Modeling

Recent articles

Illustrated portrait of Kanaka Rajan.

How neuroscience comics add KA-POW! to the field: Q&A with Kanaka Rajan

The artistic approach can help explain complex ideas frame by frame without diluting the science, Rajan says.

By Olivia Gieger
9 October 2024 | 7 min read
Illustration of hands sewing red and white threads in a DNA-like pattern into a blue-gray fabric.

Untangling biological threads from autism’s phenotypic patchwork reveals four core subtypes

People belonging to the same subtype share genetic variants, behaviors and often co-occurring diagnoses, according to a new preprint.

By Holly Barker
3 October 2024 | 5 min read
Illustration of cranes attempting to assemble a structure out of very small black squares.

Reconstructing dopamine’s link to reward

The field is grappling with whether to modify the long-standing theory of reward prediction error—or abandon it entirely.

By Angie Voyles Askham
13 September 2024 | 20 min listen
Illustration of cranes attempting to assemble a structure out of very small black squares.

Dopamine and the need for alternative theories

Some experimental findings are inconsistent with the dominant model of reward prediction error, highlighting the need for alternative testable and falsifiable models for dopamine function.

By Vijay Mohan K. Namboodiri
13 September 2024 | 7 min read
Illustration of several structures constructed out of small black squares, with scaffolding on some of the structures.

Does a new theory of dopamine replace the classic model?

My answer would be no, but the model poses challenges that will sharpen our understanding of dopamine and learning.

By Naoshige Uchida
13 September 2024 | 8 min read
Illustration of a series of squares containing distinct patterns.

Can an emerging field called ‘neural systems understanding’ explain the brain?

This mashup of neuroscience, artificial intelligence and even linguistics and philosophy of mind aims to crack the deep question of what "understanding" is, however un-brain-like its models may be.

By George Musser
5 June 2024 | 21 min listen

Dancing in the dark: Honeybees use antennae to decode nestmates’ waggles

The insects align their antennae with their body’s angle to a dancer—information that vector-processing circuitry in the brain deciphers into a flight path, a new study suggests.

By Shaena Montanari
3 April 2024 | 0 min watch
A photograph of a crab

In hot water: Climate change tests limits of neuronal resilience in crabs

Warming seas disrupt the function of neurons — and could seed permanent changes in marine species, according to studies of a circuit that controls digestion in crustaceans.

By Angie Voyles Askham
12 February 2024 | 7 min read
An abstract illustration of a figure from the shoulders up with multi-colored boxes on its face

What ‘drifting representations’ reveal about the brain

How neuronal activity patterns associated with a behavior can change, even when the behavior does not — something once seen as an experimental artifact — could offer new insights about neural function.

By Angie Voyles Askham
13 December 2023 | 8 min read
Research image of brain activity during conversation.

AI model helps decode brain activity underlying conversation

A text-predicting chatbot parses text from conversations in a way that parallels brain-activity patterns associated with speech production and comprehension.

By Alla Katsnelson
15 June 2023 | 6 min listen

Explore more from The Transmitter

Research image of a portion of mouse brain.

Stress warps fear memories in multiple ways

Expanding the bounds of a fear memory or linking it to a neutral memory can shape a mouse’s fear response, two new studies show.

By Claudia López Lloreda
15 November 2024 | 5 min read
Illustration of overlapping silhouettes of two faces in profile facing a matrix of dots of various colors and sizes.

How to be a multidisciplinary neuroscientist

Neuroscience subfields are often siloed. Embracing an integrative approach during training can help change that.

By Austin Coley
15 November 2024 | 5 min read
Research image of mouse brain slices.

Newfound gene network controls long-range connections between emotional, cognitive brain areas

The finding could help unravel gene regulatory networks and explain how genetic and environmental factors interact in neurodevelopmental conditions.

By Charles Q. Choi
14 November 2024 | 4 min read