Dominika Varga

Dominika Varga

@dkvarga.bsky.social

Postdoctoral Researcher in the Vaghi Lab - Birkbeck Studying how individual brain circuits support learning and goal directed behaviour Previously at Sussex Episodic Memory Group

438 followers247 following12 posts

Dominika Varga reposted

Matilde Vaghi
@matildevaghi.bsky.social

🚀 PhD opportunity in the Vaghi Lab, starting 2027 @birkbeckpsychology.bsky.social We are looking to support applicants interested in: 🔬 precision neuroimaging 🧠 compulsivity/OCD 💻 computational approaches Available via the ESRC UBEL DTP PhD or MSc + PhD routes 🔗 surl.li/qunzzt Please share! 📢

ubel-dtp.ac.ukESRC Studentships Main Competition - UBEL DTPESRC Studentships Main Competition The UBEL DTP’s fully funded ESRC studentships cover full payment of tuition fees per year and an annual maintenance stipend. What’s on offer UBEL DTP studentships co...

Dominika Varga reposted

Jon Simons
@jonsimons.bsky.social

The brilliant @kasiamojescik.bsky.social and Martha McGill join @claudiahammond.bsky.social and @catherineloveday.bsky.social on BBC Radio 4 All in the Mind this morning to launch our new public survey of vivid memories. You can take part here: cambridge.eu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_...

bbc.co.ukBBC Radio 4 - All in the Mind, Are there multiple subtypes of autism, and how vivid are your memories?A new study suggests that autism’s genetic profile differs with age at diagnosis.
Dominika Varga
@dkvarga.bsky.social

So happy to share our paper on the role of the hippocampus as a mismatch detector: doi.org/10.1073/pnas... We show that the hippocampus detects mismatches between ongoing experiences and episodic memories but not generalised schematic knowledge. See 🧵for how we got here: #neuroskyence #PsychSciSky

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Dominika Varga
@dkvarga.bsky.social

So happy to share our paper on the role of the hippocampus as a mismatch detector: doi.org/10.1073/pnas... We show that the hippocampus detects mismatches between ongoing experiences and episodic memories but not generalised schematic knowledge. See 🧵for how we got here: #neuroskyence #PsychSciSky

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Dominika Varga
@dkvarga.bsky.social

These findings provide support to models of hippocampal function that identify a limited role in comparing incoming info with memories stored within the hippocampus. Conversely, models that propose a more general role in comparing broader contextual representations to reality should be re-evaluated.

Dominika Varga
@dkvarga.bsky.social

So happy to share our paper on the role of the hippocampus as a mismatch detector: doi.org/10.1073/pnas... We show that the hippocampus detects mismatches between ongoing experiences and episodic memories but not generalised schematic knowledge. See 🧵for how we got here: #neuroskyence #PsychSciSky

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Dominika Varga
@dkvarga.bsky.social

In Exp1, when people hadn't seen any clips pre-scanning, hippocampal activity was not modulated by the expectedness of actions based on schema knowledge alone. However, in Exp2 and 3, when actions mismatched memories of the clips seen pre-scanning, hippocampal activity increased. (cont.)

Dominika Varga
@dkvarga.bsky.social

When people formed episodic memories of the Typical actions prior to scanning, the Atypical actions now increased hippocampal response (Exp2). When people prewatched the Atypical version of the clips, now the contextually appropriate Typical actions increased hippocampal response (Exp3).

Dominika Varga
@dkvarga.bsky.social

So happy to share our paper on the role of the hippocampus as a mismatch detector: doi.org/10.1073/pnas... We show that the hippocampus detects mismatches between ongoing experiences and episodic memories but not generalised schematic knowledge. See 🧵for how we got here: #neuroskyence #PsychSciSky

View full thread
Dominika Varga
@dkvarga.bsky.social

The hippocampus is thought to detect mismatches by comparing expectations with reality. However, it was unclear whether it serves as a general mismatch detector, flagging any event that violates our general model of the world, or whether it monitors reality against specific episodic memories.

Dominika Varga
@dkvarga.bsky.social

Inside an fMRI scanner, people viewed clips of everyday events (e.g., doing the laundry), which could be Typical (putting clothes) or Atypical (putting flowers). To test what prior expectations the hippocampus uses to detect mismatches, we manipulated clip familiarity pre-scanning across experiments

Dominika Varga
@dkvarga.bsky.social

So happy to share our paper on the role of the hippocampus as a mismatch detector: doi.org/10.1073/pnas... We show that the hippocampus detects mismatches between ongoing experiences and episodic memories but not generalised schematic knowledge. See 🧵for how we got here: #neuroskyence #PsychSciSky

Dominika Varga
@dkvarga.bsky.social

In daily life, we rely on our internal models of the world to predict what happens next—e.g., anticipating someone’s actions while they do laundry. 👇 But sometimes our prior expectations don’t match reality. These mismatches are important for updating our models and learning. How do we detect them?

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