Representation
Recent articles
What do neuroscientists mean when they use the term ‘representation’?
A group of neuroscientists and philosophers discuss the use and misuse of the term "representation" across the cognitive sciences and how it influences the way we interpret the connection between neural, behavioral and mental activity.
What do neuroscientists mean when they use the term ‘representation’?
A group of neuroscientists and philosophers discuss the use and misuse of the term "representation" across the cognitive sciences and how it influences the way we interpret the connection between neural, behavioral and mental activity.
Sharing Africa’s brain data: Q&A with Amadi Ihunwo
These data are “virtually mandatory” to advance neuroscience, says Ihunwo, a co-investigator of the Brain Research International Data Governance & Exchange (BRIDGE) initiative, which seeks to develop a global framework for sharing, using and protecting neuroscience data.

Sharing Africa’s brain data: Q&A with Amadi Ihunwo
These data are “virtually mandatory” to advance neuroscience, says Ihunwo, a co-investigator of the Brain Research International Data Governance & Exchange (BRIDGE) initiative, which seeks to develop a global framework for sharing, using and protecting neuroscience data.
Aran Nayebi discusses a NeuroAI update to the Turing test
And he highlights the need to match neural representations across machines and organisms to build better autonomous agents.
Aran Nayebi discusses a NeuroAI update to the Turing test
And he highlights the need to match neural representations across machines and organisms to build better autonomous agents.
Brain imaging at the fair with Ka Ip
Does environment affect how children from diverse backgrounds perform on tests of executive function? Ip went to the Minnesota State Fair to find out.

Brain imaging at the fair with Ka Ip
Does environment affect how children from diverse backgrounds perform on tests of executive function? Ip went to the Minnesota State Fair to find out.
When do neural representations give rise to mental representations?
To answer this question, consider the animal’s umwelt, or what it needs to know about the world.

When do neural representations give rise to mental representations?
To answer this question, consider the animal’s umwelt, or what it needs to know about the world.
From a scientist’s perspective: The Transmitter’s top five essays in 2023
From big-picture debates about theories and terms to practical tips for teaching and writing, our favorite expert-written articles offer a glimpse into what neuroscientists are thinking.

From a scientist’s perspective: The Transmitter’s top five essays in 2023
From big-picture debates about theories and terms to practical tips for teaching and writing, our favorite expert-written articles offer a glimpse into what neuroscientists are thinking.
Mistaking a duck for a skvader: How a conceptual form of circular analysis may taint many neuroscience studies
These logical loops are harder to spot than circularity involving noise in the data, but they result from neglecting something closer to home: existing knowledge about the brain.

Mistaking a duck for a skvader: How a conceptual form of circular analysis may taint many neuroscience studies
These logical loops are harder to spot than circularity involving noise in the data, but they result from neglecting something closer to home: existing knowledge about the brain.
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.

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.
What are we talking about? Clarifying the fuzzy concept of representation in neuroscience and beyond
To foster discourse, scientists need to account for all the different ways they use the term “representation.”

What are we talking about? Clarifying the fuzzy concept of representation in neuroscience and beyond
To foster discourse, scientists need to account for all the different ways they use the term “representation.”
Explore more from The Transmitter
ABCD Study omits gender-identity data from latest release
The removal counteracts the goals of the longitudinal study by “pretending that some aspects of adolescent brain development don’t exist,” says sex differences researcher Nicola Grissom.

ABCD Study omits gender-identity data from latest release
The removal counteracts the goals of the longitudinal study by “pretending that some aspects of adolescent brain development don’t exist,” says sex differences researcher Nicola Grissom.
Neuropeptides reprogram social roles in leafcutter ants
The mechanisms that control the labor roles of ants may also be conserved in naked mole rats, a new study shows.

Neuropeptides reprogram social roles in leafcutter ants
The mechanisms that control the labor roles of ants may also be conserved in naked mole rats, a new study shows.
Perspectives from the field: Opinions in autism research
This collection of Spectrum articles from the past 12 months highlights expert perspectives on autism’s heritability and its link to biological sex, the value of transdiagnostic frameworks, and the field’s future, among other topics.

Perspectives from the field: Opinions in autism research
This collection of Spectrum articles from the past 12 months highlights expert perspectives on autism’s heritability and its link to biological sex, the value of transdiagnostic frameworks, and the field’s future, among other topics.