fMRI

Recent articles

Research image of brain activity in infants.

Infant visual system categorizes common objects by 2 months of age

Brain activity patterns in the ventral visual cortex appear to distinguish images across 12 categories, including birds and trees, longitudinal functional MRI scans suggest.

By Helena Kudiabor
24 February 2026 | 5 min read
Language-responsive regions light up in red on a series of brain scans.

Cerebellum responds to language like cortical areas

One of four language-responsive cerebellar regions may encode meaningful information, much like the cortical language network in the left hemisphere, according to a new study.

By Natalia Mesa
6 February 2026 | 5 min read
Researcher Russell Poldrack's face closeup, with a scanner seen out of focus behind him.

A brief history of precision self-scanning

When a researcher solved a logistical problem by going rogue, the idea proved remarkably infectious.

By Lauren Gravitz
21 January 2026 | 13 min read
Rhesus macaque monkey makes an intimidating face.

Some facial expressions are less reflexive than previously thought

A countenance such as a grimace activates many of the same cortical pathways as voluntary facial movements.

By Natalia Mesa
8 January 2026 | 5 min read
A see-through human brain with circuits inside it.

‘Wired for Words: The Neural Architecture of Language,’ an excerpt

In his new book, Hickok provides a detailed overview of the research into the circuits that control speech and language. In this excerpt from Chapter 5, he shares how meeting his colleague David Poeppel led to them developing the theory for bilateral speech perception.

By Gregory Hickok
2 December 2025 | 8 min read
Stack of papers.

What are the most-cited neuroscience papers from the past 30 years?

Highly cited papers reflect the surge in artificial-intelligence research in the field and other technical advances, plus prizewinning work on analgesics, the fusiform face area and ion channels.

By The Transmitter
15 November 2025 | 11 min read
Portion of The Transmitter’s state of neuroscience semantic map.

Putting 50 years of neuroscience on the map

Navigate the rise and fall of research topics over five decades using our interactive map, which is based on a semantic analysis of nearly 350,000 abstracts in leading neuroscience journals.

By The Transmitter
15 November 2025 | 3 min read
Roads inside a human brain.

Aging as adaptation: Learning the brain’s recipe for resilience

Some age-related changes in the brain and in behavior are not solely the result of cognitive decline but rather part of a larger adaptive process.

By Dana Rubi Levy, Kevin Mastro, Michael Ryan
14 November 2025 | 6 min listen
Research image of fMRI scans on a black background.

Timing tweak turns trashed fMRI scans into treasure

Leveraging start-up “dummy scans,” which are typically discarded in imaging analyses, can shorten an experiment’s length and make data collection more efficient, a new study reveals.

By Angie Voyles Askham
13 November 2025 | 6 min read
Research image of altered neurovascular coupling after exposure to psychedelics.

Psychedelics muddy fMRI results: Q&A with Adam Bauer and Jonah Padawer-Curry

The drugs disrupt the link between vascular and neuronal activity, which complicates interpretations of fMRI data. Adopting a more holistic view of what constitutes brain activity may help, the researchers say.

By Calli McMurray
29 October 2025 | 7 min read

Explore more from The Transmitter

Annette Dolphin.

Remembering Annette Dolphin, who helped explain gabapentin’s effects

The "intuitive" neuropharmacologist pushed against the status quo.

By Michael Eisenstein
13 March 2026 | 7 min read
Data visualization from a genome-wide association study.

Revised statistical bar extracts less-common variants from autism genetics studies

Adjusting genetic analyses could help plug autism’s heritability gap, according to a new preprint.

By Holly Barker
12 March 2026 | 4 min read

Tom Griffiths describes how neural networks, logic and probability theory together explain cognition

In his new book, “The Laws of Thought,” Griffiths shows how these three pillars of study complement one another and together form a solid foundation to eventually explain all of our cognition, from brain to mind.

By Paul Middlebrooks
11 March 2026 | 100 min listen