The Quiet War Between Abstraction and Detail
https://michaelhalassa.substack.com/p/the-quiet-war-between-abstraction Every time you walk into a new restaurant, your brain solves an invisible problem: Which parts of this experience are specific to this place (the menu, the layout, the staff) and which parts are...
The Currency of the Mind
How the brain constructs the values that guide everyday decisions reveals one of neuroscience’s most fascinating puzzles. Think about it: your brain adds and subtracts quantities that share no common unit! It can add morning light through kitchen windows to forty...
Time is Memory
Michael Halassa discusses how the brain may create the sense of memory and why time distortions happen in experience
The Brain’s “What If” Engine: Why Counterfactuals Are Key to Human Intelligence
Michael Halassa discusses recent work on counterfactual reasoning and its contribution to human cognition
The Next Chapter of AI: Leveraging the Evolutionary Principles Powering Human Intelligence
Michael Halassa explores the intersection between Neuroscience and AI (NeuroAI) highlighting research on flexible cognition.
Machines That Think Like Us: Insights from the NeuroAI Workshop in Florence
Michael Halassa discusses recent insights from the NeuroAI workshop at the OCNS meeting in Florence 2025
When the Brain’s Uncertainty computer goes offline: New Human Evidence for Thalamic Regulation of Decision-Making
New research reveals how the mediodorsal thalamus regulates decision-making confidence and exploration behavior in humans. Michael Halassa discusses breakthrough findings from focused ultrasound studies showing thalamic control of belief updating and cognitive flexibility.
PAPER ALERT: A New Model for Mediodorsal-Prefrontal Interactions
New Nature Computational Model reveals how the mediodorsal thalamus gates prefrontal cortex signals. Validated by Halassa Lab data, this advances schizophrenia and cognitive flexibility research.
Reflecting on the 13th Annual Tufts Neuroscience Symposium
This past November, I had the privilege of directing the 13th Annual Tufts Neuroscience Symposium—a day filled with inspiring talks, lively discussions, and deep engagement across the neuroscience community. This year’s symposium centered around Systems,...
Paper Alert! Unlocking the Brain’s Flexibility: How the Thalamus Manages Uncertainty
The brain’s ability to adapt to a constantly changing world is one of its most remarkable features. Cognitive flexibility—the capacity to shift strategies and update decision-making when circumstances change—is essential for navigating everyday life. This a...