Jacob Lab

🚨 New preprint 🚨 How does the brain learn new things without rebuilding what it already knows? www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6... Fantastic work led by @yuyanghuang.bsky.social and Leonie Mehrke, with Tobias Bernklau and @laurabusse.bsky.social #neuroskyence #neuroscience #learning #PFC 🧪🧠 🧵👇

portal.mytum.deTUM - Tenure Track Assistant Professor in » Implantable Brain-Computer Interfaces «Studierenden- und Mitarbeiterportal der Technische Universität München

26 Aug

⏰ Three weeks left to apply! ⏰ #Tenure-Track #Assistant #Professor in Implantable Brain–Computer Interfaces. Develop complete #implantable #BCI systems within a highly interdisciplinary environment @tum.de and help translate them toward first-in-human studies. 🔗 Details: www.recruit.tum.de

Jacob Lab@jacob-lab.bsky.social

🚨 We’re hiring! 🚨 The Technical University of Munich @tum.de is recruiting a Tenure-Track Assistant Professor in Implantable Brain–Computer Interfaces! We’re looking for someone to help build the next generation of robust, clinically scalable #implantable #BCIs. portal.mytum.de/jobs/profess... 🧵👇

Jacob Lab reposted

Sam Gershman

@gershbrain.bsky.social

18 Aug

@arthurpr4t.bsky.social has a new preprint with important results on a famous psychophysical law (Weber's law). It isn't, in fact, a law, because it can be broken. A more fundamental principle (efficient coding) shows when and why Weber's law holds true. www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...

biorxiv.orgEfficient coding makes and breaks Weber's lawWeber's law is a rare quantitative regularity in psychology, yet its origins remain debated. Here we provide causal evidence that it arises from the more fundamental principle of efficient coding. Thi...

A #stroke can reshape the brain. Can a #brain-computer #interface still reliably record single neurons from an injured brain for years? Our preprint provides the first evidence that it can - with stable recordings spanning 1,240 days! www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6... #BCI #neuroskyence 🧠⚡🧪 🧵👇

Short- and long-term neuronal stability was comparable to previous findings in BCI participants without structural brain lesions. Together, the results show that major structural brain injury does not preclude stable intracortical recordings.

This study was led by Alex Utzschmid and @jonasterlau.bsky.social. All of our BCI work is the result of a great interdisciplinary, collaborative effort. Thanks to Bernhard Meyer, Arthur Wagner, Jens Gempt, Lisa Held, @lauraschiffl.bsky.social @86chenhongbiao.bsky.social Göktug Alkan, Paolo Favero

We studied a participant with chronic language impairments (aphasia) after a large left-hemispheric stroke. Four 64-channel microelectrode arrays were implanted in the right hemisphere, targeting regions corresponding to the damaged language network.

Across 111 recording sessions over 1,240 days, unit yield and signal quality remained stable. Individual neurons could be tracked across sessions - even after extended recording gaps. Tracked neurons also retained consistent spiking properties.

Why this matters: BCIs are mainly being developed for spinal cord injury and motor neuron disease. But stroke is the most common cause of acquired brain injury and a leading cause of long-term disability - potentially one of the largest future application fields for BCIs.

30 July

🚨 New preprint 🚨 "Closed-loop sensory feedback enables fast and reliable instrumental acquisition in head-fixed mice" Giving mice the chance to self-correct their choices cuts the training time in half! www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6... #neuroskyence #ReinforcementLearning #CognitiveFlexibility 🧪

7/8 We developed Sparse Tensor Component Analysis to connect these population and single-neuron results. STCA suggests that dynamic selectivity can arise through rule-dependent recombination of stable task representations, with neurons changing how strongly they participate across sessions.

8/8 Our findings point to a solution to the stability–flexibility problem: learning may establish a stable temporal scaffold while leaving neuronal selectivity free to adapt.

5/8 What the neurons responded to behaved very differently. Neurons repeatedly gained, lost, or changed selectivity - even after their activity profiles had stabilized. Stable activity therefore did not imply a fixed functional role.

6/8 At the population level, choice representations generalized across rules. What changed was how the currently relevant cue representation aligned with the choice representation as each new rule was learned.

3/8 We tracked the same medial prefrontal neurons over months while mice learned three successive cue–action–outcome rules. The cue–action relation changed, but the sequence and timing of trial events stayed constant, allowing us to separate activity timing from task selectivity.

4/8 Learning progressively stabilized when individual neurons were active during a trial. Once established, these temporal activity profiles persisted across later learning stages and rule switches.

2/8 We often infer a neuron’s function from two properties: when it is active and what it responds to. These are usually treated as one. But they need not change together - and separating them may reveal what learning actually stabilizes.

portal.mytum.deTUM - Tenure Track Assistant Professor in » Implantable Brain-Computer Interfaces «Studierenden- und Mitarbeiterportal der Technische Universität München

We’re especially interested in recruiting for: • implantable systems & hardware integration • embedded AI & edge inference • closed-loop stimulation • hybrid neurotechnologies

Researchers with strong backgrounds in machine learning and AI, and a passion for advancing implantable neurotechnology, are also encouraged to apply. 📆 Application deadline: 15 Sept 2026 Please repost to help us reach the best candidates!

portal.mytum.deTUM - Tenure Track Assistant Professor in » Implantable Brain-Computer Interfaces «Studierenden- und Mitarbeiterportal der Technische Universität München

Technische Universität München

#Munich has become one of Europe’s leading hubs for implantable #neurotechnology, with recent milestones including • the first intracortical microelectrode BCI for people with severe language disorders • Europe’s first intracortical BCI enabling restoration of mobility after spinal cord injury

Jacob Lab reposted

@tum.de

6 May

A research project at our university investigates how #BrainSignals can be translated into digital commands, aiming to enable people with #paralysis to interact with computers or #RoboticSystems: go.tum.de/611249 #AI #Neuroscience 📷A. Eckert

go.tum.deThe power of the mindMichael Mehringer is paralyzed from the neck down. Researchers at TUM are working to enable him to regain greater autonomy.

Technische Universität München

10 Apr

Great work from @alexanderhuth.bsky.social and team! Widespread, bilateral #semantic representations in #aphasia decoded by fMRI. This aligns very well with our recent #single #unit findings: www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6... Language BCIs for aphasia are absolutely within reach! #neuroskyence 🧪

biorxiv.orgbiorxiv.org

Alexander Huth@alexanderhuth.bsky.social

Really excited about our new work on aphasia! Even in fairly profound aphasia, we can recover semantic maps through visual stimuli and use them to decode language. This is a big step! Language BCIs in aphasia might be possible!

Jacob Lab reposted

@tum.de

2 Apr

Researchers at our university observed visual signal flow in a specific thalamocortical pathway, supporting key aspects of the 1981 Nobel Prize model by Hubel and Wiesel and refining the understanding of cortical processing: go.tum.de/450857 #Neuroscience #VisualPerception 📷A.Eckert

go.tum.deBrain researchers provide evidence for a theory of visual perceptionResearchers at TUM have mapped and demonstrated the process of visual perception at the cellular level in the brain.

Jacob Lab reposted

WilluhnLab

@willuhnlab.bsky.social

1 Apr

Submit your abstract until May 15 for the "Monitoring Molecules in Neuroscience" conference in Amsterdam (Sept 7-10, 2026) to get the latest update on in-vivo neuro-methods from a brilliant lineup of keynote and panel speakers: monitoringmolecules.org/invited-spea... Please repost!

monitoringmolecules.orgMMiN 2026 - MMiN

Today, we’re thrilled to report “A right-hemispheric language network at single-neuron resolution”, the first systematic investigation into the #single #neuron correlates of #language functions in the #right #hemisphere of the #human #brain. #neuroskyence 🧪 www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...

In short, this is evidence for well-structured, organized language processing in the right hemisphere, with considerable symmetry to the left. Our findings also open new directions for developing #neurorehabilitation strategies and #BCI #technology for people who are lost for words.

A special part of this long journey has been the close collaboration with the Department of #Neurosurgery @tum.de (Jens Gempt, Arthur Wagner, Bernhard Meyer). This project would not have been possible without that partnership, bringing together clinical insight, technical expertise and a common goal

Right-hemispheric frontoparietal neurons robustly participated in comprehension, retrieval and articulation of words, the core operations of language. Distinct subpopulations encoded lexical, word-level information in a highly task-specific manner, despite correlated firing across tasks.

Single-neuron activity and population dynamics were predictable using large language model (LLM) embeddings. Semantic features preferentially accounted for prefrontal activity, and phonological features for parietal activity.

@roozbehkiani.bsky.social

Led by @lauraschiffl.bsky.social and Lisa Held, this study represents the largest dataset of its kind, with #microelectrode recordings from more than 10,000 neurons collected over ten months in an individual with #aphasia (chronic language impairments) following #stroke

Jacob Lab reposted

Roozbeh Kiani

16 Mar

To accommodate applicants and PIs attending Cosyne, we’ve extended the MCN application deadline to Sunday, Mar 22. Please repost.

Roozbeh Kiani@roozbehkiani.bsky.social

Join us in Woods Hole for Methods in Computational Neuroscience (MCN) at MBL (July 24–Aug 21). Four weeks of computational + systems neuroscience, hands-on training, and close interaction with an exceptional faculty.

Jacob Lab reposted

MPI for Biological Intelligence

@mpiforbi.bsky.social

16 Mar

🧠 Join us on June 12th at the @mpiforbi.bsky.social for the 3rd Munich Brain Day! 12 speakers, PhD & postdoc poster session and lots of networking. Free event — but only 100 poster slots available, so submit early! ➡️ Register now: munichbrainday.com/registration/ 📸 Pictures by Magdalena Warner

Jacob Lab reposted

Helmholtz-Gemeinschaft

@helmholtz.de

27 Feb

Germany has the opportunity to extend its strength as an engineering powerhouse into medicine and the life sciences. Vasilis Ntziachristos explains how this can be achieved using three key levers. A comment by Vasilis Ntziachristos @helmholtzmunich.bsky.social www.helmholtz.de/en/newsroom/...

helmholtz.deWhy We Must Act Now in Biomedical EngineeringGermany has the opportunity to extend its strength as an engineering powerhouse into medicine and the life sciences. Vasilis Ntziachristos

Jacob Lab reposted

Tatjana Tchumatchenko

@tatjanat.bsky.social

10 Jan

Please spread the word🔊My lab is looking to hire two international postdocs. If you want to do comp neuro, combine machine learning and awesome math to understand neural circuit activity, then come work with us! Bonn is such a cool place for neuroscience now, you don't want to miss out.

7 Jan

As of January 1st, I’m tenured 🎉 I’m incredibly grateful to my lab for their ideas and persistence, to my colleagues at @tum.de for such a supportive and stimulating environment, and to my mentors whose guidance continues to shape how I think, teach and lead. #academia #tenure #neuroskyence 🧪

ardmediathek.deGesundheit!: KI-Gehirn-Chip bei Querschnittlähmung - hier anschauenKI-Gehirn-Chip bei Querschnittlähmung: Was bringt ein in das Gehirn implantierter Chip Menschen mit Querschnittlähmung mehr an Lebensqualität und Mobilität?

23 Dec 2025

My highlight of 2025: the first #microelectrode #BCI for spinal cord injury in Europe! 🦾⚡️🧠 🎥 (feature in German) www.ardmediathek.de/video/gesund...

@zielinskilab.bsky.social

20 Nov 2025

#SfN25 is drawing to a close. The pace of progress is mind-boggling! I am deeply grateful for the many encounters with friends and colleagues, old and new, and the excitement we shared. A conference is only as good as the people attending. We had a blast! 💥 See you next year! #neuroskyence

Jacob Lab reposted

Christina Zielinski

17 Nov 2025

📢#Postdoc opportunity in human T cell immunology in the Zielinski lab at the University of Cambridge @cam.ac.uk. @erc.europa.eu Official announcement coming up soon. DM me if you want to explore the regulation of human tissue resident T cells. #postdoc #immunology

13 Nov 2025

The team will be at #SfN25 in San Diego. Come for a chat at our posters. We have #human #single #units, #microstimulation, #miniscopes and much more! 🧠🧪 #neuroskyence

time.comComputer Chips in Our Bodies Could Be the Future of MedicineThe brain-computer interface is real. It's changing lives—and could soon change the world.

6 Nov 2025

Nice feature in #TIME #magazine about how brain-computer interfaces are about to change our lives #neuroskyence 🧪 time.com/7330887/brai...

unesco.orgEthics of neurotechnology: UNESCO adopts the first global standard inToday UNESCO’s Member States took the final step towards adopting the first global normative framework on the ethics of neurotechnology. The Recommendation, which will enter into force on November 12

6 Nov 2025

The disruptive advances we are seeing in #neurotechnology must be accompanied by ethical frameworks, such as the one adopted yesterday by @unesco.org www.unesco.org/en/articles/...

Jacob Lab reposted

Christina Zielinski

@zielinskilab.bsky.social

5 Nov 2025

We are hiring! 🎓🧫 🧬 #PhD studentship available in #Immunology at #CambridgeUniversity to investigate a new killer function of human T cells. 📅 Application deadline: 3rd December 2025 more information: lnkd.in/dxq6yMay #findaPhD @ERC_Research

24 Oct 2025

Our #BCI work was featured in #Tagesthemen, Germany’s most important newscast. Check it out 👇🏻 www.tagesschau.de/tagesthemen/...

ardmediathek.deAbendschau: Medizin-HighTech: Vom Hirn direkt zum PC - hier anschauenEin Computer, direkt am Gehirn angedockt? Für Michael Mehringer eine große Chance und Hoffnung: Er ist der erste europäische Querschnittsgelähmte, dem eine Hirn-Computer-Schnittstelle implantiert wurd...

24 Oct 2025

Here’s the feature separately and in a little longer version www.ardmediathek.de/video/abends...

17 Oct 2025

Thanks for the feature. We’re very happy to play a part in advancing implanted #BCIs in Europe! 🧠🦾

IEEE Brain@ieeebrain.bsky.social

A groundbreaking first: Europe’s inaugural #brain–computer interface implant for a #quadriplegic patient marks a leap toward restoring movement and independence, where thoughts alone could one day control digital devices. Get more details at #NeuroNews: https://bit.ly/47hF2o9 #BCI #neurotech

tum.deBrain-computer interface for a patient with quadriplegiaA team at the Technical University of Munich’s TUM University Hospital has implanted a brain-computer interface in a patient paralyzed from the neck down.

15 Oct 2025

A big push for #BCI and #neurotechnology in Europe! We implanted our second microelectrode array #BCI @tum.de. Huge thanks to our pioneer and to fantastic colleagues in #Neurosurgery and #Robotics #Machine #Intelligence 🧠🦾🧪 #neuroskyence @neuroengineering.bsky.social www.tum.de/en/news-and-...

@randolph-helfrich.bsky.social

10 Oct 2025

Thank you very much for hosting me in Maastricht @cherff.bsky.social and team! It was fun to present our newest on language processing. And big congrats to Maxime Verwoert on passing her PhD defense! She can now add her name to the wall of fame! #neuroskyence 🧠🧪

Jacob Lab reposted

Randolph Helfrich

6 Oct 2025

New position, new social media account. After 5 fantastic years in Tuebingen, I moved to @yale.edu and the @wutsaiyale.bsky.social this summer - which means that I’ll be recruiting PhD students and postdocs. Please help me to spread the word and see current opportunities below 👇