Emilie Macé

Compact deep neural network models of the visual cortex Nature - Parsimonious deep neural network models can be used for prediction of visual neuron responses.

DNN models of the brain are getting bigger. Are we replacing one complicated system in vivo with another in silico?

In new work, we seek the *smallest* DNN models of visual cortex, balancing prediction with parsimony.

It turns out these compact models are surprisingly small!

rdcu.be/e5H8G

Visual motion and landmark position align with heading direction in the zebrafish interpeduncular nucleus - Nature Communications How are various visual signals integrated in the vertebrate brain for navigation? Here authors show that different spatial signals are topographically organized and align to one another in the zebrafi...

(1/n) We are excited to share our new paper in Nature Communications, by Hagar Lavian (@hlavian.bsky.social) and team, revealing how the zebrafish brain integrates visual navigation signals! www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Environmental Novelty Modulates Rapid Cortical Plasticity During Navigation In novel environments, animals quickly learn to navigate, and position-correlated spatial representations rapidly emerge in both the retrosplenial cortex (RSC) and primary visual cortex (V1). However,...

How does the brain balance learning new things without overwriting what it already knows? Our new paper tackles this long-standing stability–plasticity dilemma during active navigation. With Tony Drinnenberg from the Deisseroth Lab (@deisseroth.bsky.social)
doi.org/10.1101/2025...

In vivo single-cell gene editing using RNA electroporation reveals sequential adaptation of cortical neurons to excitatory-inhibitory imbalance The balance between excitatory and inhibitory neurotransmission is fundamental for normal brain function, yet the adaptation of individual neurons to disrupted excitatory-inhibitory balance is not wel...

Gene editing of single, targeted neurons in vivo is now feasible. We are proud to present our preprint for highly efficient single-cell electroporation using RNA. With @alex-fratzl.bsky.social, @munzlab.bsky.social, Botond Roska @iobswiss.bsky.social
#neuroskyence
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

Thanks Henry for your hard work!! It was fun indeed :)

Enjoy guys!! 🍾🥳

We currently have open positions for PhD and Postdocs! Interested in learning fUS: please apply!
brainwidenetworks.uni-goettingen.de/open-positio...

Big thanks to our institutions and funding sources for the support—and to everyone on the team for making this discovery possible! 🙏✨ @mbexc.bsky.social @mpiforbi.bsky.social @mcgill.ca @dfg.de

In summary, visual objects refine population-level head-direction coding in postsubiculum, potentially helping the brain’s internal compass anchor to external cues. Whether this extends to other types of spatially tuned neurons remains an exciting open question!
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Illustration: Dorothea Laurence

To test if this effect was specific to objects, we presented two landmarks to the mouse: an object picture or a scrambled version. The boost occurred only with the object!
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At the population level, head-direction cells form a ring attractor. Cells aligned with an object’s direction were boosted, while others were inhibited—showing that objects refine the brain’s internal compass.⚡🧭 A model confirmed the effect when adding an untuned input to the attractor network.
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We then asked: How are visual signals integrated with spatial ones? We teamed up with @apeyrache.bsky.social. Mice were recorded in PoSub while exploring an arena with a landmark, then head-fixed for visual stimulation. Both head-direction cells and fast-spiking interneurons preferred objects!
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To our surprise, spatial navigation areas—not visual cortex—responded strongest to objects! We replicated this in awake and anesthetized mice and confirmed it with electrophysiology. Postsubiculum (PoSub), a hub of the head-direction system, was the top hit! 🎯
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This project began with a paradox: Mice can see objects, yet no dedicated object areas like those in primates had been found. Inspired by early human fMRI studies, we used an unbiased functional ultrasound (fUS) screen to look beyond the visual cortex.
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This was a true team effort, led by the brilliant Domique Siegenthaler, in collaboration with Stuart Trenholm and @apeyrache.bsky.social ! 🙌
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Thrilled to share that our work is now published in Science! ✨

We found a preference for visual objects in the mouse spatial navigation system where they dynamically refine head-direction coding. In short, objects boost our inner compass! 🧭

www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

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To test if this effect was specific to objects, we presented two landmarks to the mouse: an object picture or a scrambled version. The boost occurred only with the object!
7/

At the population level, head-direction cells form a ring attractor. Cells aligned with an object’s direction were boosted, while others were inhibited—showing that objects refine the brain’s internal compass.⚡🧭 A model confirmed the effect when adding an untuned input to the attractor network.
6/

We then asked: How are visual signals integrated with spatial ones? We teamed up with @apeyrache.bsky.social. Mice were recorded in PoSub while exploring an arena with a landmark, then head-fixed for visual stimulation. Both head-direction cells and fast-spiking interneurons preferred objects!
5/

To our surprise, spatial navigation areas—not visual cortex—responded strongest to objects! We replicated this in awake and anesthetized mice and confirmed it with electrophysiology. Postsubiculum (PoSub), a hub of the head-direction system, was the top hit! 🎯

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This project began with a paradox: Mice can see objects, yet no dedicated object areas like those in primates had been found. Inspired by early human fMRI studies, we used an unbiased functional ultrasound (fUS) screen to look beyond the visual cortex.
3/

This was a true team effort, led by the brilliant Domique Siegenthaler, in collaboration with Stuart Trenholm and @apeyrache.bsky.social ! 🙌
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