In the “This paper changed my life” series, neuroscientists reflect on a paper that profoundly influenced their career and how they think about their research. This year’s entries covered papers ranging from mixed selectivity neurons to synaptic vesicle structure to a 1940s paper about fly anatomy. Read on for five of our staff’s favorite entries.
Shane Liddelow on two papers that upended astrocyte research
A game-changing cell culture method developed in Ben Barres’ lab completely transformed the way we study astrocytes and helped Liddelow build a career studying their reactive substates.
Nancy Padilla-Coreano on learning the value of population coding
The 2013 Nature paper by Mattia Rigotti and his colleagues revealed how mixed selectivity neurons—cells that are not selectively tuned to a stimulus—play a key role in cognition.
Bradley Dickerson on how a 1940s fly neuroanatomy paper influences his research to this day
This classic paper by zoologist John Pringle describes the haltere—a small structure in flies that plays a crucial role in flight control. It taught Dickerson to think about circuits and behavior as greater than the sum of their parts.
Dan Goodman on a paper that reignited the field of spiking neural networks
Friedemann Zenke’s 2019 paper, and its related coding tutorial SpyTorch, made it possible to apply modern machine learning to spiking neural networks. The innovation reinvigorated the field.
Sandra Jurado marvels at the first-ever 3D model of a synaptic vesicle
In this 2006 Cell paper, Shigeo Takamori and his colleagues showcased the molecular machinery of synaptic vesicles in outstanding detail. Their work taught Jurado that these aren’t just passive containers for neurotransmitters but dynamic, precision-built nanomachines.
