Neuromodulators

Recent articles

Archery target.

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.

By The Transmitter
15 November 2025 | 11 min read
Research image of serotonin and dopamine neurons manipulated simultaneously in mice.

Dopamine ‘gas pedal’ and serotonin ‘brake’ team up to accelerate learning

Mice learn fastest and most reliably when they experience an increase in dopamine paired with an inhibition of serotonin in their nucleus accumbens, a new study shows, helping to resolve long-standing questions about the neuromodulators’ relationship.

By Angie Voyles Askham
12 February 2025 | 5 min read

Explore more from The Transmitter

Research image of expression of MEIS2 in PV interneurons.

Loss of interneuron plasticity may be shared hallmark of neurodevelopmental conditions

Restoring an experience-dependent interneuron plasticity gene in adulthood improves memory and cuts seizures in CNTNAP2 knockout mice, a new study shows.

By Claudia López Lloreda
12 August 2026 | 5 min read
Structural MRI scans of people with Alzheimer’s disease and depression.

Neuropsychiatric MRI brain signatures fail reproducibility test

Small neuroimaging studies are unlikely to capture consistent anatomical changes related to conditions such as autism, schizophrenia and mood disorders, according to a new “wake-up call” study.

By Holly Barker
12 August 2026 | 5 min read
Research image of astrocytes.

Three models, three routes to altered auditory processing, and more

Here is a roundup of autism-related news and research spotted around the web for the week of 10 August.

By Jill Adams
11 August 2026 | 2 min read