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What would be an annus mirabilis in today’s neuroscience?
I think @mattlark has quietly had a truly remarkable year: through creativity and kindness he has fostered a research environment that delivered big time in 2020.
Here's my summary of the discoveries made in his lab. 1/n
I think @mattlark has quietly had a truly remarkable year: through creativity and kindness he has fostered a research environment that delivered big time in 2020.
Here's my summary of the discoveries made in his lab. 1/n
2020 was kicked off by showing that single human cortical dendrites can compute XOR! Take that, artificial neural networks with point neurons!
This work led by Albert Gidon demonstrates that biological intelligence has still many tricks up its sleeves. 2/n https://science.sciencemag.org/content/367/6473/83
This work led by Albert Gidon demonstrates that biological intelligence has still many tricks up its sleeves. 2/n https://science.sciencemag.org/content/367/6473/83
In February came one of the most astonishing discoveries in consciousness research: General anesthesia is like a virtual guillotine that decouples the two parts of pyramidal cells.
This discovery was made by Mototaka Suzuki. 3/n https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0092867420301057
This discovery was made by Mototaka Suzuki. 3/n https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0092867420301057
Then came a paper that flew under the radar: Layer 6b of the cortex receives almost exclusively cortical long-range inputs. I would not be surprised if Tim’s discovery would be central for understanding cortical long-range communication. 4/n https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2211124720302059
Next up was an amazing discovery that perception is crucially dependent on the subcortically projecting pyramidal neurons and their dendrites. Another blow to cortical chauvinism!
Work by @na0ya_takahashi, now the head of his own lab in Bordeaux. 5/n https://www.nature.com/articles/s41593-020-0677-8
Work by @na0ya_takahashi, now the head of his own lab in Bordeaux. 5/n https://www.nature.com/articles/s41593-020-0677-8
And here's a paper that is a game changer in understanding memory: Feedback from the perirhinal cortex is necessary for hippocampal-dependent learning. This work was started by Guy Doron, but led to the finish by a brilliant PhD student @jshin92. 6/n https://science.sciencemag.org/content/370/6523/eaaz3136
These are *all* the empirical papers @mattlark had as a last author this year: It is a discovery 
every single time. Quality above quantity.
All these discoveries were done without any pressure by him: He is the sweetest and kindest supervisor I have seen.
A true idol. 7/n
every single time. Quality above quantity.All these discoveries were done without any pressure by him: He is the sweetest and kindest supervisor I have seen.
A true idol. 7/n
If you do not know much about the work of @mattlark, but want to learn more, then here’s a paper that gives an overview of his theory about how the thalamocortical system works and produces consciousness. It was also published in 2020. 8/8 https://www.cell.com/trends/cognitive-sciences/fulltext/S1364-6613(20)30175-3
