Marcus Kaiser

How do #connectomes develop and change over time? You may consider the book Changing Connectomes from @mitpress Sample content at: dynamic-connectome.org/pubs/sample_co… You can order at: uk.bookshop.org/shop/connectom… or tiny.cc/connectome #neuroscience #psychology #NeuralNetworks #Brain

Godfather of neuroscience and author of The free energy principle (active inference), Karl Friston @KarlFristonNews , discussed with me his take on AGI, consciousness, why we will never fully understand the brain, and why humans tend to repeat their mistakes. Key moments: - You'll know AGI has arrived when the system starts asking you questions out of genuine curiosity, not because it was prompted to - You cannot hand an intelligent system a value function from the outside, it must learn its own, just as children do (in that sense, RL with assigned reward is the wrong direction) - The only sustainable universal objective function is adaptive fitness: how well the agent fits and survives within its ecosystem - Consciousness requires multiple layers: genuine agency, a self-reflective loop, and the ability to recognize your own states of mind - True sentience may be impossible on standard computer architecture, because memory and processing are separate and cannot self-organize - Understanding your own brain is philosophically impossible in the same way a ruler cannot measure itself - Neuroscience is always "peeking behind" the Markov blanket indirectly: through imaging, electrophysiology, psychology — never seeing inside directly - The only way to truly access the brain is to breach that boundary (e.g. neurosurgery), but a breached brain is no longer a normally functioning one Watch the full interview and let me know what you think. Link below👇

I get a lot of spam from predatory journals, but this is really low effort: 🤣

🧠 #METABRAIN_EU and @NeuroGeneticsCy launch a new online seminar series on computational neuroscience & non-invasive #neuromodulation. 📣 First seminar: 26 February, with Marcus Kaiser (@ConnectomeLab, @UniofNottingham). 👉 meta-brain.eu/events/seminar… #Neuroscience #BrainScience

Great to be featured in the latest episode of FUS Forward regarding NeurGear's and our ultrasound vagus nerve stimulation research and development: Spotify: open.spotify.com/episode/0z8Ory… Apple Podcasts: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ep-… NeurGear's Zenbud System: zenbud.health

Marianna has recently returned from her research visit @UniofNottingham #UK. She would like to sincerely thank Prof. Marcus Kaiser and the members of his lab @ConnectomeLab for providing such an enriching and educational experience, and @BritishNeuro for their generous support.

@KapsetakiTwins @UniofNottingham @BritishNeuro Glad you visited our lab and happy to keep collaborating in the future!

Open PhD position in our lab: noninvasive ultrasound vagus nerve stimulation as an intervention for mental health conditions such as depression Deadline: Fri 9 Jan Apply here: findaphd.com/phds/project/t…

Searching for a Christmas present for a #neuroscience, #psychology, or #NeuralNetworks researcher? You may consider 'Changing Connectomes: Evolution, Development, and Dynamics in Network Neuroscience' from @mitpress mitpress.mit.edu/books/changing…

Happy to be involved in this research, led by my colleague Dr Jeyoung Jung: Transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation enhances emotional bias towards happiness in healthy young adults: A comparative study of electrical and ultrasound stimulation biorxiv.org/content/10.110… Thrilled to share our latest preprint exploring how non-invasive vagus nerve stimulation can shape emotional processing in healthy young adults. 🔍 What we investigated: We compared electrical (E-taVNS) and ultrasound (U-taVNS) stimulation (zenbud.health ) while participants completed a facial emotion bias task. ✨ Key findings: Both E-taVNS and U-taVNS shifted emotional bias toward more positive interpretations, even for ambiguous faces. Comparable efficacy across modalities. Ultrasound stimulation showed better tolerability, suggesting strong potential for long-term use. Interoceptive awareness predicted individual variability in taVNS effects. 💡 Why it matters: These results highlight taVNS as a promising, well-tolerated tool for modulating emotional bias, with potential applications in mood and anxiety disorders. @FUSFoundation @NeurGear #mood #neuromodulation

Excited to share that our paper is out in PLOS Computational Biology! 🚀 🔗 journals.plos.org/ploscompbiol/a… Joining forces between two fantastic laboratories @NPLab_ @ConnectomeLab 🔥

Join us as PhD student using noninvasive ultrasound neuromodulation on the project 'Reducing pain reactivity for children in the Emergency Department using non-invasive vagal nerve stimulation' Find more information at midlandsmhndtp.ac.uk/applications/2… #ultrasound #neuromodulation #Zenbud

Good to see so many Nottingham researchers at the @Brainbox_Init neuromodulation meeting! A great meeting with ideas that we can bring home to our N3 neurotechnology centre nottingham.ac.uk/news/centre-la… #tus #tms #tacs

Just looked at when "Essential Medicines" (as per the WHO) were launched. More before 1950 than since 1985. Modern biomedical science trembles at the feet of regulatory, social, and economic clag.

New: Zenbud ultrasound vagus nerve stimulation sham device cannot be distinguished from active device mdpi.com/2076-3425/15/9… We are now performing sham-controlled studies to observe cognitive and physiological effects... #ultrasound #vagusnerve #neuromodulation @MDPIOpenAccess

Interesting to see that the UK is number 2 worldwide (after the USA) in terms of consumer neurotech employment, number of companies, and funding deals... From Peter Schlecht's neurotech report at gppi.net/assets/Hensing…

The Foundation’s most comprehensive report detailing progress in the field of focused ultrasound is live! Our 2025 State of the Field Report is now offered in two formats: •Interactive Digital Platform (New) Explore regularly updated data on our website, organized by indication, treatment site, manufacturer, approvals, coverage, and more. •Downloadable PDF Report The traditional report format provides a complete snapshot of the field, along with historical context and long-term trends, perfect for in-depth analysis and reference. Learn more: ow.ly/k9hY50WHz1K

Great to see that the next generation of NeurGear's Zenbud ultrasound vagus nerve stimulator is now on sale! First results show reductions in anxiety (neuro.jmir.org/2025/1/e69770 ). Find out more about the device here: zenbud.health/pages/anxiety

Interested in Network hubs, cortical hierarchies, and gradients? Ever wonder where they come from? Check out our latest review, where we cover different approaches to mapping hubs, models for their evolution, and mechanisms for how they develop: osf.io/preprints/osf/…

A clinical trial testing low-intensity focused ultrasound neuromodulation in Alzheimer’s has shown encouraging outcomes, including statistically significant improvements in memory and functional connectivity in the brain. Read the published results: ow.ly/OTH450WE2NK

Are you a registered healthcare professional searching for a PhD position? Using Zenbud #ultrasound #vagusnerve stimulation (see below), the PhD position with me and Ben Marson is about 'Reducing pain reactivity for children in Emergency Departments' midlandsmhndtp.ac.uk/uon-studentshi…