Peripheral nervous system
Recent articles
Crafting tales of science with Theanne Griffith
A lifelong passion for writing helped the neuroscientist land a book deal and publish 15 chapter books for early readers, covering topics ranging from what the cerebellum does to how a cake bakes.
![Photograph of Theanne Griffith sitting at a table with her hands interlocked over a stack of books, with one that she has published at the very top.](https://www.thetransmitter.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Theanne-Griffiths-neuro-1200-1024x683.webp)
Crafting tales of science with Theanne Griffith
A lifelong passion for writing helped the neuroscientist land a book deal and publish 15 chapter books for early readers, covering topics ranging from what the cerebellum does to how a cake bakes.
Touch sensors detect subtle environmental vibrations, send information to auditory midbrain
Pacinian corpuscles sense high-frequency vibrations from meters away and send the information to a different circuit than other touch signals, according to a pair of new studies.
![Research image of a Pacinian corpuscle in a mouse.](https://www.thetransmitter.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/vibrations-1200-1024x692.webp)
Touch sensors detect subtle environmental vibrations, send information to auditory midbrain
Pacinian corpuscles sense high-frequency vibrations from meters away and send the information to a different circuit than other touch signals, according to a pair of new studies.
Supersized version of Alzheimer’s protein avoids clumping in brain
“Big tau” may explain why some brain regions, such as the cerebellum and brainstem, are largely spared from neurodegeneration, even though tau is expressed throughout the nervous system.
![Research image of tau proteins in the brains of people with Alzheimer’s disease.](https://www.thetransmitter.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/tauPET-landscape-1200-1024x692.webp)
Supersized version of Alzheimer’s protein avoids clumping in brain
“Big tau” may explain why some brain regions, such as the cerebellum and brainstem, are largely spared from neurodegeneration, even though tau is expressed throughout the nervous system.
Opioid receptors may guide formation of gut nervous system in zebrafish
Fish lacking functional copies of the receptors have fewer enteric neurons than usual, but the findings await further validation.
![Research image of enteric neurons in zebrafish.](https://www.thetransmitter.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Fig2D-fish-1200-1024x692.webp)
Opioid receptors may guide formation of gut nervous system in zebrafish
Fish lacking functional copies of the receptors have fewer enteric neurons than usual, but the findings await further validation.
Faked results lead to retraction of high-profile cancer neuroscience study
An investigation found that the experiments required more animals than the scientists had purchased.
![Image of a series of red sticky notes protruding from a stack of white paper.](https://www.thetransmitter.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/1200-cancer-nerve-retraction-transmitter-neuroscience-copy-1024x683.webp)
Faked results lead to retraction of high-profile cancer neuroscience study
An investigation found that the experiments required more animals than the scientists had purchased.
The question of regeneration—an excerpt from ‘Periphery: How Your Nervous System Predicts and Protects Against Disease’
In his recent book, Moses Chao makes the case that the peripheral nervous system can warn of future illnesses.
![](https://www.thetransmitter.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/1200-periphery-1024x683.webp)
The question of regeneration—an excerpt from ‘Periphery: How Your Nervous System Predicts and Protects Against Disease’
In his recent book, Moses Chao makes the case that the peripheral nervous system can warn of future illnesses.
Autism-linked genes shape touch processing through different mechanisms, at different times
Whereas some mice display hypersensitivity to touch only as adults, others respond that way from birth.
![](https://www.thetransmitter.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/1200-spinal-touch-1024x683.webp)
Autism-linked genes shape touch processing through different mechanisms, at different times
Whereas some mice display hypersensitivity to touch only as adults, others respond that way from birth.
Going deep: The Transmitter’s top long-form stories in 2023
Our favorite features and book excerpts from the past year delved into the neurobiology of cancer; problems with survey data; free will; mathematical minds; and questions around one startup’s quest to treat brain conditions with cell therapies.
![Photograph of a gloved hand pointing to a computer screen that is displaying an image of a mouse brain.](https://www.thetransmitter.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/1200-neurona-lede.webp)
Going deep: The Transmitter’s top long-form stories in 2023
Our favorite features and book excerpts from the past year delved into the neurobiology of cancer; problems with survey data; free will; mathematical minds; and questions around one startup’s quest to treat brain conditions with cell therapies.
Explore more from The Transmitter
Rethinking mental health: The body’s impact on the brain
Mounting evidence illustrates how peripheral molecules can influence brain function, offering new therapeutic targets.
![Illustration of a body, brain visible through a transparent head, looking at orange circles over its hands.](https://www.thetransmitter.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/1200-hodes-body-brain-mental-health-neuroscience-1024x683.png)
Rethinking mental health: The body’s impact on the brain
Mounting evidence illustrates how peripheral molecules can influence brain function, offering new therapeutic targets.
How eight initiatives are tackling neuroscience’s gender gap
In honor of today’s International Day of Women and Girls in Science, The Transmitter spoke with some of the women working to bolster their ranks in the field through storytelling podcasts, speaker repositories, social media networks and other community-based advocacy projects.
![Illustrated collage of women doing scientific tasks: looking at brain slices, pouring a solution into a beaker and looking into a microscope.](https://www.thetransmitter.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/1200-women-neuroscience-gender-imbalance-1024x683.png)
How eight initiatives are tackling neuroscience’s gender gap
In honor of today’s International Day of Women and Girls in Science, The Transmitter spoke with some of the women working to bolster their ranks in the field through storytelling podcasts, speaker repositories, social media networks and other community-based advocacy projects.
TSC2 gene; cortical thickness; long noncoding RNA
Here is a roundup of autism-related news and research spotted around the web for the week of 10 February.
![Research image of neural rosettes.](https://www.thetransmitter.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/1200-spotted-TSC2-RNA-autism-1024x683.png)
TSC2 gene; cortical thickness; long noncoding RNA
Here is a roundup of autism-related news and research spotted around the web for the week of 10 February.