Triple paper drop from the inimitable @willydorrell.bsky.social :
1) A normative theory of prefrontal working memory slots.
2) A comprehensive review of normative theories of why grid cells look like grid cells.
3) A new theory of convex efficient coding.
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An amazing lineup spanning Neuro, Cog Sci, and AI. Held in a Roman villa with an ancient aqueduct through it!
It’s a unique setting to understand the latest and greatest from the three disciplines of intelligence.
Come!
Cosyne Viewing Parties
Visas, costs, care responsibilities, and environmental concerns all limit Cosyne attendance. Luckily, the talks are livestreamed; but watching alone is the high road to an aneurism. Hence: viewing parties! Gather regionally to watch Cosyne talks! More info: shorturl.at/3DHZX.
1) A normative theory of prefrontal working memory slots.
We derive, from first principles, why slots emerge in PFC/RNNs, why they align, and why they vary in scale. It’s all about task diversity and task structure!
Accounts for much PFC data!
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
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Last week to apply! #neurojobs
my.corehr.com/pls/uoxrecru...
3) Convex Efficient Coding.
Tired of simulations? We show many efficient coding problems are actually convex.
This allows for formal proofs on modular neurons, ON-OFF coding predictions, and more. Check the ICLR paper:
arxiv.org/abs/2601.10482
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2) Grid review.
A detailed tour of the ingredients needed to get grid cells that actually look real. It boils down to:
✅ Path integration
✅ Non-linear readout
✅ Bio constraints (non-negativity and energy)
Almost there on understanding grids!
arxiv.org/abs/2601.12424
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