Glutamate

Recent articles

Image of the dorsal raphe area of the brain.

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.

By Claudia López Lloreda
9 April 2024 | 5 min read
Mice socialize in an enclosure

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.

By Katie Moisse
20 June 2023 | 4 min read
Photograph of white pills and blister pack on blue pastel colored background.

Trials of arbaclofen for autism yield mixed results

Autistic children taking the drug showed improvements in some behaviors but not in their social skills.

By Giorgia Guglielmi
5 May 2023 | 5 min read
An adult administers a medication to an infant.

Experimental drug shows promise for autism-linked syndromes

The drug quells seizures in children with Dravet syndrome or Lennox-Gastaut syndrome.

By Charles Q. Choi
2 September 2022 | 5 min read

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.

By Chloe Williams
1 July 2022 | 4 min read

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.

By Holly Barker
22 March 2022 | 3 min read
Visual stimulus of 4 circles with black and white stripes.

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.

By Peter Hess
5 January 2022 | 3 min read
Mouse neuron recordings showing different levels of activity before and after an encounter with an unfamiliar mouse.

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.

By Peter Hess
18 June 2021 | 4 min read
brainstem of rats in red, green and blue highlight higher levels of GABA.

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.

By Peter Hess
3 May 2021 | 2 min read

Family groups, researchers join forces to solve mysteries of autism gene

Families of children with mutations in a gene called SYNGAP1 have spurred research into the effects of the mutations on people — and how to treat them.

By Nicholette Zeliadt
10 July 2019 | 7 min read

Explore more from The Transmitter

Research image of a portion of mouse brain.

Stress warps fear memories in multiple ways

Expanding the bounds of a fear memory or linking it to a neutral memory can shape a mouse’s fear response, two new studies show.

By Claudia López Lloreda
15 November 2024 | 5 min read
Illustration of overlapping silhouettes of two faces in profile facing a matrix of dots of various colors and sizes.

How to be a multidisciplinary neuroscientist

Neuroscience subfields are often siloed. Embracing an integrative approach during training can help change that.

By Austin Coley
15 November 2024 | 5 min read
Research image of mouse brain slices.

Newfound gene network controls long-range connections between emotional, cognitive brain areas

The finding could help unravel gene regulatory networks and explain how genetic and environmental factors interact in neurodevelopmental conditions.

By Charles Q. Choi
14 November 2024 | 4 min read