Bio

My research interests are at the intersection of neuroscience, statistics, and machine learning. In my current work, I develop and apply state-space models and drift-diffusion models to study large-scale brain networks with human fMRI and rodent fiber photometry.

Education & Certifications

  • M.S., Stanford University, Statistics (2022)
  • B.A., Stanford University, Economics (2020)

Contact

  • Work
    branigan@stanford.edu
    University - Staff Department: Psych/Major Laboratories and Clinical & Translational Neurosciences Incubator Position: Casual - Non-Exempt
    University - Affiliate Department: Psych/Major Laboratories and Clinical & Translational Neurosciences Incubator

Additional Info

All Publications

  • Nonergodicity and Simpson's paradox in neurocognitive dynamics of cognitive control. Nature communications Mistry, P. K., Branigan, N. K., Gao, Z., Cai, W., Menon, V. 2026; 17 (1)

    Abstract

    Nonergodicity and Simpson's paradox present significant, yet underappreciated challenges in cognitive neuroscience. Leveraging brain imaging and behavioral data from over 4000 individuals and a Bayesian computational model of cognitive dynamics, we investigated brain-behavior relationships underlying cognitive control at both between-subjects and within-subjects levels. Strikingly, brain-behavior associations reversed across levels of analysis, revealing pervasive nonergodicity. Within-subjects analysis uncovered dissociated neural representations of reactive and proactive control and revealed that individuals who adaptively versus maladaptively regulated cognitive control exhibited distinct brain-behavior associations. Our findings demonstrate that between-subjects analyses can fundamentally mischaracterize within-individuals mechanisms, as group-level patterns not only disagreed with individual-level patterns but often reversed them. This work highlights the necessity of distinguishing between-subjects and within-subjects inferences in neuroscience, with implications for understanding cognitive mechanisms and designing personalized interventions.

    View details for DOI 10.1038/s41467-026-71404-0

    View details for PubMedID 42045209

    View details for PubMedCentralID PMC13121725

  • Space wandering in the rodent default mode network. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America Nghiem, T. E., Lee, B., Chao, T. H., Branigan, N. K., Mistry, P. K., Shih, Y. I., Menon, V. 2024; 121 (15): e2315167121

    Abstract

    The default mode network (DMN) is a large-scale brain network known to be suppressed during a wide range of cognitive tasks. However, our comprehension of its role in naturalistic and unconstrained behaviors has remained elusive because most research on the DMN has been conducted within the restrictive confines of MRI scanners. Here, we use multisite GCaMP (a genetically encoded calcium indicator) fiber photometry with simultaneous videography to probe DMN function in awake, freely exploring rats. We examined neural dynamics in three core DMN nodes-the retrosplenial cortex, cingulate cortex, and prelimbic cortex-as well as the anterior insula node of the salience network, and their association with the rats' spatial exploration behaviors. We found that DMN nodes displayed a hierarchical functional organization during spatial exploration, characterized by stronger coupling with each other than with the anterior insula. Crucially, these DMN nodes encoded the kinematics of spatial exploration, including linear and angular velocity. Additionally, we identified latent brain states that encoded distinct patterns of time-varying exploration behaviors and found that higher linear velocity was associated with enhanced DMN activity, heightened synchronization among DMN nodes, and increased anticorrelation between the DMN and anterior insula. Our findings highlight the involvement of the DMN in collectively and dynamically encoding spatial exploration in a real-world setting. Our findings challenge the notion that the DMN is primarily a "task-negative" network disengaged from the external world. By illuminating the DMN's role in naturalistic behaviors, our study underscores the importance of investigating brain network function in ecologically valid contexts.

    View details for DOI 10.1073/pnas.2315167121

    View details for PubMedID 38557177

  • Nonergodicity and Simpson’s paradox in neurocognitive dynamics of cognitive control bioRxiv Mistry, P. K., Branigan, N. K., Gao, Z., Cai, W., Menon, V. 2024

    View details for DOI 10.1101/2024.07.05.602273

  • Computational modeling of proactive, reactive, and attentional dynamics in cognitive control bioRxiv Mistry, P. K., Warren, S. L., Branigan, N. K., Cai, W., Menon, V. 2024

    View details for DOI 10.1101/2024.10.01.615613

https://orcid.org/0009-0007-7305-5992