Michael Sokoletsky

PhD student at the @Lampl_lab, @WeizmannScience, focusing on sensory systems neuroscience. Ashtanga yogi 🧘‍♂️

[Michael Sokoletsky @msokoletsky]

I've moved to Bluesky! Follow me @ https://t.co/2JxG6pvGBj

[The Transmitter @_TheTransmitter]

Multiple brain areas synchronize their activity to help a rodent accumulate the evidence it needs to make a choice, two new studies suggest.

By @claulopezneuro

https://t.co/AQIhNUCiKV

[Maria Shujah @MariaShujah]

Just got back from the @AllenInstitute ‘s SWDB’24. It was intense, challenging & absolutely worth it! Truly amazed by how much can be uncovered when brilliant minds come together. Cracking the brain’s code was never a solo gig. A big thanks to the incredible organizers & TAs! 🧠

[Michael Sokoletsky @msokoletsky]

I know that from a statistical standpoint we should be extra skeptical of negative results, yet I can't help giving more respect to papers that choose to openly and honestly acknowledge them.

[Michael Sokoletsky @msokoletsky]

@Lab_Tali_Kimchi @NatureNeuro @ItsikSofer Wow! congrats to all

[Michael Sokoletsky @msokoletsky]

Two observations: (1) much of our time, especially in experimental science, is spent doing various menial tasks, and (2) there is a vast world of incredible free podcasts out there. So get yourself a pair of wireless headphones and make those menial tasks a little more fun!

[Alex Williams @ItsNeuronal]

Very excited to announce the first release of NeMoS (NEural MOdelS) a package for neural data analysis that supports GPU acceleration. Check out our tutorials and try it on your data now!

Docs https://t.co/7WI00EXxsU
Github https://t.co/pLx7UPRY5m
Profile https://t.co/PCwJ0Kc8Gq

[Michael Sokoletsky @msokoletsky]

And yet another mouse training tenet: early in training, inertia is a constant challenge. Mice tend to stick to one behavior, whether it's to always lick, always lick right, etc. Use a protocol that repeats the same trial type when the mouse errs, which will compel it to adapt.

[TENSS @tenss_ed]

TENSS is almost here, but we’re still short on funds. Every contribution matters, no matter how small!

[Michael Sokoletsky @msokoletsky]

Another mouse training tenet: Never assume they understand your task. Even with mice that long ago reached expert level, I start off every session advancing through all previous training stages. It's akin to beginning each lesson with a review of the previous material.

[Michael Sokoletsky @msokoletsky]

Excellent talk and book. Highly recommend sharing with anyone you know who is interested in going into neuroscience!
https://t.co/fk3fqVqUuq

[Michael Sokoletsky @msokoletsky]

@dr_alexharris Perhaps an expert will have more to add - @Yoav_Livneh?

[Michael Sokoletsky @msokoletsky]

Mouse training is an art form, but there is one tenet I stand by: they naturally go from being hypermotivated to not motivated, and while you may control this to an extent by adjusting reward-to-punishment ratio, it's best to sort trials into states (e.g. Ashwood et al. 2022).

[Michael Sokoletsky @msokoletsky]

@dr_alexharris Not that I know of, but I strongly suspect that being head-fixed for a long time plays a role, because they will still appetitively consume water in their home cages after being "sated". Could be interesting to explore!

[Michael Sokoletsky @msokoletsky]

@dr_alexharris For mice performing operant tasks: Matteucci et al. 2022, Allen et al. 2019, Piet et al. 2024. Though mostly in the context of neural effects of satiety.

[Eiko Fried @EikoFried]

In this new blog, I write about:
1. All that's wrong in academia—including bad papers, broken peer-review, the publishing industry, and precarious contracts.
2. How important it is *not* to become a cynic.
3. And my personal antidotes to cynicism creep.

https://t.co/ysowZilfO4

[Michael Sokoletsky @msokoletsky]

A rare positive of the Covid pandemic is the explosion in lectures uploaded online - World Wide Neuro, Learning Salon, BIU, etc. Though they're not interactive as in person, they allow you to watch interesting talks without needing to wait for the next conference or symposium.

[Michael Sokoletsky @msokoletsky]

There's a special kind of frustration in trying to teach animals a task and finding they cannot learn it. Takes several miserable months, it's a negative result you cannot publish, and many people wouldn't believe it anyway.

[Michael Sokoletsky @msokoletsky]

This paper is quite heavy, but it's one of the best examples I've seen of isolating a purely cognitive variable in the mouse brain. It's easy to underestimate how difficult it is. https://t.co/W8koyTBD26

[Michael Sokoletsky @msokoletsky]

Want to do multiregion optogenetics? I just put up on GitHub a minimal GUI (written in Python) for optogenetic targeting protocols. All you need is an NI card and two galvanometric mirrors in your beampath. https://t.co/fm0n6Ct7p2