Pilot studies
Pilot study 1 – Bernstein Conference 2025 (PhD Symposium)
The first pilot study ran as a hackathon during the Bernstein Conference 2025 PhD Symposium, with roughly 80 participants divided into small teams. The teams tackled five questions from the CON²PHYS questionnaire that the participants had previously selected, and worked on them for a full-day hackathon using the shared dataset.
Overall, very little consensus emerged across the teams on any of the five questions. Answers diverged both in terms of chosen analyses and in the resulting quantitative estimates, confirming that conceptual variability was substantial.
Pie charts of the answers to 2 multiple-choice questions asked at the 2025 Bernstein pilot study. The questions were on spike-spike correlations and directed functional connectivity. The distribution illustrates the low consensus across teams.
At the same time, many participants explicitly said that this was the first time they had been forced to think about “consistency” from this practical perspective, something that they described as refreshing and thought-provoking. This pilot strongly motivated us to continue with the full-scale project.
Pilot study 2 – Pre-COSYNE Brainhack
The second pilot study ran as a two-day hackathon at the Pre-COSYNE Brainhack at the Champalimaud Foundation in Lisbon, on March 10–11, in collaboration with the International Brain Laboratory (IBL). Roughly 40 researchers, organized in teams of two or three, analyzed the same anonymized Neuropixels dataset and answered four multiple-choice questions.
Results largely replicated what was observed at Bernstein: directed functional connectivity and pairwise spike interactions produced near-total disagreement, with answers spread roughly evenly across all available options. Questions on neural decoding were a notable exception, yielding substantially more agreement across teams.
The aggregated results across both pilot studies are shown below.
Pie charts showing the distribution of answers across teams for two multiple-choice questions — pairwise spike interactions (N=29 teams) and directed functional connectivity (N=28 teams) — aggregated across the Bernstein Conference 2025 and Pre-COSYNE Brainhack pilot studies. Answers are spread across all available options, indicating minimal consensus. Answers are anonymized on purpose.
Pilot study 3 – Pre-FENS Brainhack
The third and final pilot study of the CON²PHYS electrophysiology cycle will take place at the Pre-FENS Brainhack 2026 on July 5, 2026, the day preceding the FENS Forum in Barcelona, Spain (Facultat de Medicina, Universitat de Barcelona). The event is organized in collaboration with the IBL, Andrea Navas-Olive and Helena Lluís Sanchez-Lafuente. It is sponsored by the IBL, the FNRS, the Nomis Foundation, and the Universitat de Barcelona.
As in the previous two hackathons, participants will work in teams to analyze the same electrophysiology dataset and answer multiple-choice questions probing conceptual consistency. Registration will open soon — check the event website for updates.
Participating in both a pilot study and the full CON²PHYS project?
If you participated in one of the two pilot studies, this does not disqualify you from participating in the full CON²PHYS project. On the contrary, we strongly encourage you to do so, since you have already completed a significant part of the study. The only thing that we require is that you clearly indicate in the submission form that you participated in one of the pilot studies and answer the related questions.