Brain stimulation

Recent articles

Mark Hallett.

Remembering Mark Hallett, leader in transcranial magnetic stimulation

The long-time NINDS researcher, best known for studying movement disorders, has died at age 82.

By David Dobbs
25 November 2025 | 7 min read
Research image of neuron organization in c elegans.

Worms help untangle brain structure/function mystery

The synaptic connectome of most animals bears little resemblance to functional brain maps, but it can still predict neuronal activity, according to two preprints that tackle the puzzle in C. elegans. 

By Holly Barker
29 August 2025 | 7 min read

Chris Rozell explains how brain stimulation and AI are helping to treat mental disorders

Rozell and his colleagues, using deep brain stimulation and explainable artificial intelligence, have developed tools to help people with treatment-resistant depression.

By Paul Middlebrooks
13 August 2025 | 1 min read
A clinician holds a clipboard while someone else sits on a couch.

Expediting clinical trials for profound autism: Q&A with Matthew State

Aligning Research to Impact Autism, a new initiative funded by the Sergey Brin Family Foundation, wants to bring basic science discoveries to the clinic faster.

By Lauren Schenkman
24 April 2025 | 8 min read
Illustrated portrait of Damien Fair.

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.

By Brady Huggett
3 February 2025 | 68 min listen
A curly line connects two pencils that are hovering over overlapping speech bubbles.

Say what? The Transmitter’s top quotes of 2024

“We’ve cured mouse-heimer’s thousands of times...”—find out who said this to a Transmitter reporter, and read our other favorite quotes from the past year.

By The Transmitter
23 December 2024 | 2 min read
Research image of green and purple mouse brain slices.

Putting a bright idea to the test

A surprising wave of findings in mice suggests that light and sound flickering at 40 hertz clears the brain of Alzheimer’s-disease-linked plaques. Several companies are hoping to prove it works in people.

By Shaena Montanari
21 August 2024 | 11 min read
A hand points to an illustration on a chalkboard.

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.

By The Transmitter
25 December 2023 | 3 min read
Illustration of a meteorologist pointing to an aerial view of clouds swirling over a brain-shaped land mass.

Is the brain uncontrollable, like the weather?

The brain may be chaotic. Does that mean our efforts to control it are doomed?

By Nicole Rust
18 December 2023 | 24 min read

Explore more from The Transmitter

Illustration of a bridge shaped like minds.

Commentary: Citation graphs may underestimate neuroscience’s influence on AI

An alternative, albeit less quantitative, way to trace this history is through the people who carried ideas between the fields.

By Anthony Zador
26 October 2026 | 5 min read
Illustration of a person, shown from the torso down, walking over a bridge shaped like minds.

Commentary: The rising absolute number of neuro-inspired AI papers represents a substantial footprint

Many of the design choices present in the current generation of artificial-intelligence tools parallel purported properties of the brain.

By Kim Stachenfeld
26 October 2026 | 2 min read
Illustration of a person walking over a bridge shaped like minds.

Examining the bridge between neuroscience and AI

A citation analysis reveals that the connection between the two fields is real and gaining momentum. But it’s also narrow and tool-heavy; we need to find ways to widen it.

By Renato Duarte
26 October 2026 | 12 min read