out more at the landing page hosted by our Janelia FlyEM collaborators www.janelia.org/project-team....
Male CNS Connectome
A team of researchers has unveiled the complete connectome of a male fruit fly central nervous system —a seamless map of all the neurons in the brain and nerve cord of a single male fruit fly and the ...
www.janelia.org
October 5, 2025 at 9:51 PM
😍
Reposted by Matt Collie
Wrote a eulogy for the yellow letters in my office window. www.thecrimson.com/article/2025...
My Lab Displayed A Message of Solidarity on Our Windows. Harvard Took It Down. | Opinion | The Harvard Crimson
If we continue down this path, we risk not only Harvard’s future as an institution of free inquiry and expression but also its integrity and trustworthiness.
www.thecrimson.com
August 25, 2025 at 10:29 AM
Wrote a eulogy for the yellow letters in my office window. www.thecrimson.com/article/2025...
Reposted by Matt Collie
Exciting new Ruta lab preprint by @annaryba.bsky.social et al. on the neural underpinnings of intraspecific behavioral variation: Strain variation identifies a neural substrate for behavioral evolution Drosophila
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Strain variation identifies a neural substrate for behavioral evolution in Drosophila
Sexual selection acts on heritable differences within species, driving the parallel diversification of signal production in one sex and behavioral responses in the other. This coevolution implies that...
www.biorxiv.org
August 21, 2025 at 9:43 AM
Exciting new Ruta lab preprint by @annaryba.bsky.social et al. on the neural underpinnings of intraspecific behavioral variation: Strain variation identifies a neural substrate for behavioral evolution Drosophila
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Reposted by Matt Collie
Neuronal diversity is written in transcriptional codes 🧬. But what is the logic of these codes that define cell types and wiring patterns?
To find out we built a #scRNAseq developmental atlas of the Drosophila nerve cord and linked it to the #connectome 🪰🧠
#preprint thread ⬇️1/8
To find out we built a #scRNAseq developmental atlas of the Drosophila nerve cord and linked it to the #connectome 🪰🧠
#preprint thread ⬇️1/8
August 21, 2025 at 4:04 PM
Neuronal diversity is written in transcriptional codes 🧬. But what is the logic of these codes that define cell types and wiring patterns?
To find out we built a #scRNAseq developmental atlas of the Drosophila nerve cord and linked it to the #connectome 🪰🧠
#preprint thread ⬇️1/8
To find out we built a #scRNAseq developmental atlas of the Drosophila nerve cord and linked it to the #connectome 🪰🧠
#preprint thread ⬇️1/8
Reposted by Matt Collie
And now for an update on my office window. www.thecrimson.com/article/2025...
Harvard To Remove Black Lives Matter Message From Biology Professors’ Office Windows | News | The Harvard Crimson
A Harvard administrator told two professors on Tuesday that a Black Lives Matter sign displayed in their office windows would be taken down by this Saturday, describing it as a violation of the Univer...
www.thecrimson.com
August 21, 2025 at 12:11 PM
And now for an update on my office window. www.thecrimson.com/article/2025...
Reposted by Matt Collie
FlyBase needs your help! We ask that European labs continue to contribute to Cambridge, UK FlyBase, whereas US and other non-European labs can contribute to US FlyBase. For more information and how to donate: wiki.flybase.org/wiki/FlyBase...
FlyBase:Contribute to FlyBase - FlyBase Wiki
wiki.flybase.org
August 15, 2025 at 12:45 PM
FlyBase needs your help! We ask that European labs continue to contribute to Cambridge, UK FlyBase, whereas US and other non-European labs can contribute to US FlyBase. For more information and how to donate: wiki.flybase.org/wiki/FlyBase...
Reposted by Matt Collie
It’s surreal to think that every neuron and synapse in the fly brain + cord that was dissected almost five years ago (the photo’s still on the lab slack!) is now just a click away on Codex codex.flywire.ai?dataset=banc. This wouldn’t have been possible without the incredible team behind it!
August 5, 2025 at 6:38 PM
It’s surreal to think that every neuron and synapse in the fly brain + cord that was dissected almost five years ago (the photo’s still on the lab slack!) is now just a click away on Codex codex.flywire.ai?dataset=banc. This wouldn’t have been possible without the incredible team behind it!
We need more papers that start with Steve Urkel quotes. Thank you @kylethieringer.com and @tuthill.bsky.social for this wonderful and fun review of our recent paper describing limb feedback in the visual system!
doi.org/10.1016/j.cu...
doi.org/10.1016/j.cu...
August 4, 2025 at 3:47 PM
We need more papers that start with Steve Urkel quotes. Thank you @kylethieringer.com and @tuthill.bsky.social for this wonderful and fun review of our recent paper describing limb feedback in the visual system!
doi.org/10.1016/j.cu...
doi.org/10.1016/j.cu...
Reposted by Matt Collie
There is so much to learn from this dataset that it's overwhelming. It feels amazing to connect everything, from the "cognitive" regions of the brain all the way down to muscles, internal organs, and endocrine systems. With the analyses in our preprint, we've only just scratched the surface.
August 3, 2025 at 4:33 PM
There is so much to learn from this dataset that it's overwhelming. It feels amazing to connect everything, from the "cognitive" regions of the brain all the way down to muscles, internal organs, and endocrine systems. With the analyses in our preprint, we've only just scratched the surface.
Reposted by Matt Collie
Our data support an architecture of distributed, parallelized, and embodied control, reminiscent of “subsumption architectures” from autonomous robotics, where behavior-centric feedback loops are organized s that they can be combined or subsumed to generate complex or resolve competing behaviors.
August 3, 2025 at 3:16 PM
Our data support an architecture of distributed, parallelized, and embodied control, reminiscent of “subsumption architectures” from autonomous robotics, where behavior-centric feedback loops are organized s that they can be combined or subsumed to generate complex or resolve competing behaviors.
Reposted by Matt Collie
Moreover, Zaki Ajabi developed a computationally efficient method for quantifying the “influence” any neuron has on any other neuron in the CNS. We applied this method to estimate the pairwise interactions between all cells in the CNS, amounting to more than 20 billion influence scores.
August 3, 2025 at 3:16 PM
Moreover, Zaki Ajabi developed a computationally efficient method for quantifying the “influence” any neuron has on any other neuron in the CNS. We applied this method to estimate the pairwise interactions between all cells in the CNS, amounting to more than 20 billion influence scores.
Reposted by Matt Collie
How is the nervous system organized to coordinate behavior? To approach this massive question, a team led by @asbates.bsky.social, @jasper-tms.bsky.social, @mindyisminsu.bsky.social, & Helen Yang present the BANC: a Brain and Nerve Cord connectome.
Preprint: doi.org/10.1101/2025...
🧪#Neuroskyence
Preprint: doi.org/10.1101/2025...
🧪#Neuroskyence
August 3, 2025 at 3:16 PM
How is the nervous system organized to coordinate behavior? To approach this massive question, a team led by @asbates.bsky.social, @jasper-tms.bsky.social, @mindyisminsu.bsky.social, & Helen Yang present the BANC: a Brain and Nerve Cord connectome.
Preprint: doi.org/10.1101/2025...
🧪#Neuroskyence
Preprint: doi.org/10.1101/2025...
🧪#Neuroskyence
Reposted by Matt Collie
New preprint from @darbly.bsky.social @briandepasquale.bsky.social and my labs! If you love (or hate) mosquitoes, have a look:
doi.org/10.1101/2025...
We used TEM to describe the circuitry used for CO2 detection by mosquitoes. As usual with mosquitoes, nothing is as expected! 🌬️🦟
doi.org/10.1101/2025...
We used TEM to describe the circuitry used for CO2 detection by mosquitoes. As usual with mosquitoes, nothing is as expected! 🌬️🦟
Recurrent connectivity supports carbon dioxide sensitivity in Aedes aegypti mosquitoes
The mosquito Aedes aegypti′s human host-seeking behavior depends on the integration of multiple sensory cues. One of these cues, carbon dioxide (CO2), gates odorant and heat pathways and activates hos...
doi.org
July 31, 2025 at 12:28 PM
New preprint from @darbly.bsky.social @briandepasquale.bsky.social and my labs! If you love (or hate) mosquitoes, have a look:
doi.org/10.1101/2025...
We used TEM to describe the circuitry used for CO2 detection by mosquitoes. As usual with mosquitoes, nothing is as expected! 🌬️🦟
doi.org/10.1101/2025...
We used TEM to describe the circuitry used for CO2 detection by mosquitoes. As usual with mosquitoes, nothing is as expected! 🌬️🦟
Reposted by Matt Collie
Public access to the first fly connectome that spans the whole CNS - BANC!: codex.flywire.ai?dataset=banc
Different from prior connectomes - it is brain + cord (think spinal cord)
We use it to ‘embody’ the system and find it resembles ‘subsumption architecture’ doi.org/10.1101/2025...
Different from prior connectomes - it is brain + cord (think spinal cord)
We use it to ‘embody’ the system and find it resembles ‘subsumption architecture’ doi.org/10.1101/2025...
August 2, 2025 at 2:30 PM
Public access to the first fly connectome that spans the whole CNS - BANC!: codex.flywire.ai?dataset=banc
Different from prior connectomes - it is brain + cord (think spinal cord)
We use it to ‘embody’ the system and find it resembles ‘subsumption architecture’ doi.org/10.1101/2025...
Different from prior connectomes - it is brain + cord (think spinal cord)
We use it to ‘embody’ the system and find it resembles ‘subsumption architecture’ doi.org/10.1101/2025...
Reposted by Matt Collie
With @megyounger.bsky.social's lab, et al., we present the first connectomics work in the disease-vector mosquito Aedes aegypti, revealing how its brain is wired to detect host cues.
Preprint: doi.org/10.1101/2025...
#Neuroscience #Connectomics #vEM #VectorBiology 🧪
Preprint: doi.org/10.1101/2025...
#Neuroscience #Connectomics #vEM #VectorBiology 🧪
August 3, 2025 at 3:51 AM
With @megyounger.bsky.social's lab, et al., we present the first connectomics work in the disease-vector mosquito Aedes aegypti, revealing how its brain is wired to detect host cues.
Preprint: doi.org/10.1101/2025...
#Neuroscience #Connectomics #vEM #VectorBiology 🧪
Preprint: doi.org/10.1101/2025...
#Neuroscience #Connectomics #vEM #VectorBiology 🧪
Reposted by Matt Collie
A massive community effort, centred on @harvardmed.bsky.social
@princetonneuro.bsky.social. EM data from @darbly.bsky.social lab, collected by @jasper-tms.bsky.social
@mindyisminsu.bsky.social.
@princetonneuro.bsky.social. EM data from @darbly.bsky.social lab, collected by @jasper-tms.bsky.social
@mindyisminsu.bsky.social.
August 2, 2025 at 2:33 PM
A massive community effort, centred on @harvardmed.bsky.social
@princetonneuro.bsky.social. EM data from @darbly.bsky.social lab, collected by @jasper-tms.bsky.social
@mindyisminsu.bsky.social.
@princetonneuro.bsky.social. EM data from @darbly.bsky.social lab, collected by @jasper-tms.bsky.social
@mindyisminsu.bsky.social.
Reposted by Matt Collie
Our new preprint: 𝐅𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞-𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐟𝐢𝐜 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭 𝐜𝐨𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐧 𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐬𝐞𝐩𝐭𝐮𝐦 𝐠𝐮𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐬 𝐝𝐞𝐟𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧.
We describe how the LS guides defensive responses by forming critical computations built from functionally and molecularly distinct cells and their afferent inputs.
www.researchsquare.com/article/rs-6...
We describe how the LS guides defensive responses by forming critical computations built from functionally and molecularly distinct cells and their afferent inputs.
www.researchsquare.com/article/rs-6...
Feature-specific threat coding in lateral septum guides defensive action
The ability to rapidly detect and evaluate potential threats is essential for survival and requires the integration of sensory information, with internal state and prior experience. The lateral septum...
www.researchsquare.com
June 16, 2025 at 12:38 PM
Our new preprint: 𝐅𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞-𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐟𝐢𝐜 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭 𝐜𝐨𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐧 𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐬𝐞𝐩𝐭𝐮𝐦 𝐠𝐮𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐬 𝐝𝐞𝐟𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧.
We describe how the LS guides defensive responses by forming critical computations built from functionally and molecularly distinct cells and their afferent inputs.
www.researchsquare.com/article/rs-6...
We describe how the LS guides defensive responses by forming critical computations built from functionally and molecularly distinct cells and their afferent inputs.
www.researchsquare.com/article/rs-6...
Reposted by Matt Collie
The first full central nervous system connectome dataset of an adult fly, with the most comprehensive annotation of sensory and motor neurons to date.
A heroic effort with contributions from many groups, a product of the collaborative spirit of the Drosophila neuroscience community.
A heroic effort with contributions from many groups, a product of the collaborative spirit of the Drosophila neuroscience community.
Happy Friday! The female adult fly brain-and-nerve-cord (BANC) connectome is now LIVE!
Explore the data here: codex.flywire.ai?dataset=banc
Check out the preprint here: doi.org/10.1101/2025...
Explore the data here: codex.flywire.ai?dataset=banc
Check out the preprint here: doi.org/10.1101/2025...
a man with a mustache in a blue suit says tiny celebration in front of a group of people
ALT: a man with a mustache in a blue suit says tiny celebration in front of a group of people
media.tenor.com
August 1, 2025 at 11:14 PM
The first full central nervous system connectome dataset of an adult fly, with the most comprehensive annotation of sensory and motor neurons to date.
A heroic effort with contributions from many groups, a product of the collaborative spirit of the Drosophila neuroscience community.
A heroic effort with contributions from many groups, a product of the collaborative spirit of the Drosophila neuroscience community.
Happy Friday! The female adult fly brain-and-nerve-cord (BANC) connectome is now LIVE!
Explore the data here: codex.flywire.ai?dataset=banc
Check out the preprint here: doi.org/10.1101/2025...
Explore the data here: codex.flywire.ai?dataset=banc
Check out the preprint here: doi.org/10.1101/2025...
a man with a mustache in a blue suit says tiny celebration in front of a group of people
ALT: a man with a mustache in a blue suit says tiny celebration in front of a group of people
media.tenor.com
August 1, 2025 at 10:22 PM
Happy Friday! The female adult fly brain-and-nerve-cord (BANC) connectome is now LIVE!
Explore the data here: codex.flywire.ai?dataset=banc
Check out the preprint here: doi.org/10.1101/2025...
Explore the data here: codex.flywire.ai?dataset=banc
Check out the preprint here: doi.org/10.1101/2025...