Systems neuroscience

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Illustration of a treeline in front of a human brain.

‘Natural Neuroscience: Toward a Systems Neuroscience of Natural Behaviors,’ an excerpt

In his new book, published today, Nachum Ulanovsky calls on the field to embrace naturalistic conditions and move away from overcontrolled experiments.

By Nachum Ulanovsky
15 April 2025 | 9 min read
Research image of a fiber optic implant in a mouse brain.

Bespoke photometry system captures variety of dopamine signals in mice

The tool tracks the excitation of an engineered protein that senses dopamine’s absolute levels, including fast and slow fluctuations in real time, and offers new insights into how the signals change across the brain.

By Sydney Wyatt
21 March 2025 | 5 min read
Illustration of a woman sitting on a branch with a singing bird.

This paper changed my life: Stephanie Palmer on the ties between human speech and birdsong—and her ‘informal life coach’

A groundbreaking review by Allison Doupe, who was Palmer’s mentor, and Patricia Kuhl helped shape the field’s understanding of the neural and evolutionary dynamics of speech.

By Stephanie Palmer
18 March 2025 | 5 min read
Side view of a Tardigrade.

How tiny tardigrades could help tackle systems neuroscience questions

The eight-legged, millimeter-long animals reveal how small nervous systems produce complex behaviors and perceptual abilities, a preprint suggests.

By Dori Grijseels
11 March 2025 | 6 min read
A geometric figure looks out on an abstract horizon.

The limits of neuroscience

Truly understanding the brain requires a set of conditions we’re unlikely to meet: that knowledge about the brain is finite, and that we have both access to that knowledge and the means to understand it.

By Mark Humphries
10 March 2025 | 8 min read

Explore more from The Transmitter

Research image of resting-state functional activity in a human brain.

Developmental delay patterns differ with diagnosis; and more

Here is a roundup of autism-related news and research spotted around the web for the week of 14 April.

By Jill Adams
15 April 2025 | 2 min read
Close-up of high-resolution fMRI images.

Functional MRI can do more than you think

Recent technological advances provide a range of new and different information about brain physiology. But taking full advantage of these gains depends on collaboration between engineers and neuroscientists.

By Laura Lewis
14 April 2025 | 6 min read
People help each other climb up a supersized human brain.

As federal funders desert mentorship programs for marginalized students, trainee-led initiatives fill the gap

Grassroots organizations, led by graduate students and postdoctoral researchers, are stepping up to provide neuroscience career training and guidance for students from marginalized backgrounds—and they need your support.

By Christian Cazares, Maribel Patiño
11 April 2025 | 5 min read