fMRI

Recent articles

3D illustration of arterial blood supply in the human brain.

Arousal neurons’ activity explains brain’s blood flow dynamics in mice

The findings could influence how researchers interpret signals from techniques that use blood flow as a surrogate for neuronal activity.

By Claudia López Lloreda
15 April 2026 | 5 min read

What a bird’s-eye view of half a million papers reveals about neuroscience

New research uses artificial-intellligence-driven bibliometrics to map the structural organization of neuroscience across 25 years. The field it reveals is at once thriving and theoretically adrift.

By Mac Shine
6 April 2026 | 36 min watch
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

Explore more from The Transmitter

Nearly 400 compounds affect behaviors tied to autism-linked genes in zebrafish

Estropipate, paclitaxel and levocarnitine altered behaviors tied to SCN2A and DYRK1A variants specifically, a new open-source platform revealed.

By Charles Q. Choi
16 April 2026 | 4 min read

What neuroscientists want from a new NINDS director

The search is underway for the next director of the U.S. National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, who will face a range of challenges, neuroscientists say, but will also have an “immense opportunity to do good things.”

By Helena Kudiabor
15 April 2026 | 4 min read
Illustration of an open journal featuring lines of text and small illustrations of eyes and mouths.

Autism-linked genes alter sleep behavior, and more

Here is a roundup of autism-related news and research spotted around the web for the week of 13 April.

By Jill Adams
14 April 2026 | 2 min read