Circuits
Recent articles
Fly taste connectome traces paths from sensation to action
The map—the first of its kind for an animal more complex than Caenorhabditis elegans—gives neuroscientists a trove of testable hypotheses about how neuronal circuits guide feeding behaviors.
Fly taste connectome traces paths from sensation to action
The map—the first of its kind for an animal more complex than Caenorhabditis elegans—gives neuroscientists a trove of testable hypotheses about how neuronal circuits guide feeding behaviors.
How Nobel Prize-winning optogenetics has revolutionized neuroscience
The technique has enabled neuroscientists to target brain circuits and cells with unprecedented specificity, transforming the study of memory, interoception, brain disorders and reward, among other domains.
How Nobel Prize-winning optogenetics has revolutionized neuroscience
The technique has enabled neuroscientists to target brain circuits and cells with unprecedented specificity, transforming the study of memory, interoception, brain disorders and reward, among other domains.
Fly neurons carry molecular signatures of their origins
The pattern of transcription factors a Drosophila neuron expresses offers clues to its lineage and birth order—and ultimately how neural circuits emerge.
Fly neurons carry molecular signatures of their origins
The pattern of transcription factors a Drosophila neuron expresses offers clues to its lineage and birth order—and ultimately how neural circuits emerge.
Brainstem neurons add new element to ‘already complex’ anxiety circuitry
Precise optogenetic modulation of a medullary neuron population reveals their role in anxiety-like behaviors.
Brainstem neurons add new element to ‘already complex’ anxiety circuitry
Precise optogenetic modulation of a medullary neuron population reveals their role in anxiety-like behaviors.
In memoriam: Howard Fields, pain research pioneer
Over six decades, Fields mapped out the circuits of both pain and addiction.
In memoriam: Howard Fields, pain research pioneer
Over six decades, Fields mapped out the circuits of both pain and addiction.
Astrocytes stabilize circuits in adult mouse brain
The glial cells secrete a protein that suppresses plasticity post-development.
Astrocytes stabilize circuits in adult mouse brain
The glial cells secrete a protein that suppresses plasticity post-development.
The best of ‘this paper changed my life’ in 2025
From a study that upended astrocyte research to one that reignited the field of spiking neural networks, experts weighed in on the papers that significantly shaped how they think about and approach neuroscience.
The best of ‘this paper changed my life’ in 2025
From a study that upended astrocyte research to one that reignited the field of spiking neural networks, experts weighed in on the papers that significantly shaped how they think about and approach neuroscience.
What should the field prioritize over the next 10 years?
Respondents pointed to a range of challenges in basic neuroscience—such as understanding naturalistic behaviors, intelligence and embodied cognition—and called for more circuit-level research, more precise brain recordings and more work in alternative models. Just as many pushed for a translational pivot.
What should the field prioritize over the next 10 years?
Respondents pointed to a range of challenges in basic neuroscience—such as understanding naturalistic behaviors, intelligence and embodied cognition—and called for more circuit-level research, more precise brain recordings and more work in alternative models. Just as many pushed for a translational pivot.
This paper changed my life: Bradley Dickerson on how a 1940s fly neuroanatomy paper influences his research to this day
This classic paper by zoologist John Pringle describes the haltere—a small structure in flies that plays a crucial role in flight control. It taught me to think about circuits and behavior as greater than the sum of their parts.
This paper changed my life: Bradley Dickerson on how a 1940s fly neuroanatomy paper influences his research to this day
This classic paper by zoologist John Pringle describes the haltere—a small structure in flies that plays a crucial role in flight control. It taught me to think about circuits and behavior as greater than the sum of their parts.
How developing neurons simplify their search for a synaptic mate
Streamlining the problem from 3D to 1D eases the expedition—a strategy the study investigators deployed to rewire an olfactory circuit in flies.
How developing neurons simplify their search for a synaptic mate
Streamlining the problem from 3D to 1D eases the expedition—a strategy the study investigators deployed to rewire an olfactory circuit in flies.
Explore more from The Transmitter
Brain registers spatial location outside hippocampus
A more complex picture of how an animal’s brain tracks its location is starting to emerge.
Brain registers spatial location outside hippocampus
A more complex picture of how an animal’s brain tracks its location is starting to emerge.
The three-banded panther worm is rewriting the story of brain evolution
The animal has a brain structure all its own, according to a 2026 preprint. The finding hints that brains could have evolved centralization before regionalization.
The three-banded panther worm is rewriting the story of brain evolution
The animal has a brain structure all its own, according to a 2026 preprint. The finding hints that brains could have evolved centralization before regionalization.
Does cognition happen in brain areas or between them?
Michael Cole explains how "brain flows" are the fundamental units of brain function and cognition.
Does cognition happen in brain areas or between them?
Michael Cole explains how "brain flows" are the fundamental units of brain function and cognition.