Nicole Rust

Professor (UPenn). Brain researcher. Science advocate. Book: Elusive Cures (2025). https://press.princeton.edu/books/hardcover/9780691243054/elusive-cures

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Last Notes

2025-12-31 10:19:19 GMT

Crowdsourcing: Scales for degrees of evidence
I'm looking for simple scales (eg 0-5) that capture degreees of evidence for (scientific) claims. A bit along the lines of this one but perhaps a bit more generic. Know any?
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41583-022-00583-8
https://media.neuromatch.social/media_attachments/files/115/813/667/252/653/172/original/9b6b34a4851b1f60.jpeg

2025-12-10 20:26:57 GMT

HUGE news for brain research. I'll be cheering Doris on the entire way!
https://astera.org/neuroscientist-doris-tsao-joins-astera-to-lead-its-new-neuroscience-program/

2025-11-01 11:57:22 GMT

It’s the #FediBookFair! Let me tell you about Elusive Cures. It describes my quest to understand why we’ve been struggling to treat brain & mental conditions, from Alzheimer’s to depression, & what we plan to do about it. Its message is optimistic.
“An ambitious study of the search for cures to Huntington’s, Parkinson’s, schizophrenia, depression, Alzheimer’s, and ALS. . . . pepper[ed] with fascinating anecdotes . . . . The result is a cogent and impassioned account."—Publishers Weekly
You can get it at my fav local bookstore (and many other places):
https://www.headhousebooks.com/book/9780691243054
I also narrated it if you like to listen instead. And if you’d like to learn more, scroll to the bottom of this page for reviews, podcasts, interviews and such:
https://www.nicolecrust.com/elusive-cures
https://media.neuromatch.social/media_attachments/files/115/474/294/831/723/568/original/44c581d024f0288b.jpeg

2025-10-29 22:20:59 GMT

Wow. The first woman to receive tenure in Physics at Harvard dropped out of high school to form an alternative school with friends and later codiscovered the top quark and Higgs boson. (And psst: she supports PhD students & loves books).💙
https://www.physics.harvard.edu/people/facpages/franklin

2025-10-07 22:14:46 GMT

Please spread the word! I am recruiting a PhD student this cycle (Fall 2026 start) to join my team in a new venture: the neuroscience of mood.
If you are curious to learn more, this short talk provides a good overview of why, what and how.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=gjIKiNk0xp4
More info on the terrific Penn Psychology PhD program here:
https://psychology.sas.upenn.edu/graduate/information-applicants

2025-08-27 11:32:08 GMT

Not all scientists appreciate the "why" behind science writing for the public - not just as a service, but for themselves. (I didn't always get it). In this piece for Nature Reviews Neuroscience, I draw on the neuroscience of curiosity & decision making to unpack its value.
Share link - open to all:
https://rdcu.be/eCGr7

2025-08-26 22:06:15 GMT

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@nprofile…2gcn
Thank you!!

2025-08-22 15:39:35 GMT

Flattered to be profiled by Stories of WiN, in conversation with Melissa Franch & written by Sydney Smith. Here, I reflect on my professional journey from how I chose my mentors, what inspired me to write a book & why I shifted to mood research on the other side. Also, on how I interpret & lean into my own emotions (for the latter, check out the podcast).
https://www.storiesofwin.org/profiles/2025/8/20/dr-nicole-rust
If you aren't familiar with this project, check out their mission statement; this group is inspiring:
"There are many viable paths to and through a neuroscience research career. However, academic culture often pressures scientists into hiding their uncertainties, setbacks, and the quirks of their career journeys in order to preserve a certain status in the scientific community. Newer generations of scientists are pushing back against this dominant culture by cultivating a more modern one—one that encourages its members to share their unique stories and perspectives. Importantly, this new atmosphere also places value on all voices, not just the voices and ideologies of those who traditionally hold the most power in academia."
https://www.storiesofwin.org/our-mission
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2025-08-18 19:23:46 GMT

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@nprofile…kyj5
Yeah & sigh!

2025-08-11 15:47:23 GMT

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@nprofile…frjf
What a terrific service - thank you!!

2025-08-11 15:44:41 GMT

An uplifting & fun conversation on the Giant's Shoulder podcast. Evan
brings an infectious energy as we work through some of biggest Qs in brain/mind research today: neurodiversity, treatments vs cures, microbiomes, complexity, consciousness, AI, depression, models of mood, and psychedelics.
On these enormous questions, one thing I was happy to stick my neck out around: "It's not that minds don't matter; it's not that environments don't matter, but the genius of this era is brain research; that's where the big progress is going to happen in the next 10 years (because that's the era we live in)."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=etwmM8yEToQ&feature=youtu.be

2025-08-09 19:53:16 GMT

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@nprofile…evrs
I love this sentiment! I could be the reply gal who points out this is not true of the cells that do old friend recognition, but no one needs a reply gal 💙.
https://www.thenakedscientists.com/articles/questions/why-do-neurons-not-regenerate

2025-08-08 20:53:17 GMT

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@nprofile…f0cm
Thank you!

2025-08-08 12:33:57 GMT

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@nprofile…zsf8
Great to hear your thoughts!

2025-08-05 07:42:18 GMT

Celebrating UK publication day!
What will it take to understand the most formidable brain disorders, from Alzheimer's to depression?
The book is intended for both general readers and scientists. The feedback thus far has been positive, and heartwarming 💙.
https://press.princeton.edu/books/hardcover/9780691243054/elusive-cures
I've updated my webpage with links to excerpts, interviews, podcasts, and reviews (scroll to the bottom for).
https://www.nicolecrust.com/elusive-cures
Among the most heartwarming messages are the ones in my inbox. Gratitude from a mother of a woman who met a tragic end following depression. Gratitude from a man recovering from a stroke. Appreciation from a librarian for a "wonderful" book this is "accessible without dumbing it down". Appreciation from several colleagues.
And there's an email I think about nearly everyday with a big smile — one from a 13 year old who found Elusive Cures in an airport and was hungry to learn more about "something that we have had since the beginning of existence" where "so many things are still being discovered". A book (by Francis Crick) inspired my own career in neuroscience; I've always dreamed of paying it forward.
Writing Elusive Cures was the most ambitious and intimidating project I've engaged in thus far. This heartwarming feedback reaffirms all the time I invested writing it, and I'm grateful. 🙏

2025-07-29 17:49:06 GMT

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@nprofile…848r
A really great piece - thank you for it! As quoted, I’m very excited about this work. I also appreciate the diversity of opinions expressed - both why and whether.

2025-07-23 22:41:13 GMT

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@nprofile…vvjp
Cheering you on from afar across this journey. Very inspiring. Best wishes for these next, first steps.

2025-06-28 12:22:18 GMT

Check out these 5 Big Ideas (audio and text) from my new book, Elusive Cures. All centered around the question: What will it take to treat & cure the most formidable brain disorders?
Thank you @nprofile…3ej4 for selecting Elusive Cures to profile.
https://nextbigideaclub.com/magazine/neuroscientists-bold-proposal-solving-brain-disorders-bookbite/56151/
The book (Chapter 1 available free for preview):
https://press.princeton.edu/books/hardcover/9780691243054/elusive-cures

2025-06-26 11:04:42 GMT

The Human Affectome (2024). Over 170 authors!
It took me awhile to wrap my head around the what this paper is about - it's about organizing the "phenomena of interest" in emotion research. I've spoken to some of the authors but if anyone is game to share more of the backstory, I'd love to hear it.
To unpack that a bit: One age-old issue is that some scientific arguments boil down to scientists trying to explain different things (like what emotions are versus why they exist). Here, the authors argue for a distinction between "affective concerns" (like safety) and "affective features" (like emotions are valenced to either good or bad).
Loosely, the first is a "Why do emotions exist?" question & the second is "What are emotions?" question (but I'm not certain where that mapping breaks down).
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0149763423004190?via%3Dihub

2025-06-23 11:35:37 GMT

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@nprofile…wa92 @nprofile…n7e2
Great points. And thanks for this reference - I did not know it!

2025-06-23 11:35:06 GMT

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@nprofile…wa92 @nprofile…uc38
I agree - it's very do able!

2025-06-23 11:33:27 GMT

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@nprofile…uc38 @nprofile…wa92 @nprofile…n7e2
I agree with a lot of what you've said here (no suprise). But at the end of the day, we do have to use words to communicate (and it's helpful if there's a lot of overlap in language) .... Personally, I'm a much bigger fan of "lumping" (like the field of memory does) and distinguishing flavors with modifiers (recognition memory, recollection memory ...) than holding a high bar for the familiar term (like "emotion") and relegating everything else to "less than".
As for the Science paper - I see value in it. For a long while, researchers have been trying to "measure emotions" in the brain, and we've fallen short of being able to measure them with precision. This is among a genre of research that illustrates how to go about it, and circumvents the thorny problem that many don't consider it an emotion if there isn't a subjective a report. Showing the cross-species consistency opens up a lot of opportunities for illustrating the neural circuits that convert experience to memory. But I also appreciate your points.

2025-06-22 19:21:27 GMT

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@nprofile…wa92
Good Q. The big debate centers around whether we could call anything studied in animals an emotion (given that we can’t ask them if/how they feel). Proposals include calling it things like “affective state” instead. But that’s a diff approach than, say, memory, where behavior is often used as evidence to support the label (not just verbal reports).

2025-06-22 13:36:47 GMT

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@nprofile…n7e2
These are terrific points - thank you for them!

2025-06-18 12:39:26 GMT

Wonderful to chat with Paul on Brain Inspired, where we discuss many things. Among them: What are we brain researchers trying to do here (wrt causality)? I also stick my neck out to predict the next big breakthrough in emotion research.
0:00 – Intro
6:12 – Nicole’s path
19:25 – The grand plan
25:18 – Robustness and fragility
39:15 – Mood
49:25 – Model everything!
56:26 – Epistemic iteration
1:06:50 – Can we standardize mood?
1:10:36 – Perspective neuroscience
1:20:12 – William Wimsatt
1:25:40 – Consciousness
Thanks for having me!
https://braininspired.co/podcast/214/
https://media.neuromatch.social/media_attachments/files/114/704/400/114/287/606/original/0edaa22bf7015604.png

2025-06-11 23:52:07 GMT

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@nprofile…sglf
Timely.

2025-06-10 20:25:23 GMT

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Thank you, @nprofile…848r
In this excerpt, I fast forward to the end of Elusive Cures to explain why I am so unequivocally optimistic about the next steps for brain research.
For those of you who (like me) like to listen, I've narrated this clip (~10 min). The text is there too.

2025-06-10 11:59:56 GMT

It's publication day for 📘Elusive Cures. What a moment!
This is my 1st book & my 1st time on Mindscape (one of my favorite podcasts).
Here, @nprofile…nxt0 and I have a wide-ranging conversation about the brain, including: Why are brain and mental disorders so hard to understand and treat?
The podcast: https://www.preposterousuniverse.com/podcast/2025/06/09/317-nicole-rust-on-why-neuroscience-hasnt-solved-brain-disorders/
The book: https://press.princeton.edu/books/hardcover/9780691243054/elusive-cures
https://media.neuromatch.social/media_attachments/files/114/658/944/888/594/706/original/53cde2c0d6b78904.jpg

2025-06-10 07:02:48 GMT

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@nprofile…uc38
Oh no! I’m so sorry.

2025-06-09 11:16:52 GMT

My new piece in Nature Human Behavior: "We need to fight for the next generation of US researchers"
All trainees need 3 things to thrive. In the US, those things have been ripped away. Let's brainstorm and fight to get them back.
(share link): https://www.nature.com/articles/s41562-025-02246-x.epdf?sharing_token=hcXev4a-31TU_a-OJK6ZMtRgN0jAjWel9jnR3ZoTv0MYALIXurixdPyNhiHwMhlzGSYzTbCgk8k-LvtRgSz04GX7xmjDu30cxJslQ-hufZZA8Li3FllJdSC3Le0yVRFBhJDn4VkC9QTpwrJeB0iXHDc0lY-LY-dngmlCZxfZYjE%3D
https://media.neuromatch.social/media_attachments/files/114/653/120/323/305/778/original/753a91c0883fffea.jpg

2025-06-06 16:35:29 GMT

My hope is that Elusive Cures will help shift the current narrative (from scientists as selfish & corrupt data falsifiers). Most scientists I know are impassioned individuals throwing their best at complicated challenges that matter for society; this is how Elusive Cures describes them.
I'm humbled by this review.
https://www.publishersweekly.com/9780691243054
https://media.neuromatch.social/media_attachments/files/114/637/386/111/954/285/original/5cbd7fca4a541e11.jpg

2025-06-02 12:52:29 GMT

I hope Senator John Fetterman and his team enjoy nonfiction books (or at least this one).
Nearly everyone is either themselves afflicted with a brain or mental condition, or knows someone who is. We must do better for those individuals! To achieve that, we need federal support of science.
https://media.neuromatch.social/media_attachments/files/114/613/859/618/180/212/original/33e4569af72342aa.png

2025-06-01 14:49:26 GMT

This! This the type of work that makes me so optimistic that the next 3 decades of brain research will be more impactful that the last for understanding/treating mental conditions. We finally have the right measurement tools & analyses (eg for emotion).
https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adt3971
Treating the brain as a complex dynamical system where emotions are persistent, emergent properties is key to understanding emotion.
This is what we'll look back on in 30 years and point to as the genius of this era.
https://press.princeton.edu/books/hardcover/9780691243054/elusive-cures
And this type of cross-species comparative work enables exactly the types of causal perturbation experiments that some are grumbling haven't been done yet. Like this ⬇️
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-024-07915-x

2025-05-23 12:58:29 GMT

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@nprofile…8ws5
Ah, thank you - got it. That's right. The challenge we are upagainst in treating brain and mental disorders is formidable and there will be no easy and quick fix.
But my book is full of optimism that we will overcome those challenges. Humanity is capable of solving so much, as long as they state the problem to be solved in the right way.

2025-05-22 22:14:15 GMT

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@nprofile…8ws5
Hmm. Can you elaborate a bit? Are you referring to the title (elusive cureS)? Or something else?

2025-05-22 21:07:29 GMT

Capping off a terrific-but-whirlwind of a week - an advanced review of Elusive Cures!
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/this-is-america/202505/a-new-approach-to-treating-brain-disorders

2025-05-18 14:12:37 GMT

Today: A weekly digest 🧵 . A great way to glimpse the tremendous opportunity of this era is to see this alternation between big breakthroughs about the brain and the vast unmet needs for brain and mental disorders. It really helps build the intution about what's what.
Day 30 (breakthrough): Recording tech. The brain is a complex system in which its parts need to be studied simultaneously because its emergent properties follow from their interactions. We can now do that for the first time in history. And this is leading to ways to measure things we've never been able to before. Like how activity in the hypothalamus of a mouse gets sucked into a persistent "line attractor" to drive aggression. Understanding that is a step toward understanding emotion in humans. https://neuromatch.social/@NicoleCRust/114489108188614165
Day 29 (need): For a taste of what Parkinson's is like, read the advocate Benjamin Stecher blog https://tmrwedition.com or his recent book "Reprogramming the Brain". We can treat but not slow Parkinson's. It's heartbreaking. I admire Ben a lot - he's feisty & reminds researchers what's at stake.
https://neuromatch.social/@NicoleCRust/114494400904272529
Day 28 (breakthrough): The brain's memory "engram" - a tremendous cumulative brain research accomplishment that unfolded across a century, including multiple Nobel prizes. We know where and how memories are stored in the brain; we can even reactivate, erase and implant memories (at least in mice). It's a terrific test case for the question: How does progress in (neuro)science happen?
https://neuromatch.social/@NicoleCRust/114500343226674217
Day 27 (need): We don't know what causes most brain disorders. For 3 caused by single-gene mutations (Huntington's, Fragile X, and a rare Alzheimer's), we've known the cause for over 30 years. We still cannot cure any of them. Why not? There's a lot more to cures than "find the gene".
https://neuromatch.social/@NicoleCRust/114505869401430507
Day 26 (breakthrough): AI. "Building" was once held up as a test of understanding. With AI, we can build without it. AlphaFold is an AI model that predicts protein structures from DNA, created without understanding the principles of protein folding. AI changes the game.
https://neuromatch.social/@NicoleCRust/114511546913459068
Day 25 (need): Psychiatric conditions are diagnosed based on symptoms rather than biological tests like brain scans or blood tests. We do not yet know enough about what's happening in the brain of someone experiencing a depressive episode or psychosis to create such a test.
https://neuromatch.social/@NicoleCRust/114517208460500690
Day 24 (breakthrough): The BrainGate brain computer interface enables individuals with extreme paralysis to move. It's the product of decades of scientific discoveries & engineering. For one man, he imagines writing letters and it's transformed into text. It's remarkable!
https://neuromatch.social/@NicoleCRust/114523105437943759
https://press.princeton.edu/books/hardcover/9780691243054/elusive-cures
#ElusiveCures30

2025-05-17 12:11:48 GMT

Day 24 (breakthrough): The BrainGate brain computer interface enables individuals with extreme paralysis to move. It's the product of decades of scientific discoveries & engineering. For one man, he imagines writing letters and it's transformed into text. It's remarkable!
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-021-03506-2
More on BrainGate: https://www.braingate.org/
#ElusiveCures30
https://press.princeton.edu/books/hardcover/9780691243054/elusive-cures

2025-05-16 11:12:07 GMT

Day 25 (a need): Psychiatric conditions are diagnosed based on symptoms rather than biological tests like brain scans or blood tests.
We do not yet know enough about what's happening in the brain of someone experiencing a depressive episode or psychosis to create such a test.
#ElusiveCures30
https://press.princeton.edu/books/hardcover/9780691243054/elusive-cures
https://media.neuromatch.social/media_attachments/files/114/517/204/665/191/083/original/9f8f67db568e04d3.png

2025-05-15 19:53:11 GMT

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@nprofile…uc38
“Understanding” is always fraught with disagreements about what that means . The bottomline is that one still could not code up an AlphaFold based on an understanding of the principles that govern protein folding; we still don’t understand those well enough to predict protein structures from DNA sequences.
The bulk of brain researchers are using something analogous in their research, I think? (in our visual memory work, it’s models of vision - we don’t need to deeply understand how high-level visual cortex came to be to study memory; we just need a model of what it is). AI has changed how brain researchers operate in this way - it’s launching us over bottlenecks in what we don’t yet know to enable the study things “beyond” it.

2025-05-15 11:12:19 GMT

Day 26 (breakthrough): AI.
"Building" was once held up as a test of understanding. With AI, we can build w/out it. AlphaFold is an AI model that predicts protein structures from DNA, created w/out understanding protein folding.
It changes the game.
#ElusiveCures30
https://press.princeton.edu/books/hardcover/9780691243054/elusive-cures
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-021-03819-2

2025-05-14 12:13:36 GMT

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@nprofile…h460
I'm so sorry. There are 3 classes of disorders we've been struggling to understand (and treat). Neurodevelopmental disorders are one of those. (The other two are neurodegenerative and neuropsychiatric).
I deeply hope that the next 30 years will produce better solutions for individuals like your son and families like yours. That was very much the spirit behind the book: What's it going to take and what's our communal plan to get it done?

2025-05-14 11:08:27 GMT

Day 27 (a need): We don't know what causes most brain disorders. For 3 caused by single-genes, we've known for >30 years (Huntington's, Fragile X, and a rare Alzheimer's). We still cannot cure them.
There's a lot more to cures than "find the gene".
#ElusiveCures30
https://press.princeton.edu/books/hardcover/9780691243054/elusive-cures
Huntington's: https://jonlieffmd.com/blog/why-is-there-no-cure-for-huntingtons
Fragile X: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fragile_X_syndrome
Autosomal dominant Alzheimer's: https://www.alzheimers.org.uk/blog/honouring-couple-dementia-their-contributions-research

2025-05-13 11:43:04 GMT

Day 28 (breakthrough): The brain's memory "engram" - a tremendous cumultative brain research accomplishment that unfolded across a century, including multiple Nobel prizes.
Also a terrific test case for the question: How does progress in (neuro)science happen?
#ElusiveCures30
ALSO: AWARD BRENDA MILNER THE NOBEL PRIZE (for work with H.M. and the discovery that the hippocampus the structure that stores memories) - SHE'S 106!
https://www.amightygirl.com/blog?p=25635
https://media.neuromatch.social/media_attachments/files/114/500/339/717/026/430/original/dc9c91e58147cc14.png

2025-05-12 10:31:52 GMT

Day 29: This is a taste of what Parkinson's is like from the advocate Ben Stecher's blog. Not just motor; depression too. We can treat but not slow it. It's heartbreaking.
I admire Ben a lot - he's feisty & reminds researchers about the stakes.
https://tmrwedition.com/2024/01/19/on-depression-and-dbs/
#ElusiveCures30
https://media.neuromatch.social/media_attachments/files/114/494/398/695/296/455/original/20b4cbfb53945060.png

2025-05-11 12:23:25 GMT

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@nprofile…peaq
Ethics and proceeding cautiously are central for our next steps, for sure. But today, billions are suffering from disorders ranging from chronic pain to depression & existing treatments do not work for everyone; we must find better ways to help them.

2025-05-11 12:05:51 GMT

30 days to the launch of Elusive Cures! I learned so much writing it, and I want to share it.
https://press.princeton.edu/books/hardcover/9780691243054/elusive-cures
For the next 30 days, I'll post brain & mind research breakthroughs on odd days, and highlight unmet needs on even ones. #ElusiveCures30
First breakthrough: Recording tech & why it matters.
The brain is a complex system in which its parts need to be studied simultaneously b/c its emergent properties follow from their interactions.
We can now do that for the first time in history. Up to 1 million neurons in mice!
https://www.cell.com/neuron/abstract/S0896-6273(24)00121-1
And this is leading to ways to measure things we've never been able to before. Like how activity in the hypothalamus of a mouse gets sucked into a persistent "line attractor" to drive aggression. Understanding that is a step toward understanding emotion in humans.
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-024-07915-x
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-024-07915-x

2025-05-10 07:07:25 GMT

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@nprofile…kyj5
What a fascinating blog post - I learned so much. Thanks for the link.

2025-05-08 22:43:30 GMT

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@nprofile…2uaj
(So happy to have an edit button to fix my typos when interacting with @nprofile…2uaj).

2025-05-08 22:33:55 GMT

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@nprofile…2uaj
Inspiring!

2025-05-02 23:43:19 GMT

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@nprofile…kyj5
Solidarity. 8p home-time-zone is 2nd only to day#2-different-country-jet-lagged-didn't-sleep-&-can't-think.
The purgatory is knowing that the latter is clearly not worth it (following single-trial learning) but the former is ambiguous, I mean, "just maybe 1 can do it after 1 5p cup-of-joe ...."

2025-05-02 01:10:08 GMT

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@nprofile…cvwk @nprofile…w9xu
I agree!

2025-05-02 00:22:48 GMT

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@nprofile…w9xu
I endorse! This was a terrific paper.

2025-04-25 13:58:29 GMT

A putative neural correlate of mood!
One big (scandalous?) idea, simple analyses, and the STRONGEST brain/behavior correlation I've EVER seen (which is shocking, given that it's mood).
Work with: You-Ping Yang, @nprofile…246v and Veit Stuphorn
https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.04.22.650010v1

2025-04-23 10:50:23 GMT

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@nprofile…cvwk
Ah - got it! Sorry to misunderstand (but relieved to know).

2025-04-23 01:15:04 GMT

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@nprofile…cvwk
Yikes! Are you saying that you will willfully ignore the results of any trainee who publishes a paper in a traditional journal (even OA, eg plos; or radical, eg eLife?). I hope I’m misunderstanding you … (perhaps the idea is that you will attend to X? Please explain … no doubt this impacts your trainees too?).

2025-04-23 00:08:40 GMT

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@nprofile…vvjp
FWIW: I encourage anyone who would rather not opt-in to conference social events to feel empowered to opt-out.
Personally, I draw a line at dance parties. (I dance, but why do we need to dance with our colleagues?). I’ve also skipped a few dinners to dine solo at the sushi bar. And I’ve supported not-alcohol friends who would rather meet for a coffee than a bar that serves alcohol for religious and personal reasons (and I was glad they told me).
You do you - whatever that is!! My personal experience is that a community exists to support that thing - I hope you find the same too. 💙

2025-04-07 13:43:17 GMT

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@nprofile…gjng
I'd be very happy to do that. One goal of the book is to inspire conversations about the "Grand Plan" - let's have them!

2025-04-07 11:51:24 GMT

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@nprofile…gjng
Terrific! Would love to hear your thoughts on the other side.

2025-04-07 11:31:02 GMT

The cautionary words of Thomas Insel MD in his book Healing and elsewhere were part of what inspired me to write Elusive Cures - to answer questions like: What's been holding us back from an impactful understanding of the brain? I'm honored to have his endorsement.
https://press.princeton.edu/books/hardcover/9780691243054/elusive-cures
https://media.neuromatch.social/media_attachments/files/114/296/446/406/052/055/original/9d54b2251a1e5f36.png

2025-04-05 00:06:05 GMT

Intrigued to get Nicole’d yet again (n=3). Who holds the record now? How many times have you been Nicole’d?

2025-04-02 22:26:57 GMT

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@nprofile…kfeg @nprofile…afk5
She’s so terrific! She did a wonderful job when I had to step up to present to congresspeople (and many other things).

2025-04-02 22:11:01 GMT

If any science illustrators are available to do a rush job on illustrations (around "mood") that will appear in an upcoming documentary (due EOD Sunday), please let me know. My DMs are open & my contact info is here:
www.nicolecrust.com/nicole
Thank you!

2025-03-28 15:01:17 GMT

Wonderful, awe-inspiring science at its best.
Butterfly wing color is linked to mate preference. In this paper, they show how those are linked genetically and how that changes how butterfly eyes work. WOW.
Kudos to Steph Palmer and team.
Friendly breakdown:
https://biologicalsciences.uchicago.edu/news/butterfly-romance-written-their-genes
Paper:
https://journals.plos.org/plosbiology/article?id=10.1371/journal.pbio.3002989

2025-03-23 19:33:38 GMT

As our community increasingly shifts toward embracing the complexity of the brain, this new book by Xiao-Jing Wang will be an essential go-to.
https://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/mono/10.1201/9781003459361/theoretical-neuroscience-xiao-jing-wang
He is among a small, prescient group that embraced important ideas before the rest of us. Here he unpacks them.
I'm always excited to see where he's looking next. On that - bingo! - read this quote from his book.
If you want to jump on this train and be a part of where it's heading, Wang's book is an excellent place to start.
https://media.neuromatch.social/media_attachments/files/114/213/413/685/962/615/original/a51c4afb01078bb5.png

2025-03-22 17:27:27 GMT

What a fun time to be named Nicole … I’ll guess hold off on sending y’all those random DMs I had planned.

2025-03-21 12:32:35 GMT

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@nprofile…wa92
Really helpful - thank you!

2025-03-20 10:53:14 GMT

Trainees (especially US): What could our community be doing better for you right now?
Maybe there’s an email you haven’t received? Or a meeting you wish were organized differently in the era of travel uncertainties?
Answering on behalf of a friend is great. If we don’t know, we can’t help.

2025-03-19 21:45:45 GMT

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@nprofile…2gcn
Wow - thank you so much for attending (and the very nice note)!

2025-03-18 12:09:40 GMT

I'm looking forward to discussing the "Grand Plan" tomorrow at Weill Cornell Medicine Psychiatry.
For anyone interested, it looks like registration for a virtual link is available:
https://events.weill.cornell.edu/event/on-the-grand-plan-for-brain-and-mental-health
https://media.neuromatch.social/media_attachments/files/114/183/354/663/044/771/original/f7f29164f825744d.png

2025-03-17 17:42:30 GMT

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@nprofile…kyj5 Thank you so much!!

2025-03-17 16:52:06 GMT

And that's a wrap - my narration for Elusive Cures is complete.
From that intense read, I saw how personal this book is. It's a science book, but also my own story as a scientist, grappling with some of the biggest questions. And in that pursuit, reconnecting with optimism about our shared future.
https://press.princeton.edu/books/hardcover/9780691243054/elusive-cures
https://media.neuromatch.social/media_attachments/files/114/178/803/539/056/513/original/b202588b7bdf4771.jpeg

2025-02-23 15:32:57 GMT

What a complex year to serve as the Director of Grad Studies (for Penn Psychology).
Regarding this piece - given all that I know!, I remain confident that once an applicant has a formal acceptance letter in hand, it will NOT be rescinded (note: that never happened).
https://www.thedp.com/article/2025/02/penn-graduate-student-class-size-cut-trump-funding
My thoughts are with all those students applying this year. Please know that we faculty really do mean it when we say we’re happy to answer your questions.

2025-01-28 20:32:47 GMT

If you are a US researcher with federal funding somewhere in your orbit, join me!
On Thursday 3p ET, I'll be joining an effort organized by this terrific umbrella organization:
https://www.fair-research-now.org/who-we-are
To fight restrictions on federal grant funding, described here:
https://form.jotform.com/250226137228047
There will be a training over zoom at the beginning of the event.

2025-01-24 19:53:40 GMT

"Elusive Cures" will launch in June. The book describes my personal journey to understand why some brain and mental disorders have proven so difficult to understand and treat.
On the other side of writing it, I'm unequivocally optimistic about our next steps.
Summary:
https://youtu.be/-DjFT7faAkQ?si=LIlXg93EmNGeiGX2

2025-01-11 19:37:09 GMT

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@nprofile…4jrt
🤣

2025-01-11 12:22:59 GMT

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@nprofile…4gg3
Ha!

2025-01-11 00:50:44 GMT

‪Them: Please summarize your 80K word book into a 45 minute talk.
Me: Sure; fun challenge!
Them: Now summarize your book in a 2 minute video that anyone can connect with.
Me: 😲. That's ~250 words; a compression of 320x. Yikes! I do not know that algorithm ...
https://press.princeton.edu/books/hardcover/9780691243054/elusive-cures

2025-01-06 02:37:52 GMT

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@nprofile…td24
That's so great!

2025-01-05 23:33:48 GMT

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@nprofile…uc38
Absolutely!

2025-01-05 13:34:36 GMT

What "at least one thing" are you thinking this year to advocate for science by contributing to cumulative impact? I'd love to hear from anyone but ESPECIALLY trainees!
(I'm peppering the world with swag to promote the effort).
What effort and why? Here:
https://www.thetransmitter.org/craft-and-careers/in-your-new-years-resolutions-for-2025-consider-public-outreach/

2025-01-04 13:15:33 GMT

With the upcoming book launch, I wanted a webpage that I am proud of, and @nprofile…yy05 delivered in spades. But not just - when the opportunity arose to partner on Science Advocacy efforts, they sponsored this for us all:
https://www.nicolecrust.com/advocacy
I'm so grateful - thank you @nprofile…d9x6
And seriously - check out this website - it's GORGEOUS!!
https://www.nicolecrust.com/
https://media.neuromatch.social/media_attachments/files/113/770/262/994/876/146/original/7d8d036af0be6cce.png

2025-01-03 14:11:58 GMT

In the era of Trump 2.0, we're calling on all scientists and friends to advocate and unpack science in a public-facing way. This is much bigger than anyone of us. But if we all do one thing, imagine the cumulative impact!
It need not be a burden. More here, in @nprofile…848r
https://www.thetransmitter.org/craft-and-careers/in-your-new-years-resolutions-for-2025-consider-public-outreach/

2024-12-20 23:37:20 GMT

I'm indulging in 12 consecutive Saturdays, starting tomorrow.
For the first time in 15 years, I'm not on call in the event of a lab emergency. Warm thoughts and hats off to all of you who will deal with some type of low (or high!) grade, consistent stress over the holiday.
Signing off. I'll see y'all in 2025!

2024-12-20 00:45:56 GMT

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@nprofile…2gcn @nprofile…xm42 @nprofile…wjqe
Looking forward to hearing your thoughts!

2024-12-19 15:06:58 GMT

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@nprofile…xm42 @nprofile…848r
That’s the question, for sure!

2024-12-19 15:06:30 GMT

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@nprofile…ujjp @nprofile…848r
Thank you for this wonderful feedback!! This is exactly why I write. You’ve made my day 😊.

2024-12-19 13:49:32 GMT

Curious about brains? Who isn't!? Download this free! and fabulous! pdf of @nprofile…848r essays for some fantastic holiday reading.
I'm grateful to be part of it. My essay: Is the brain uncontrollable, like the weather?
https://www.thetransmitter.org/transmitter-books/?utm_source=mastodon&utm_medium=org-social&utm_campaign=20241218-book-annoucement

2024-12-19 00:53:25 GMT

Terrific! Paywalls are disappearing! No more 12 month embargo between when NIH funded work appears in a journal and when it becomes accessible to all (as of December 2025).
https://www.nih.gov/about-nih/who-we-are/nih-director/statements/nih-issues-new-policy-speed-access-agency-funded-research-results

2024-12-08 22:37:23 GMT

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@nprofile…xm42
I highly recommend this one. So much here about rodent societies and rodent behavior.

2024-12-08 22:36:07 GMT

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@nprofile…uhj4 @nprofile…xm42 @nprofile…wjqe
Hello @nprofile…wjqe! Congratulations on writing a terrific book - a terrific story, exceedingly well told. As a (neuro-)scientist myself, it's a delight to read about Calhoun's journey and how he dealt with the implications of his findings. I'll be recommending this book to many!

2024-12-07 18:40:25 GMT

Has anyone read this? (Or perhaps familiar with the story)? It’s fantastic!!
@nprofile…xm42: do you know it? Rat utopia (to dystopia).
https://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/chicago/D/bo239362319.html

2024-11-25 22:54:02 GMT

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@nprofile…n7e2
This is so helpful (and exactly the type of thing I was looking for) - thank you!!!!

2024-11-25 20:47:17 GMT

Book proofs have arrived 🎉.
Exciting! (but daunting). Thrilling! (but intimidating).
Any tips on book proof review from experienced authors? While I've reviewed proofs for many articles, this is my first book; this is a whole other, massive thing.
https://media.neuromatch.social/media_attachments/files/113/545/549/933/769/825/original/b39a411db97a2568.png

2024-11-16 22:23:23 GMT

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@nprofile…6tms
Thanks for the tip! I think it worked.

2024-11-16 20:06:36 GMT

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@nprofile…qyjs
Always a tricky decision.

2024-11-11 01:08:03 GMT

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@npub1k54…d5kz
Thank you!

2024-11-10 21:36:00 GMT

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@npub1a3l…j74v
Thank you! I’m fascinated and excited.

2024-11-10 18:59:25 GMT

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A note: This position IS open to non-US residents.

2024-11-10 18:46:30 GMT

I'm searching for a Penn Psychology student to join me on this new! exciting! research effort to understand how our brains support and shape our moods (described here: https://www.nicolerust.com/thepivot).
If that might be you, please reach out. You can find out more about the program + my contact info here:
https://psychology.sas.upenn.edu/graduate/information-applicants
Deadline: 12/1.
https://neuromatch.social/@NicoleCRust/113447412193647178