Mouse models

Recent articles

Snoozing dragons stir up ancient evidence of sleep’s dual nature

Deep-sleep cycling between brain waves of higher and lower amplitude dates far back on the evolutionary tree, according to a new comparative study of mammals and reptiles.

By Lauren Schenkman
29 December 2025 | 0 min watch
Research image of SYNGAP protein in the mouse cortex.

Gene replacement therapy normalizes some traits in SYNGAP1 model mice

The first published virus-based gene therapy for SYNGAP1 deletion yields benefits despite the gene’s long length and complexity.

By Charles Q. Choi
20 November 2025 | 5 min read
Mouse brain slices and atlases.

Constellation of studies charts brain development, offers ‘dramatic revision’

The atlases could pinpoint pathways that determine the fate of cells linked to neurodevelopmental conditions.

By Holly Barker
5 November 2025 | 6 min read
Research image of human neurons transplanted into mouse cortices.

Protein tug-of-war controls pace of synaptic development, sets human brains apart

Human-specific duplicates of SRGAP2 prolong cortical development by manipulating SYNGAP, an autism-linked protein that slows synaptic growth.

By Holly Barker
23 October 2025 | 7 min read
Research image of SCN2A neurons.

Boosting SCN2A expression reduces seizures in mice

A modified form of CRISPR amps up expression of the gene—a strategy that could apply to other gene variations linked to autism.

By Charles Q. Choi
9 October 2025 | 5 min read
Research image showing cell activity in a particular region of the mouse thalamus.

Sensory gatekeeper drives seizures, autism-like behaviors in mouse model

The new work, in mice missing the autism-linked gene CNTNAP2, suggests a mechanism to help explain the overlap between epilepsy and autism.

By Diana Kwon
11 September 2025 | 4 min read
Peggy Mason at her desk.

Up and out with Peggy Mason

Mason helped define the rodent prosocial behavior field, but now she’s changing course.

By Sydney Wyatt
15 August 2025 | 12 min read
People stand at a conveyor belt that emanates from an open mouth and pick fruit-shaped objects off of it.

This paper changed my life: Victoria Abraira on a tasty link between circuits and behavior

The findings from Charles Zuker’s lab put the taste system on the map, revealing that some fundamental principles of behavior are hardwired.

By Victoria Abraira
22 July 2025 | 4 min read
Different colored rectangles form the shapes of a bird, fish and insect.

Systems and circuit neuroscience need an evolutionary perspective

To identify fundamental neuroscientific principles that generalize across species, neuroscientists must frame their research through an evolutionary lens.

By Karl Farrow, Katja Reinhard
16 July 2025 | 6 min read
Diego Bohorquez portrait on blue background.

The big idea with Diego Bohórquez

His theories around the neuropod have challenged the boundaries of classic ideas regarding gut-brain communication.

By Sydney Wyatt
20 June 2025 | 12 min read

Explore more from The Transmitter

A hand moves a square within a set of squares in a consistent gradient, while a hand of lines representing computation passes through.

How to collaborate with AI

To make the best use of LLMs in research, turn your scientific question into a set of concrete, checkable proposals, wire up an automatic scoring loop, and let the AI iterate.

By Kenneth Harris
19 January 2026 | 6 min read
Two heatmap-like mouse silhouettes overlaid with a grid of ones and zeroes.

How artificial agents can help us understand social recognition

Neuroscience is chasing the complexity of social behavior, yet we have not answered the simplest question in the chain: How does a brain know “who is who”? Emerging multi-agent artificial intelligence may help accelerate our understanding of this fundamental computation.

By Eunji Kong
16 January 2026 | 5 min read
Brain network maps creating using lesion network mapping.

Methodological flaw may upend network mapping tool

The lesion network mapping method, used to identify disease-specific brain networks for clinical stimulation, produces a nearly identical network map for any given condition, according to a new study.

By Angie Voyles Askham
15 January 2026 | 7 min read

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