Michael Coleman

Personal views on the state of the world and occasional bits of science, especially axon degeneration and research culture. Much more science at 🦋 @colemanlab

[Michael Coleman @Lab_Coleman]

Not all grant rejections are equal. Some are more devastating than others. As a researcher, how do you keep going in those moments?

The latest Science Without Anguish blog post discusses a topic we need to talk about much, much more!

https://t.co/ziZ7KBAb96

[Michael Coleman @Lab_Coleman]

@rust_ruslan @smead2 Peer review by ‘volunteers’ long since lost its effectiveness. We’ve been spiralling into total overwhelm ever since the dawn of the internet. But that doesn’t mean AI is the solution. We need a root and branch overhaul of journal based publishing. It has outlived its usefulness.

[Michael Coleman @Lab_Coleman]

@wi_john @smead2 This explains so much! The state of science funding decisions in the UK today.

[Michael Coleman @Lab_Coleman]

@smead2 🎉

[Michael Coleman @Lab_Coleman]

@Slacksoft_uk I’m afraid to a scientist ‘demand management’ is a euphemism for: ‘we are so overwhelmed with applications we don’t even guarantee to even read the one you’ve spent weeks writing, let alone fund it.” Yes, for those of us trying to advance human health it is *that* bad right now!

[NeurologyLive® @neurology_live]

Programmed axon death, SARM1, and the potential to treat conditions like ALS and peripheral neuropathy.

This, and more, in our latest interview with expert researcher @Lab_Coleman 🥼🔬🧫 #PNS2026

[hmorsy @hmorsy80]

Back from #ESHG2026. Presented work on #RNAseq resolving unsolved cases, reconnected with old collaborators, and excited about new research ahead. Exactly why this community matters. #RareDisease #Genomics
@IonSynapse

[Dementia Researcher @demrescommunity]

Research Associate role at the University of Cambridge studying blood pressure, vascular health and dementia using imaging, genetics and population data. Closing date: 12th July

https://t.co/cSVteo93nE

[Oded Rechavi @OdedRechavi]

“I apologize, but this is a very busy period and therefore I can’t review this paper. However, I can recommend someone who can do a good job.”

[Michael Coleman @Lab_Coleman]

@mbeisen It’s already dead. Finally, we can admit it and get on with building an alternative.

[Michael Coleman @Lab_Coleman]

@demrescommunity Wow! Thanks for this. Absolutely fits what I see. Another cause to consider: the false narrative that paper and grant reviews are an objective reflection of ability, leaving many wrongly believing they are “not good enough”. https://t.co/Vw3pE1igMs blog on this topic coming soon.

[Michael Coleman @Lab_Coleman]

@alifarhat79 Simplistic misrepresentation of academic research. Many discoveries are made in Europe and elsewhere in the world but commercialised by the US. A lot more is done in US by foreign researchers trained elsewhere. Characterising it as primarily US research is completely misleading.

[Emmanuel A. Stamatakis @estamatakis]

How does the thalamus support consciousness?
Our new study uses resting‑state fMRI to show nucleus‑specific thalamocortical connectivity changes during anaesthesia and in disorders of consciousness.
#Neuroscience #Consciousness #fMRI #Thalamus
https://t.co/mg0XDtPhbJ

[Michael Coleman @Lab_Coleman]

@BetterResearch The role of imposter syndrome in ECR mental health problems is particularly sad because it is largely a consequence of how most of us talk only about our successes and keep quiet about our rejections. How many ECRs wrongly think this only happens to them? It's just not true!

[Michael Coleman @Lab_Coleman]

@DrPujaM @PhySoc @STEM4Brit @FrattaLab @wellcometrust @mndassoc @mndresearch @UCLBrainScience @UCLIoN Congratulations @DrPujaM!

[Michael Coleman @Lab_Coleman]

@sciqst Increasing SARM1 expression also lowers NAD (Fig, left). While less striking than the effect of activating SARM1 (right), activating it on a background of increased expression is likely to be particularly harmful.

[Michael Coleman @Lab_Coleman]

Delighted to announce the latest preprint from our amazing team: https://t.co/sj0dvM1OeF

Laura Carlton and Emma Wilson report luciferase mapping of the human NMNAT2 and SARM1 promoters, naturally-occurring human gene variants within them and their functional consequences.

1/5

[Michael Coleman @Lab_Coleman]

@sciqst Lowering NMNAT2 expression increases axon vulnerability to stresses eg, impaired axonal transport or mitochondria. https://t.co/jwQGxl3sPQ and https://t.co/menP3fUOcf.

It also flips nicotinamide riboside from raising NAD to lowering it in some axons. https://t.co/Qt4Vnm26GL

[Michael Coleman @Lab_Coleman]

Congratulations to Laura Carlton & Emma Wilson on these exciting findings, their first primary research articles as first & senior author respectively. Also thanks to Heba Morsy for in silico promoter analysis.

We look forward to working constructively with reviewers.

5/5

[Michael Coleman @Lab_Coleman]

Importance: These findings support disease association studies to link programmed axon death to specific human diseases. It is essential to move beyond the limitations of animal models and work in humans to understand where best to apply drugs blocking programmed axon death. 4/5