Ali Mahmoodi
@alimahmoodi.bsky.social
Neuroscientist in Oxford, interested in learning and decision making.
Former engineer, reader, patzer.
Former engineer, reader, patzer.
Reposted by Ali Mahmoodi
🚨 8 months after, this paper found its home at Science Advances. We came up with a generative brain network model based on game theory and found that the human brain is suboptimal both in terms of wiring cost and communication efficiency. Here's why:
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
September 2, 2026 at 6:32 PM
🚨 8 months after, this paper found its home at Science Advances. We came up with a generative brain network model based on game theory and found that the human brain is suboptimal both in terms of wiring cost and communication efficiency. Here's why:
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Reposted by Ali Mahmoodi
My main PhD paper is finally out in Nature Human Behaviour! The question: what cognitive strategies do people use when they teach, and can we nudge them toward a better one? Work with my PhD mentors @yaelniv.bsky.social, @markkho.bsky.social and @cocoscilab.bsky.social. 1/5
Mentalizing and heuristics as distinct cognitive strategies in human teaching
Mentalizing and heuristics as distinct cognitive strategies in human teaching
Nature Human Behaviour, Published online: 26 August 2026; doi:10.1038/s41562-026-02540-2Harootonian et al. find that people switch between effortful, tailored teaching and easier, simple shortcuts, favouring shortcuts even when unhelpful. Prompting participants to reflect on learners’ limitations restores effective, personalized instruction.
dlvr.it
August 26, 2026 at 8:33 PM
My main PhD paper is finally out in Nature Human Behaviour! The question: what cognitive strategies do people use when they teach, and can we nudge them toward a better one? Work with my PhD mentors @yaelniv.bsky.social, @markkho.bsky.social and @cocoscilab.bsky.social. 1/5
Reposted by Ali Mahmoodi
I am happy to share some good news: my lab has received an NSF CAREER award and an NIH R01 this summer, supporting our work on how the brain handles uncertainty during learning. We will be hiring postdocs and PhD students in the coming year, so please get by email in touch if you are interested.
August 28, 2026 at 5:23 PM
I am happy to share some good news: my lab has received an NSF CAREER award and an NIH R01 this summer, supporting our work on how the brain handles uncertainty during learning. We will be hiring postdocs and PhD students in the coming year, so please get by email in touch if you are interested.
Reposted by Ali Mahmoodi
Our paper "Neural timescales from a computational perspective" is finally out in @natneuro.nature.com:
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
We discuss how computational models and methods can distill empirical observations on neural timescales into quantitative, testable theories of brain computation.
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
We discuss how computational models and methods can distill empirical observations on neural timescales into quantitative, testable theories of brain computation.
Neural timescales from a computational perspective - Nature Neuroscience
This review integrates computational approaches to provide a unified view on how data analysis methods, biophysical mechanistic models and machine learning approaches can help to uncover the origins a...
www.nature.com
July 7, 2026 at 9:55 PM
Our paper "Neural timescales from a computational perspective" is finally out in @natneuro.nature.com:
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
We discuss how computational models and methods can distill empirical observations on neural timescales into quantitative, testable theories of brain computation.
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
We discuss how computational models and methods can distill empirical observations on neural timescales into quantitative, testable theories of brain computation.
Reposted by Ali Mahmoodi
How does the human brain extract abstract structure from experience? We show that sensory-independent relational representations emerge in mPFC over several days.
Work with @mgarvert.bsky.social and @behrenstimb.bsky.social now out in @currentbiology.bsky.social:
www.cell.com/current-biol...
Work with @mgarvert.bsky.social and @behrenstimb.bsky.social now out in @currentbiology.bsky.social:
www.cell.com/current-biol...
June 29, 2026 at 9:35 PM
How does the human brain extract abstract structure from experience? We show that sensory-independent relational representations emerge in mPFC over several days.
Work with @mgarvert.bsky.social and @behrenstimb.bsky.social now out in @currentbiology.bsky.social:
www.cell.com/current-biol...
Work with @mgarvert.bsky.social and @behrenstimb.bsky.social now out in @currentbiology.bsky.social:
www.cell.com/current-biol...
Reposted by Ali Mahmoodi
Why does dopamine ramp up during approach to predictable rewards?
In this preprint with Luke Priestley, we explore the idea that dopamine ramps occur when reward predictions inferred using a world-model are used to train striatal cached values.
In this preprint with Luke Priestley, we explore the idea that dopamine ramps occur when reward predictions inferred using a world-model are used to train striatal cached values.
Dopamine ramps as a normative consequence of dual-process control
Midbrain dopamine neurons are thought to implement a temporal difference (TD) reward prediction error (RPE) that updates cached values stored in striatum. This has been challenged by evidence that dop...
www.biorxiv.org
June 15, 2026 at 8:08 AM
Why does dopamine ramp up during approach to predictable rewards?
In this preprint with Luke Priestley, we explore the idea that dopamine ramps occur when reward predictions inferred using a world-model are used to train striatal cached values.
In this preprint with Luke Priestley, we explore the idea that dopamine ramps occur when reward predictions inferred using a world-model are used to train striatal cached values.
Reposted by Ali Mahmoodi
How do brains plan actions towards goals?
To get at this question we studied mice navigating complex mazes as goals changed on every trial 🧵
Work with @thomasakam.bsky.social @behrenstimb.bsky.social @kristorpjensen.bsky.social now on BioRxiv: www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
To get at this question we studied mice navigating complex mazes as goals changed on every trial 🧵
Work with @thomasakam.bsky.social @behrenstimb.bsky.social @kristorpjensen.bsky.social now on BioRxiv: www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
June 11, 2026 at 10:49 AM
How do brains plan actions towards goals?
To get at this question we studied mice navigating complex mazes as goals changed on every trial 🧵
Work with @thomasakam.bsky.social @behrenstimb.bsky.social @kristorpjensen.bsky.social now on BioRxiv: www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
To get at this question we studied mice navigating complex mazes as goals changed on every trial 🧵
Work with @thomasakam.bsky.social @behrenstimb.bsky.social @kristorpjensen.bsky.social now on BioRxiv: www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
Reposted by Ali Mahmoodi
This project builds on work establishing the behaviour done at Champalimaud in Lisbon with @michaelfsp.bsky.social, Beatriz Godinho, Christian Machens, and @ruimcosta.bsky.social : www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
Flexible route planning and rapid structure learning by mice in complex environments
Action selection using predictive models of the environment plays a fundamental role in human and animal behaviour, yet is poorly understood at circuit and algorithmic levels. Spatial navigation is an...
www.biorxiv.org
June 11, 2026 at 5:00 PM
This project builds on work establishing the behaviour done at Champalimaud in Lisbon with @michaelfsp.bsky.social, Beatriz Godinho, Christian Machens, and @ruimcosta.bsky.social : www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
Reposted by Ali Mahmoodi
1/11 Happy to share our TICS paper on using the flexibility of one of the most basic cognitive functions, perception, to understand one of the most complex cognitive dysfunctions, psychiatric conditions (also my first formal work in computational psychiatry 🎉)
📄: www.cell.com/trends/cogni...
🧵 : 👇
📄: www.cell.com/trends/cogni...
🧵 : 👇
June 9, 2026 at 3:02 PM
1/11 Happy to share our TICS paper on using the flexibility of one of the most basic cognitive functions, perception, to understand one of the most complex cognitive dysfunctions, psychiatric conditions (also my first formal work in computational psychiatry 🎉)
📄: www.cell.com/trends/cogni...
🧵 : 👇
📄: www.cell.com/trends/cogni...
🧵 : 👇
Looking forward to it!
Coming up next week at the SoCR lab talk series is @alimahmoodi.bsky.social, who will be discussing his recent thought-provoking perspective, which advocates for a computational view of neural mechanisms of social cognition (contra an anatomical one).
June 4, 2026 at 7:51 AM
Looking forward to it!
Reposted by Ali Mahmoodi
My undergraduate thesis, "Distinct patterns of social contagion under risk and ambiguity", is now published online at @commspsychol.nature.com
Deeply grateful for the guidance and constant support of Dr. Qingtian Mi, Prof. Jian Li, and Prof. Lusha Zhu.
Deeply grateful for the guidance and constant support of Dr. Qingtian Mi, Prof. Jian Li, and Prof. Lusha Zhu.
May 15, 2026 at 10:59 PM
My undergraduate thesis, "Distinct patterns of social contagion under risk and ambiguity", is now published online at @commspsychol.nature.com
Deeply grateful for the guidance and constant support of Dr. Qingtian Mi, Prof. Jian Li, and Prof. Lusha Zhu.
Deeply grateful for the guidance and constant support of Dr. Qingtian Mi, Prof. Jian Li, and Prof. Lusha Zhu.
Reposted by Ali Mahmoodi
New Annual Review with @nathanieldaw.bsky.social: “Planning in the Brain: It's Not What You Think It Is.” We argue that the brain's 'planning' machinery is mostly used for learning from simulated experience, and that thinking prospectively at decision time is just one special case of this process.
Planning in the Brain: It's Not What You Think It Is
The neuroscience of planning has long been analogized to search algorithms in artificial intelligence (AI), which simulate future actions to guide immediate choices. We argue that advances in both neu...
www.annualreviews.org
April 21, 2026 at 3:27 PM
New Annual Review with @nathanieldaw.bsky.social: “Planning in the Brain: It's Not What You Think It Is.” We argue that the brain's 'planning' machinery is mostly used for learning from simulated experience, and that thinking prospectively at decision time is just one special case of this process.
Reposted by Ali Mahmoodi
Excited that my paper on metacontrol in humans and neural networks with @summerfieldlab.bsky.social and @lhuntneuro.bsky.social is out in PNAS! We examine the way that predictive representations of control enable behavioral adaptation across settings, and pathologies: www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
March 26, 2026 at 12:38 AM
Excited that my paper on metacontrol in humans and neural networks with @summerfieldlab.bsky.social and @lhuntneuro.bsky.social is out in PNAS! We examine the way that predictive representations of control enable behavioral adaptation across settings, and pathologies: www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
Reposted by Ali Mahmoodi
Our work on how neural circuits in the cerebellum encode prior probabilities led by Julius Koppen is out now in Nature Neuroscience www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Big thanks to Julius Koppen & the whole team! And dedicated to all of us who found inspiration in Bayesian theories of the brain!
Big thanks to Julius Koppen & the whole team! And dedicated to all of us who found inspiration in Bayesian theories of the brain!
Neural circuits encode prior knowledge of temporal statistics - Nature Neuroscience
This study shows that cerebellar circuits learn and encode prior probabilities of event timing. Cell-type-specific neural activity reflects environmental statistics and guides predictive motor behavio...
www.nature.com
April 14, 2026 at 1:17 PM
Our work on how neural circuits in the cerebellum encode prior probabilities led by Julius Koppen is out now in Nature Neuroscience www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Big thanks to Julius Koppen & the whole team! And dedicated to all of us who found inspiration in Bayesian theories of the brain!
Big thanks to Julius Koppen & the whole team! And dedicated to all of us who found inspiration in Bayesian theories of the brain!
Reposted by Ali Mahmoodi
Categorization is ‘baked’ into the brain — a Perspective by Lisa Feldman Barrett & Earl K. Miller
@lisafeldmanbarrett.com @earlkmiller.bsky.social
#neuroscience #neuroskyence
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
@lisafeldmanbarrett.com @earlkmiller.bsky.social
#neuroscience #neuroskyence
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Categorization is ‘baked’ into the brain - Nature Reviews Neuroscience
Categorization, the grouping of objects, living organisms, actions or events into equivalence clusters, is fundamental to adaptive behaviour. In this Perspective, Barrett and Miller discuss evidence t...
www.nature.com
April 13, 2026 at 2:09 PM
Categorization is ‘baked’ into the brain — a Perspective by Lisa Feldman Barrett & Earl K. Miller
@lisafeldmanbarrett.com @earlkmiller.bsky.social
#neuroscience #neuroskyence
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
@lisafeldmanbarrett.com @earlkmiller.bsky.social
#neuroscience #neuroskyence
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Reposted by Ali Mahmoodi
🔔PREPRINT: Sleep ripples drive single-neuron reactivation for human memory consolidation
1/9: How does sleep support human memory consolidation? To test this, we recorded hundreds of neurons in the human medial temporal lobe (MTL) across learning, wakefulness, and sleep.
doi.org/10.64898/202...
1/9: How does sleep support human memory consolidation? To test this, we recorded hundreds of neurons in the human medial temporal lobe (MTL) across learning, wakefulness, and sleep.
doi.org/10.64898/202...
doi.org
March 31, 2026 at 1:52 PM
🔔PREPRINT: Sleep ripples drive single-neuron reactivation for human memory consolidation
1/9: How does sleep support human memory consolidation? To test this, we recorded hundreds of neurons in the human medial temporal lobe (MTL) across learning, wakefulness, and sleep.
doi.org/10.64898/202...
1/9: How does sleep support human memory consolidation? To test this, we recorded hundreds of neurons in the human medial temporal lobe (MTL) across learning, wakefulness, and sleep.
doi.org/10.64898/202...
Reposted by Ali Mahmoodi
Using non-invasive ultrasonic neuromodulation to boost threat extinction.
Finally able to causally unravel amygdala computations in healthy humans.
I’ve been dreaming about these capabilities for years and it still feels magical. Pinch me, I can hardly believe how strong these effects are.
Finally able to causally unravel amygdala computations in healthy humans.
I’ve been dreaming about these capabilities for years and it still feels magical. Pinch me, I can hardly believe how strong these effects are.
🧠 What makes threat memories so hard to forget? 🐍😱
Using focused ultrasound we provide causal evidence that the human amygdala drives rapid threat learning 🐍⚡ and determines how resistant those memories become to subsequent extinction 🐍🚫
🆕📄 www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Using focused ultrasound we provide causal evidence that the human amygdala drives rapid threat learning 🐍⚡ and determines how resistant those memories become to subsequent extinction 🐍🚫
🆕📄 www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
The human amygdala in threat learning and extinction
Ultrasonic neuromodulation of the human amygdala provides causal evidence for its role in forming persistent threat memories.
www.science.org
March 26, 2026 at 9:29 AM
Using non-invasive ultrasonic neuromodulation to boost threat extinction.
Finally able to causally unravel amygdala computations in healthy humans.
I’ve been dreaming about these capabilities for years and it still feels magical. Pinch me, I can hardly believe how strong these effects are.
Finally able to causally unravel amygdala computations in healthy humans.
I’ve been dreaming about these capabilities for years and it still feels magical. Pinch me, I can hardly believe how strong these effects are.
Reposted by Ali Mahmoodi
Clarifying the conceptual dimensions of representation in neuroscience — a Perspective by Stephan Pohl, Edgar Y. Walker, David L. Barack, Jennifer Lee, Rachel N. Denison, Ned Block, Florent Meyniel & Wei Ji Ma
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Clarifying the conceptual dimensions of representation in neuroscience - Nature Reviews Neuroscience
Appeals to representation are widespread, despite neuroscientists’ uncertainty about what kind of findings count as evidence for such claims. In this Perspective, Pohl and colleagues develop a unified...
www.nature.com
March 20, 2026 at 4:56 PM
Clarifying the conceptual dimensions of representation in neuroscience — a Perspective by Stephan Pohl, Edgar Y. Walker, David L. Barack, Jennifer Lee, Rachel N. Denison, Ned Block, Florent Meyniel & Wei Ji Ma
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Reposted by Ali Mahmoodi
To accommodate applicants and PIs attending Cosyne, we’ve extended the MCN application deadline to Sunday, Mar 22.
Please repost.
Please repost.
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.
Four weeks of computational + systems neuroscience, hands-on training, and close interaction with an exceptional faculty.
The deadline for applying to the Methods in Computational Neuroscience summer course at MBL in Woods Hole is approaching (March 16)! An exciting course with an amazing lineup of lecturers in a beautiful location www.mbl.edu/education/ad...
March 16, 2026 at 8:03 PM
To accommodate applicants and PIs attending Cosyne, we’ve extended the MCN application deadline to Sunday, Mar 22.
Please repost.
Please repost.
Reposted by Ali Mahmoodi
Check out our new preprint!
We directly tested a common assumption in neuroimaging:
Is resting-state the best estimate of intrinsic organization?
Spoiler: Across datasets and brain systems, multi-task fMRI did better.
👇
We directly tested a common assumption in neuroimaging:
Is resting-state the best estimate of intrinsic organization?
Spoiler: Across datasets and brain systems, multi-task fMRI did better.
👇
Multi-task fMRI outperforms resting-state fMRI for revealing task-invariant organization of the human brain https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.03.09.710558v1
March 10, 2026 at 7:25 PM
Check out our new preprint!
We directly tested a common assumption in neuroimaging:
Is resting-state the best estimate of intrinsic organization?
Spoiler: Across datasets and brain systems, multi-task fMRI did better.
👇
We directly tested a common assumption in neuroimaging:
Is resting-state the best estimate of intrinsic organization?
Spoiler: Across datasets and brain systems, multi-task fMRI did better.
👇
We review studies showing that when brain areas face similar computational demands in social and non-social context, they perform the same computations. We argue that exaptation (repurposing of traits for new functions) played a key role in brain evolution.
Computational origins of cortical brain circuits for social cognition — a Perspective article by Ali Mahmoodi & Matthew F. S. Rushworth
@alimahmoodi.bsky.social
#neuroscience #neuroskyence
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
@alimahmoodi.bsky.social
#neuroscience #neuroskyence
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Computational origins of cortical brain circuits for social cognition - Nature Reviews Neuroscience
Brain activity in regions traditionally linked to social cognition in primates also supports analogous computational demands in non-social contexts. In this Perspective, Mahmoodi and Rushworth examine...
www.nature.com
February 16, 2026 at 5:38 PM
We review studies showing that when brain areas face similar computational demands in social and non-social context, they perform the same computations. We argue that exaptation (repurposing of traits for new functions) played a key role in brain evolution.
Amazing work.
Very excited to post our paper led by @daburke.bsky.social www.nature.com/articles/s41... where we uncover a simple mathematical rule underlying how brains learn that a cue predicts a reward. 1/26
Duration between rewards controls the rate of behavioral and dopaminergic learning - Nature Neuroscience
Cue–reward learning rate scales proportionally with the time between rewards. Consequently, learning over a fixed duration is independent of the number of trials. This challenges trial-based dopamine ...
www.nature.com
February 15, 2026 at 9:19 PM
Amazing work.
Neural population geometry and optimal coding of tasks with shared latent structure
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Neural population geometry and optimal coding of tasks with shared latent structure - Nature Neuroscience
The authors analytically determine how neuronal correlations and geometry collectively determine readout generalization across tasks and show how these geometric features follow distinct trajectories ...
www.nature.com
February 11, 2026 at 12:06 PM
Neural population geometry and optimal coding of tasks with shared latent structure
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Reposted by Ali Mahmoodi
🧵 New paper in @NatureComms
Feedback-induced attitudinal changes in risk preferences
Nasioulas, Potier, Cerrotti, Lebreton & me (2026)
Does feedback really improve risky decision-making? Short answer: no! it changes attitudes, not learning. 👇
rdcu.be/e0VcO
Feedback-induced attitudinal changes in risk preferences
Nasioulas, Potier, Cerrotti, Lebreton & me (2026)
Does feedback really improve risky decision-making? Short answer: no! it changes attitudes, not learning. 👇
rdcu.be/e0VcO
Feedback-induced attitudinal changes in risk preferences
Nature Communications - Normative theory predicts that feedback should not affect decisions under risk, but past findings disagree. Here, the authors show that feedback shifts risk-taking by...
rdcu.be
January 27, 2026 at 12:12 PM
🧵 New paper in @NatureComms
Feedback-induced attitudinal changes in risk preferences
Nasioulas, Potier, Cerrotti, Lebreton & me (2026)
Does feedback really improve risky decision-making? Short answer: no! it changes attitudes, not learning. 👇
rdcu.be/e0VcO
Feedback-induced attitudinal changes in risk preferences
Nasioulas, Potier, Cerrotti, Lebreton & me (2026)
Does feedback really improve risky decision-making? Short answer: no! it changes attitudes, not learning. 👇
rdcu.be/e0VcO
Reposted by Ali Mahmoodi
Wanna compare dynamics across neural data, RNNs, or dynamical systems? We got a fast and furious method🏎️
The 1st preprint of my PhD 🥳 fast dynamical similarity analysis (fastDSA):
📜: arxiv.org/abs/2511.22828
💻: github.com/CMC-lab/fast...
I’ll be @cosynemeeting.bsky.social - happy to chat 😉
The 1st preprint of my PhD 🥳 fast dynamical similarity analysis (fastDSA):
📜: arxiv.org/abs/2511.22828
💻: github.com/CMC-lab/fast...
I’ll be @cosynemeeting.bsky.social - happy to chat 😉
January 8, 2026 at 4:08 PM
Wanna compare dynamics across neural data, RNNs, or dynamical systems? We got a fast and furious method🏎️
The 1st preprint of my PhD 🥳 fast dynamical similarity analysis (fastDSA):
📜: arxiv.org/abs/2511.22828
💻: github.com/CMC-lab/fast...
I’ll be @cosynemeeting.bsky.social - happy to chat 😉
The 1st preprint of my PhD 🥳 fast dynamical similarity analysis (fastDSA):
📜: arxiv.org/abs/2511.22828
💻: github.com/CMC-lab/fast...
I’ll be @cosynemeeting.bsky.social - happy to chat 😉