All Together Now
Summary:
AI Prize finalist Aditya Nair uses machine learning to uncover hidden patterns in brain activity related to emotions like anger and fear. While individual neurons show little correlation to emotional states, Nair’s model analyzes collective neural activity—like listening to an orchestra—to detect persistent emotional signals. His work revealed a “line attractor” pattern in the hypothalamus, offering new ways to quantify emotional intensity over time. This breakthrough could improve psychiatric drug development and expand how researchers interpret brain data. Nair is also building tools to help scientists apply AI models more easily, making advanced neural analysis accessible across the research community.