Excited to share that our latest paper, "DeepFaceMouse enables scalable prediction of large-scale brain activity from facial dynamics in mice," has been published in Cell Reports Methods by Cell Press This work started with a simple but fundamental question: Can facial dynamics serve as a noninvasive window into brain-wide neural activity? To address this challenge, we developed DeepFaceMouse, a deep learning framework that accurately tracks mouse facial movements and predict

Excited to share our new bioRxiv preprint from the Yildirim Lab: “Deterministically Synchronized Widefield Imaging and Virtual Reality Platform for Multimodal Brain–Behavior Recording” In this work, we developed a hardware-synchronized widefield calcium imaging and virtual reality (VR) platform that enables millisecond-precision alignment between: • Brain-wide neural activity • Pupil dynamics • Orofacial behavior • Locomotion • Closed-loop VR environments A major challenge in

Excited to share our new bioRxiv preprint: “NeuroPupil: A generalization-first framework for scalable and biologically informative cross-species pupillometry” In this work, we developed NeuroPupil, a deep learning framework for scalable and biologically informative pupil tracking across mice and humans. We systematically benchmarked training strategies and architectures across diverse behavioral conditions and disease models, including: 🧠 PTEN-associated autism spectrum diso

We are excited to share our latest collaborative study: “Integrated Collagen Architecture and Composition Improve Risk Stratification in Triple-Negative Breast Cancer.” In this work, we combined multimodal histopathology, collagen imaging, and artificial intelligence–based computational analysis to investigate how extracellular matrix (ECM) organization influences disease progression in triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). Our findings show that quantitative collagen archite

I had a fantastic time at the Optica Biophotonics Congress this year! I’m especially proud to share that two of our lab’s abstracts were selected as finalists in the Optics in the Brain section — a great recognition of the team’s hard work and creativity. A special shoutout to Tenesha Connor, who delivered an outstanding oral presentation, showcasing her side project and truly rocking the stage. It’s always rewarding to see trainees step into the spotlight with confidence and

A fantastic milestone reflecting his dedication to advancing large-scale neuro + AI methodologies. We celebrated the moment—and added a little protection for future success 🧿 Looking forward to the next breakthroughs. #Neuroscience #ArtificialIntelligence #Research #Innovation

A great start to April! I had the opportunity to present my midterm seminar today, reflecting on the journey of building my lab at the Cleveland Clinic Research . This milestone is truly a team effort. I am incredibly grateful to work alongside such a talented and dedicated group of trainees who are driving our work forward every day. Seeing how far we’ve come—from building new imaging systems to deploying deep learning models —has been deeply rewarding. Most importantly, th

Congratulations our graduate student Tenesha who received a best abstract award at the Neuroplasm section at MD Anderson International Cancer Neuroscience symposium held on February 18-20, 2026.