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Capitol building
Spectrum Microphone

In updated U.S. autism bill, Congress calls for funding boost, expanded scope

The current Autism CARES Act sunsets in late September.

By Rachel Zamzow
5 September 2024 | 5 min listen
A woman stands in front of two books that are open to reveal that they contain doorways from which blue light emanates.
Summer reading Microphone

From reductionism to dynamical systems: How two books influenced my thinking across 30 years of neuroscience

Nicole Rust describes her career-changing literary journey of joy, free will and the evolution of a field.

By Nicole Rust
26 August 2024 | 4 min listen
Illustration of a blue face with sunglasses.

Neuroscience needs a career path for software engineers

Few institutions have mechanisms for the type of long-term positions that would best benefit the science.

By Gaëlle Chapuis, Olivier Winter
19 August 2024 | 7 min listen
Illustration of a single digitally rendered figure wandering a fragmented and distorted virtual environment.

Nonsense correlations and how to avoid them

This statistical error is common in systems neuroscience. Fortunately, straightforward methods can help you prevent it.

By Kenneth Harris
12 August 2024 | 6 min listen
Research image of a brain chimera containing neurons from rats and mice.
Ethics Microphone

Is it time to worry about brain chimeras?

Brains made of neurons from two species raise new concerns.

By Joshua R. Sanes
5 August 2024 | 9 min listen
Portrait of insect-cognition researcher Martin Giurfa.
Neuroethology Microphone

Martin Giurfa’s concept of home

The insect-cognition researcher has done his work across continents, but Argentina is never far from his mind.

By Gina Jiménez
31 July 2024 | 15 min listen
Photograph of a pink pencil standing out from a row of blue pencils.
Publishing Microphone

Women are systematically under-cited in neuroscience. New tools can change that.

An omitted citation in a high-profile paper led us to examine our own practices and to help others adopt tools that promote citation diversity.

By Anne Churchland, Felicia Davatolhagh
22 July 2024 | 5 min listen
Image of a crumpled dollar bill on a light pink background. The bill's edges suggest a line graph trending downward.
Funding Microphone

Future of BRAIN Initiative funding remains unclear

As the U.S. Congress begins to discuss federal science funding for 2025, any plans to compensate for this year’s cuts to the neuroscience program face an uphill battle.

By Angie Voyles Askham
3 July 2024 | 4 min listen
A photograph of Paul-Antoine Libourel.
Sleep Microphone

At the end of the earth with Paul-Antoine Libourel

The French researcher’s accomplishments working with chinstrap penguins in the Antarctic highlight the importance of recording sleep in the wild.

By Yves Sciama
11 June 2024 | 18 min listen
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

Explore more from The Transmitter

Cell population in brainstem coordinates cough, new study shows

The work also adds to a growing body of evidence showing that mice, and their genetic toolbox, can be used to study cough.

By Calli McMurray
6 September 2024 | 5 min read
Illustration of ketamine blocking open ion channels in active NMDA receptors, quieting the cells and disrupting downstream signaling involved in depression.

Ketamine targets lateral habenula, setting off cascade of antidepressant effects

The drug’s affinity for overactive cells in the “anti-reward” region may help explain its rapid and long-lasting results.

By Olivia Gieger
4 September 2024 | 6 min read
Research image of astrocytes and microglia in mouse brains.

X-chromosome genes; neurobiology of infant crying; MCHAT in preemies

Here is a roundup of autism-related news and research spotted around the web for the week of 2 September.

By Jill Adams
3 September 2024 | 2 min read