Paul Masset
@paulmasset.bsky.social
Assistant Professor, McGill University | Associate Academic Member, Mila - Quebec AI Institute | Neuroscience and AI, learning and inference, dopamine and cognition
https://massetlab.org/
https://massetlab.org/
Reposted by Paul Masset
Delighted to see this finally out: rdcu.be/eO9oW
We tested whether brief striatal dopamine release events influence the vigor of skilled movements. Despite popular belief, we did not find any evidence linking rapid dopamine dynamics to motor vigor on a moment-by-moment basis.
We tested whether brief striatal dopamine release events influence the vigor of skilled movements. Despite popular belief, we did not find any evidence linking rapid dopamine dynamics to motor vigor on a moment-by-moment basis.
Subsecond dopamine fluctuations do not specify the vigor of ongoing actions
Nature Neuroscience - Liu and colleagues show that the vigor (that is, speed and amplitude) of dexterous movements is not controlled by ongoing fluctuations in extracellular dopamine within the...
rdcu.be
November 10, 2025 at 3:43 PM
Delighted to see this finally out: rdcu.be/eO9oW
We tested whether brief striatal dopamine release events influence the vigor of skilled movements. Despite popular belief, we did not find any evidence linking rapid dopamine dynamics to motor vigor on a moment-by-moment basis.
We tested whether brief striatal dopamine release events influence the vigor of skilled movements. Despite popular belief, we did not find any evidence linking rapid dopamine dynamics to motor vigor on a moment-by-moment basis.
Reposted by Paul Masset
All talks of the 2025 UCL #Neuropixels course are now available: www.youtube.com/playlist?lis...
For more information on the course see the website: www.ucl.ac.uk/neuropixels/...
And for those at #SfN, come say hi at the #Neuropixels booth (Number 3731) or at my Poster 👋.
Happy Neuropixeling!
For more information on the course see the website: www.ucl.ac.uk/neuropixels/...
And for those at #SfN, come say hi at the #Neuropixels booth (Number 3731) or at my Poster 👋.
Happy Neuropixeling!
2025 UCL Neuropixels Course - YouTube
Lectures at the 2025 UCL Neuropixels course (https://www.ucl.ac.uk/neuropixels/training/2025-neuropixels-course)
www.youtube.com
November 10, 2025 at 1:48 PM
All talks of the 2025 UCL #Neuropixels course are now available: www.youtube.com/playlist?lis...
For more information on the course see the website: www.ucl.ac.uk/neuropixels/...
And for those at #SfN, come say hi at the #Neuropixels booth (Number 3731) or at my Poster 👋.
Happy Neuropixeling!
For more information on the course see the website: www.ucl.ac.uk/neuropixels/...
And for those at #SfN, come say hi at the #Neuropixels booth (Number 3731) or at my Poster 👋.
Happy Neuropixeling!
Reposted by Paul Masset
How do VTA DA neurons sculpt downstream representations to reinforce actions? VERY excited about our new preprint (by Alex Pan Vazquez & @czimmerman.bsky.social )
VTA dopamine neuron activity produces spatially organized value representations https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.11.04.685995v1
November 7, 2025 at 8:46 PM
How do VTA DA neurons sculpt downstream representations to reinforce actions? VERY excited about our new preprint (by Alex Pan Vazquez & @czimmerman.bsky.social )
First paper from the lab!
We propose a model that separates estimation of odor concentration and presence and map it on olfactory bulb circuits
Led by @chenjiang01.bsky.social and @mattyizhenghe.bsky.social joint work with @jzv.bsky.social and with @neurovenki.bsky.social @cpehlevan.bsky.social
We propose a model that separates estimation of odor concentration and presence and map it on olfactory bulb circuits
Led by @chenjiang01.bsky.social and @mattyizhenghe.bsky.social joint work with @jzv.bsky.social and with @neurovenki.bsky.social @cpehlevan.bsky.social
Simultaneous detection and estimation in olfactory sensing https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.11.01.686013v1
November 4, 2025 at 3:40 PM
First paper from the lab!
We propose a model that separates estimation of odor concentration and presence and map it on olfactory bulb circuits
Led by @chenjiang01.bsky.social and @mattyizhenghe.bsky.social joint work with @jzv.bsky.social and with @neurovenki.bsky.social @cpehlevan.bsky.social
We propose a model that separates estimation of odor concentration and presence and map it on olfactory bulb circuits
Led by @chenjiang01.bsky.social and @mattyizhenghe.bsky.social joint work with @jzv.bsky.social and with @neurovenki.bsky.social @cpehlevan.bsky.social
Reposted by Paul Masset
Simultaneous detection and estimation in olfactory sensing https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.11.01.686013v1
November 3, 2025 at 11:15 PM
Simultaneous detection and estimation in olfactory sensing https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.11.01.686013v1
Reposted by Paul Masset
Stoked to see our study out in final form! Big kudos to @jonathanamichaels.bsky.social for driving this along for the past 5 years.
Thrilled that our paper is out today in Nature!
www.nature.com/articles/s4...
www.nature.com/articles/s4...
Sensory expectations shape neural population dynamics in motor circuits
Nature - Experiments with human volunteers and macaques show that expectations produced by probabilistic cueing of future sensory inputs shape motor circuit dynamics in order to increase the...
www.nature.com
October 29, 2025 at 4:47 PM
Stoked to see our study out in final form! Big kudos to @jonathanamichaels.bsky.social for driving this along for the past 5 years.
Reposted by Paul Masset
🔷 Launch of the IVADO 2026 Postdoctoral Research Funding Program for outstanding national and international postdoctoral researchers.
More info: ivado.ca/en/scholarsh...
#AI #ArtificialIntelligence #R3AI #Funding #Postdoc
More info: ivado.ca/en/scholarsh...
#AI #ArtificialIntelligence #R3AI #Funding #Postdoc
October 16, 2025 at 3:13 PM
🔷 Launch of the IVADO 2026 Postdoctoral Research Funding Program for outstanding national and international postdoctoral researchers.
More info: ivado.ca/en/scholarsh...
#AI #ArtificialIntelligence #R3AI #Funding #Postdoc
More info: ivado.ca/en/scholarsh...
#AI #ArtificialIntelligence #R3AI #Funding #Postdoc
Reposted by Paul Masset
Applying to do a postdoc or PhD in theoretical ML or neuroscience this year? Consider joining my group (starting next Fall) at UT Austin!
POD Postdoc: oden.utexas.edu/programs-and... CSEM PhD: oden.utexas.edu/academics/pr...
POD Postdoc: oden.utexas.edu/programs-and... CSEM PhD: oden.utexas.edu/academics/pr...
October 23, 2025 at 9:36 PM
Applying to do a postdoc or PhD in theoretical ML or neuroscience this year? Consider joining my group (starting next Fall) at UT Austin!
POD Postdoc: oden.utexas.edu/programs-and... CSEM PhD: oden.utexas.edu/academics/pr...
POD Postdoc: oden.utexas.edu/programs-and... CSEM PhD: oden.utexas.edu/academics/pr...
Reposted by Paul Masset
Apply to the new CSHL grad program in BioAI/neuroAI!
(Masters degree or equivalent required in a quantitative area such as computer science, physics, mathematics, or engineering)
www.cshl.edu/phd-program/...
(Masters degree or equivalent required in a quantitative area such as computer science, physics, mathematics, or engineering)
www.cshl.edu/phd-program/...
October 22, 2025 at 11:59 PM
Apply to the new CSHL grad program in BioAI/neuroAI!
(Masters degree or equivalent required in a quantitative area such as computer science, physics, mathematics, or engineering)
www.cshl.edu/phd-program/...
(Masters degree or equivalent required in a quantitative area such as computer science, physics, mathematics, or engineering)
www.cshl.edu/phd-program/...
Reposted by Paul Masset
Mila's annual supervision request process is now open to receive MSc and PhD applications for Fall 2026 admission! For more information, visit mila.quebec/en/prospecti...
October 15, 2025 at 11:26 AM
Mila's annual supervision request process is now open to receive MSc and PhD applications for Fall 2026 admission! For more information, visit mila.quebec/en/prospecti...
Reposted by Paul Masset
Delighted to share that we are currently hiring for a tenure-track position (open rank) in Clinical Psychology in the Department of Psychology at McGill University. Come join a great department! Link to apply: mcgill.wd3.myworkdayjobs.com/en-US/mcgill....
September 23, 2025 at 6:56 PM
Delighted to share that we are currently hiring for a tenure-track position (open rank) in Clinical Psychology in the Department of Psychology at McGill University. Come join a great department! Link to apply: mcgill.wd3.myworkdayjobs.com/en-US/mcgill....
Reposted by Paul Masset
This is one of the most outstanding examples of circuit understanding I've seen in a long time. The unification of theory and experiment is beautiful.
When Malcolm presented this in my lab, the audience was cheering at the end, and one person shouted (non-ironically) "You did it!"
When Malcolm presented this in my lab, the audience was cheering at the end, and one person shouted (non-ironically) "You did it!"
🚨Our preprint is online!🚨
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
How do #dopamine neurons perform the key calculations in reinforcement #learning?
Read on to find out more! 🧵
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
How do #dopamine neurons perform the key calculations in reinforcement #learning?
Read on to find out more! 🧵
September 19, 2025 at 1:37 PM
This is one of the most outstanding examples of circuit understanding I've seen in a long time. The unification of theory and experiment is beautiful.
When Malcolm presented this in my lab, the audience was cheering at the end, and one person shouted (non-ironically) "You did it!"
When Malcolm presented this in my lab, the audience was cheering at the end, and one person shouted (non-ironically) "You did it!"
Reposted by Paul Masset
Finally preprinted! TL;DR: thalamic head-direction neurons can shape their activity regardless of input. Big thanks to @apeyrache.bsky.social and master experimentalist @sskromne.bsky.social .
🚨New preprint alert!
The thalamus has long been seen as a relay of sensory signals to cortex.
But could it also generate its own structured activity?
Our study explores this question in the head-direction (HD) system.
Some explanation 🧵👇 1/13
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
The thalamus has long been seen as a relay of sensory signals to cortex.
But could it also generate its own structured activity?
Our study explores this question in the head-direction (HD) system.
Some explanation 🧵👇 1/13
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Coherent dynamics of thalamic head-direction neurons irrespective of input
While the thalamus is known to relay and modulate sensory signals to the cortex, whether it also participates in active computation and intrinsic signal generation remains unresolved. The anterodorsal...
www.biorxiv.org
September 16, 2025 at 8:25 PM
Finally preprinted! TL;DR: thalamic head-direction neurons can shape their activity regardless of input. Big thanks to @apeyrache.bsky.social and master experimentalist @sskromne.bsky.social .
Reposted by Paul Masset
Stoked to see this paper finally out!
It answers two big questions: where visual objects are encoded in the brain, and how head-direction cells get oriented using visual landmarks.
Super fun collaboration with @mace-lab.bsky.social and Stuart Trenholm.
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
It answers two big questions: where visual objects are encoded in the brain, and how head-direction cells get oriented using visual landmarks.
Super fun collaboration with @mace-lab.bsky.social and Stuart Trenholm.
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
September 11, 2025 at 9:13 PM
Stoked to see this paper finally out!
It answers two big questions: where visual objects are encoded in the brain, and how head-direction cells get oriented using visual landmarks.
Super fun collaboration with @mace-lab.bsky.social and Stuart Trenholm.
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
It answers two big questions: where visual objects are encoded in the brain, and how head-direction cells get oriented using visual landmarks.
Super fun collaboration with @mace-lab.bsky.social and Stuart Trenholm.
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Reposted by Paul Masset
For anyone on the neuroscience job market, our ads are up. We are looking for anyone working in systems neuroscience of animals to join us in southern Alberta 🇨🇦
#academicsky #neuroskyence #neuroethology #academicjobs #Canada
neurojobs.sfn.org/job/39049/as...
#academicsky #neuroskyence #neuroethology #academicjobs #Canada
neurojobs.sfn.org/job/39049/as...
Assistant Professor (Neuroscience, Tenure Track) - Lethbridge (City), Alberta (CA) job with University of Lethbridge | 39049
Assistant Professor (tenure track) of the Department of Neuroscience at the University of Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada
neurojobs.sfn.org
September 4, 2025 at 7:59 PM
For anyone on the neuroscience job market, our ads are up. We are looking for anyone working in systems neuroscience of animals to join us in southern Alberta 🇨🇦
#academicsky #neuroskyence #neuroethology #academicjobs #Canada
neurojobs.sfn.org/job/39049/as...
#academicsky #neuroskyence #neuroethology #academicjobs #Canada
neurojobs.sfn.org/job/39049/as...
Reposted by Paul Masset
Come join us at University of Toronto. We're hiring a Professor of computational cognitive neuroscience.
#neuroAI #compneuro jobs.utoronto.ca/job/Toronto-...
#neuroAI #compneuro jobs.utoronto.ca/job/Toronto-...
Professor - Computational Cognitive Neuroscience
Professor - Computational Cognitive Neuroscience
jobs.utoronto.ca
September 5, 2025 at 8:22 AM
Come join us at University of Toronto. We're hiring a Professor of computational cognitive neuroscience.
#neuroAI #compneuro jobs.utoronto.ca/job/Toronto-...
#neuroAI #compneuro jobs.utoronto.ca/job/Toronto-...
Reposted by Paul Masset
Since I'm back on BlueSky - with @frostedblakess.bsky.social and @cpehlevan.bsky.social we wrote a brief perspective on how ideas about summary statistics from the statistical physics of learning could potentially help inform neural data analysis... (1/2)
Frontiers | Summary statistics of learning link changing neural representations to behavior
How can we make sense of large-scale recordings of neural activity across learning? Theories of neural network learning with their origins in statistical phy...
www.frontiersin.org
September 4, 2025 at 6:30 PM
Since I'm back on BlueSky - with @frostedblakess.bsky.social and @cpehlevan.bsky.social we wrote a brief perspective on how ideas about summary statistics from the statistical physics of learning could potentially help inform neural data analysis... (1/2)
Reposted by Paul Masset
Thrilled to share this work, long time in the making! Carried through creatively by @siddjakes.bsky.social after initial design & piloting by @trackingskills.bsky.social, with help from @trackingactions.bsky.social. Modeling in collaboration with Massimo Vergassola & Nicola Rigolli.
Mice navigate scent trails using predictive policies
Animals actively sense their environment to extract features of interest to guide behaviors. For mammals, odors are prominent environmental features which are sampled by active modulation of sniffing ...
www.biorxiv.org
September 1, 2025 at 7:06 PM
Thrilled to share this work, long time in the making! Carried through creatively by @siddjakes.bsky.social after initial design & piloting by @trackingskills.bsky.social, with help from @trackingactions.bsky.social. Modeling in collaboration with Massimo Vergassola & Nicola Rigolli.
Reposted by Paul Masset
Having fun facilitating this amazing group of young Profs at the #Neuro4Pros workshop with @kordinglab.bsky.social and @meganakpeters.bsky.social, @yaelniv.bsky.social, and Hannah Bayer.
Watch out world: this is the next generation of leaders!
compneurosci.com/Neuro4Pros/i...
Watch out world: this is the next generation of leaders!
compneurosci.com/Neuro4Pros/i...
August 26, 2025 at 9:27 PM
Having fun facilitating this amazing group of young Profs at the #Neuro4Pros workshop with @kordinglab.bsky.social and @meganakpeters.bsky.social, @yaelniv.bsky.social, and Hannah Bayer.
Watch out world: this is the next generation of leaders!
compneurosci.com/Neuro4Pros/i...
Watch out world: this is the next generation of leaders!
compneurosci.com/Neuro4Pros/i...
Reposted by Paul Masset
For anyone interested in an academic job in 🇨🇦, we will soon be advertising an Assistant Prof position in Systems Neuroscience (rodents and other animal models) at ULethbridge. There are many pros and cons of working here, so feel free to DM me to find out more
#neuroskyence #academicsky
#neuroskyence #academicsky
August 20, 2025 at 2:26 AM
For anyone interested in an academic job in 🇨🇦, we will soon be advertising an Assistant Prof position in Systems Neuroscience (rodents and other animal models) at ULethbridge. There are many pros and cons of working here, so feel free to DM me to find out more
#neuroskyence #academicsky
#neuroskyence #academicsky
Reposted by Paul Masset
My first paper with @naoshigeuchida.bsky.social is finally out in @natcomms.nature.com ! rdcu.be/eACGf
TL;DR: asymmetric learning rates can be induced by shifts in tonic dopamine giving rise to pessimistic/optimistic biases in agents or animals undergoing reinforcement learning .
TL;DR: asymmetric learning rates can be induced by shifts in tonic dopamine giving rise to pessimistic/optimistic biases in agents or animals undergoing reinforcement learning .
Tonic dopamine and biases in value learning linked through a biologically inspired reinforcement learning model
Nature Communications - Accurate future predictions are essential for guiding behavior, and disruptions in this process are associated with psychiatric disorders. Here the authors show that changes...
rdcu.be
August 13, 2025 at 9:55 PM
My first paper with @naoshigeuchida.bsky.social is finally out in @natcomms.nature.com ! rdcu.be/eACGf
TL;DR: asymmetric learning rates can be induced by shifts in tonic dopamine giving rise to pessimistic/optimistic biases in agents or animals undergoing reinforcement learning .
TL;DR: asymmetric learning rates can be induced by shifts in tonic dopamine giving rise to pessimistic/optimistic biases in agents or animals undergoing reinforcement learning .
Reposted by Paul Masset
🚨 I’m excited to say that my CIHR Project Grant was funded! My NHP lab is now full-speed-ahead, and I’m hiring experimentalists (postdoc, PhD student, and/or a tech/manager). We’ll do multi-region ephys during reaching/grasping in macaques, with behavioral and spinal perturbations.
August 13, 2025 at 4:23 PM
🚨 I’m excited to say that my CIHR Project Grant was funded! My NHP lab is now full-speed-ahead, and I’m hiring experimentalists (postdoc, PhD student, and/or a tech/manager). We’ll do multi-region ephys during reaching/grasping in macaques, with behavioral and spinal perturbations.
Reposted by Paul Masset
New paper with @nathanieldaw.bsky.social in Nature Communications: an RL model that builds a successor map compositionally. The new model plans as well as the best models, and it links components of the map used for planning to neural codes in the medial entorhinal cortex.
rdcu.be/eAofi
rdcu.be/eAofi
Reconciling flexibility and efficiency: medial entorhinal cortex represents a compositional cognitive map
Nature Communications - How the brain creates compositional cognitive maps that support both flexible and efficient planning remains poorly understood. Here, authors propose a...
rdcu.be
August 12, 2025 at 5:18 PM
New paper with @nathanieldaw.bsky.social in Nature Communications: an RL model that builds a successor map compositionally. The new model plans as well as the best models, and it links components of the map used for planning to neural codes in the medial entorhinal cortex.
rdcu.be/eAofi
rdcu.be/eAofi
Reposted by Paul Masset
Our paper on foraging is now published in Neuron! Read it here:
www.cell.com/neuron/fullt...
This project was co-led by Michael Bukwich (not on Bluesky) and me, with major contributions from all co-authors. Huge thanks to the whole team!
www.cell.com/neuron/fullt...
This project was co-led by Michael Bukwich (not on Bluesky) and me, with major contributions from all co-authors. Huge thanks to the whole team!
Competitive integration of time and reward explains value-sensitive foraging decisions and frontal cortex ramping dynamics
Bukwich and Campbell et al. show that mice integrate elapsed time and reward intake,
scaled by a latent patience variable, to decide when to leave virtual “patches.” Frontal
cortex ramping activity ma...
www.cell.com
August 7, 2025 at 5:35 PM
Our paper on foraging is now published in Neuron! Read it here:
www.cell.com/neuron/fullt...
This project was co-led by Michael Bukwich (not on Bluesky) and me, with major contributions from all co-authors. Huge thanks to the whole team!
www.cell.com/neuron/fullt...
This project was co-led by Michael Bukwich (not on Bluesky) and me, with major contributions from all co-authors. Huge thanks to the whole team!
Reposted by Paul Masset
A landmark volume, The Handbook of Dopamine, is now online:
www.sciencedirect.com/handbook/han...
Big kudos to the editors, Stephanie Cragg and Mark Walton, for putting this together.
www.sciencedirect.com/handbook/han...
Big kudos to the editors, Stephanie Cragg and Mark Walton, for putting this together.
Handbook of Behavioral Neuroscience | Volume 32: The Handbook of Dopamine | ScienceDirect.com by Elsevier
Read the latest chapters of Handbook of Behavioral Neuroscience at ScienceDirect.com, Elsevier’s leading platform of peer-reviewed scholarly literature
www.sciencedirect.com
August 4, 2025 at 6:34 PM
A landmark volume, The Handbook of Dopamine, is now online:
www.sciencedirect.com/handbook/han...
Big kudos to the editors, Stephanie Cragg and Mark Walton, for putting this together.
www.sciencedirect.com/handbook/han...
Big kudos to the editors, Stephanie Cragg and Mark Walton, for putting this together.