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The big idea with Diego Bohórquez
His theories around the neuropod have challenged the boundaries of classic ideas regarding gut-brain communication.

The big idea with Diego Bohórquez
His theories around the neuropod have challenged the boundaries of classic ideas regarding gut-brain communication.
Neurotransmitter switch-up helps fan extreme stress into full-blown fear
The flip occurs when certain neurons in the dorsal raphe start to express the chemical GABA instead of glutamate, a new study shows.

Neurotransmitter switch-up helps fan extreme stress into full-blown fear
The flip occurs when certain neurons in the dorsal raphe start to express the chemical GABA instead of glutamate, a new study shows.
Neurons in thalamus sort new social cues from familiar ones
A subset of thalamic neurons support an aspect of social behavior called social recognition, according to experiments in mice.

Neurons in thalamus sort new social cues from familiar ones
A subset of thalamic neurons support an aspect of social behavior called social recognition, according to experiments in mice.
Trials of arbaclofen for autism yield mixed results
Autistic children taking the drug showed improvements in some behaviors but not in their social skills.

Trials of arbaclofen for autism yield mixed results
Autistic children taking the drug showed improvements in some behaviors but not in their social skills.
Experimental drug shows promise for autism-linked syndromes
The drug quells seizures in children with Dravet syndrome or Lennox-Gastaut syndrome.

Experimental drug shows promise for autism-linked syndromes
The drug quells seizures in children with Dravet syndrome or Lennox-Gastaut syndrome.
New resource maps gene expression, regulation in neuron subtypes
The catalog could help researchers understand the effects of autism-linked DNA variants that fall outside genes.

New resource maps gene expression, regulation in neuron subtypes
The catalog could help researchers understand the effects of autism-linked DNA variants that fall outside genes.
New human neuron assays set stage for high-throughput autism drug screens
The ability to conduct large-scale screening in human neurons could accelerate the discovery of autism treatments.

New human neuron assays set stage for high-throughput autism drug screens
The ability to conduct large-scale screening in human neurons could accelerate the discovery of autism treatments.
Visual task flags autistic people who respond to GABA agonists
The investigational drug arbaclofen makes autistic people's brains respond to a visual task more like non-autistic people's brains do.

Visual task flags autistic people who respond to GABA agonists
The investigational drug arbaclofen makes autistic people's brains respond to a visual task more like non-autistic people's brains do.
Neural network captures noisy neurons in autism mouse model
Mice missing the autism-linked gene SHANK3 use more neurons to engage in social behavior than control mice do, reflecting a more disorganized, less efficient brain signaling network.

Neural network captures noisy neurons in autism mouse model
Mice missing the autism-linked gene SHANK3 use more neurons to engage in social behavior than control mice do, reflecting a more disorganized, less efficient brain signaling network.
GABA agonist rescues auditory hypersensitivity in rats missing autism-linked gene CNTNAP2
The investigational drug arbaclofen may right an imbalance between inhibitory and excitatory signaling in the animals’ brains.

GABA agonist rescues auditory hypersensitivity in rats missing autism-linked gene CNTNAP2
The investigational drug arbaclofen may right an imbalance between inhibitory and excitatory signaling in the animals’ brains.
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.