Brain imaging
Recent articles
Stimulating the brain with Damien Fair
The MacArthur Foundation “genius” discusses his return to his home state of Minnesota and why it’s important to protect the developing brain.
![Illustrated portrait of Damien Fair.](https://www.thetransmitter.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/1200-synaptic-damien-fair-1024x683.png)
Stimulating the brain with Damien Fair
The MacArthur Foundation “genius” discusses his return to his home state of Minnesota and why it’s important to protect the developing brain.
Dose, scan, repeat: Tracking the neurological effects of oral contraceptives
We know little about how the brain responds to oral contraceptives, despite their widespread use. I am committed to changing that: I scanned my brain 75 times over the course of a year and plan to make my data openly available.
![Grid of human brain scans.](https://www.thetransmitter.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Heller-hormones-brain-scans-1200-1024x683.png)
Dose, scan, repeat: Tracking the neurological effects of oral contraceptives
We know little about how the brain responds to oral contraceptives, despite their widespread use. I am committed to changing that: I scanned my brain 75 times over the course of a year and plan to make my data openly available.
Remembering Eleanor Maguire, ‘trailblazer’ of human memory
Maguire, mastermind of the famous London taxi-driver study, broadened the field and championed the importance of spatial representations in memory.
![Eleanor Maguire.](https://www.thetransmitter.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/1200-transmitter-neuroscience-eleanor-maguire-1024x683.webp)
Remembering Eleanor Maguire, ‘trailblazer’ of human memory
Maguire, mastermind of the famous London taxi-driver study, broadened the field and championed the importance of spatial representations in memory.
In case you missed it: Standout news stories from 2024
These five stories—on the pregnant brain, a failed imaging method and more—top our list of some of the most notable neuroscience research findings this year.
![Illustration of cranes attempting to assemble a structure out of very small black squares.](https://www.thetransmitter.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/RPE-1200-1024x692.png)
In case you missed it: Standout news stories from 2024
These five stories—on the pregnant brain, a failed imaging method and more—top our list of some of the most notable neuroscience research findings this year.
Timing tweak turns trashed fMRI scans into treasure
Leveraging start-up “dummy scans,” which are typically discarded in imaging analyses, can shorten an experiment’s length and make data collection more efficient, a new study reveals.
![Research image of fMRI scans on a black background.](https://www.thetransmitter.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/1200-stimulus-steady-state-1024x683.webp)
Timing tweak turns trashed fMRI scans into treasure
Leveraging start-up “dummy scans,” which are typically discarded in imaging analyses, can shorten an experiment’s length and make data collection more efficient, a new study reveals.
New tissue-clearing techniques let microscopes peer deeper into living brains
Washing mouse brain tissue with a blood protein or complex sugar can illuminate cells 550 micrometers into the cortex without compromising its normal physiology.
New tissue-clearing techniques let microscopes peer deeper into living brains
Washing mouse brain tissue with a blood protein or complex sugar can illuminate cells 550 micrometers into the cortex without compromising its normal physiology.
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.
![Photograph of a child sitting at a laptop and performing an executive function test.](https://www.thetransmitter.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Lede-statefair1200-1024x692.webp)
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.
Repeat scans reveal brain changes that precede childbirth
A detailed look at a “pregnant brain” highlights a need to investigate the neural alterations that occur during a transition experienced by nearly 140 million people worldwide each year.
![Research image of brain scans showing the structural integrity of white-matter tracts.](https://www.thetransmitter.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/White-matter-pregnancy-neuroscience-LEDE-1200-1024x692.png)
Repeat scans reveal brain changes that precede childbirth
A detailed look at a “pregnant brain” highlights a need to investigate the neural alterations that occur during a transition experienced by nearly 140 million people worldwide each year.
Neuroimaging researchers pen statement protesting UK Biobank data-access changes
The signatories asked the organization to grant all imaging researchers a data-download exemption until the cloud platform can accommodate their processing needs.
![Illustration of a hand holding a pen reaching towards a blank sheet of paper.](https://www.thetransmitter.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Petition-1200-1024x692.webp)
Neuroimaging researchers pen statement protesting UK Biobank data-access changes
The signatories asked the organization to grant all imaging researchers a data-download exemption until the cloud platform can accommodate their processing needs.
Monkeys build mental maps to navigate new tasks
Cognitive maps, also known as world models, allow animals to imagine novel scenarios based on past experiences.
![Illustration of a monkey with map-like navigation pinpoints superimposed on its head.](https://www.thetransmitter.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/lede-monkey-1200-1024x692.webp)
Monkeys build mental maps to navigate new tasks
Cognitive maps, also known as world models, allow animals to imagine novel scenarios based on past experiences.
Explore more from The Transmitter
Food for thought: Neuronal fuel source more flexible than previously recognized
The cells primarily rely on glucose—rather than lactate from astrocytes—to generate energy, according to recent findings in mice.
![Research image of brain glucose levels in mice.](https://www.thetransmitter.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/1200-transmitter-neuroscience-lactate-shuttle-astrocyte-1024x683.png)
Food for thought: Neuronal fuel source more flexible than previously recognized
The cells primarily rely on glucose—rather than lactate from astrocytes—to generate energy, according to recent findings in mice.
Claims of necessity and sufficiency are not well suited for the study of complex systems
The earliest studies on necessary and sufficient neural populations were performed on simple invertebrate circuits. Does this logic still serve us as we tackle more sophisticated outputs?
![Abstract illustration of overlapping lines.](https://www.thetransmitter.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Necessary-sufficient-neuro-1200-1024x692.png)
Claims of necessity and sufficiency are not well suited for the study of complex systems
The earliest studies on necessary and sufficient neural populations were performed on simple invertebrate circuits. Does this logic still serve us as we tackle more sophisticated outputs?
Subthalamic plasticity helps mice squelch innate fear responses
When the animals learn that a perceived threat is not dangerous, long-term activity changes in a part of the subthalamus suppress their instinctive fears.
![Research image of a mouse brain slice stained in purple and yellow.](https://www.thetransmitter.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Fear-coronal-brain-1200-1-1024x692.png)
Subthalamic plasticity helps mice squelch innate fear responses
When the animals learn that a perceived threat is not dangerous, long-term activity changes in a part of the subthalamus suppress their instinctive fears.