Gaia Tavoni
physicist and theoretical neuroscientist
- Couldn't be prouder of my team at #SfN25 - Timothy and Kaining crushed their poster session yesterday! 😁
- I will always be grateful for the immense -- and unique -- contribution the Swartz Program made in supporting theoretical neuroscience over the past 30 years. Its closure leaves a profound void. doi.org/10.53053/FPR...
- Our paper on the memory capacity of heterogeneous networks is now published in PRX Life! First author: Kaining Zhang. Congratulations, Kaining! journals.aps.org/prxlife/abst...
- We derived an analytical formula for the maximal memory capacity of networks with heterogeneous neuron activation rates (coding levels) and arbitrary connectivity architectures. Using this result, we made normative predictions about the properties that maximize capacity in brain-inspired networks.
- Although heterogeneity in neuron coding levels and inward connection counts (in-degrees) generally reduces capacity, maximal capacity is retained when these two parameters are correlated.
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View full threadFinally, in bipartite models of the CA3-DG circuit in the hippocampus, a wiring strategy called "quasi-indexing" can boost memory capacity and protect stored information even when some neurons are lost, offering new insights into how the brain encodes and safeguards memories.
- Reposted by Gaia TavoniThe conundrum of the undergrad neuro program: should it be deeply quantitative or not? How do you design a single program that accommodates both students drawn to eg behavioral neuro & those interested in the intersection with maths? & not being only premed? Blake shares an interesting story 👇
- Reposted by Gaia TavoniChi ci guadagna dai dazi di Trump? Cosa c'entra la #Cina? In questo video vi voglio raccontare la strategia estorsiva di #Trump, cioè quella di portare gli stati a negoziare alle sue condizioni, e cosa c'entra la mafia con tutto questo.
- Reposted by Gaia TavoniOne can reckon that the landscape of science funding is changing in the United States. Whatever happens, I do hope that we see more targeted focused organizations adding up a new dimension to what the traditional university departments and industry research labs were/are doing.
- "Organizations like @hhmijanelia.bsky.social, the @arcinstitute.org, and a whole class of nonprofit start-ups called focused research organizations are instead using philanthropic dollars to build tools that could accelerate scientific progress." www.nytimes.com/2025/03/19/o...
- Reposted by Gaia TavoniExcited to join @WashUPhysics as an assistant professor in Fall 2025! My group will develop non-equilibrium statistical physics to study criticality in biology—biomolecular condensates, gene regulation & adaptive immune systems. DM for postdoc/grad openings! #myphysicsjourney
- New ms! www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1... I developed a normative coding theory for feedback-modulated canonical networks, providing a unified view of (1) efficient & predictive coding, (2) computational & algorithmic principles, (3) unimodal & multimodal sensory processing.
- (1) The study shows that in feedback-modulated canonical networks, efficient coding automatically generates predictive codes, where stimuli from one modality can serve as predictors for stimuli in another modality. Cross-modal 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦 computations are an emergent property of 𝘦𝘧𝘧𝘪𝘤𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘵 codes.
- (2) The study demonstrates how efficient and predictive 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘶𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 are concurrently supported by a shared neural substrate and how different network components can implement these computations at the 𝘢𝘭𝘨𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘮𝘪𝘤 level.
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View full threadHere, we began to bridge computational and algorithmic perspectives on sensory coding, integrating multimodal function. In an upcoming study, we will further connect computational and implementational perspectives, moving toward a full integration of Marr's triad. Stay tuned!
