SFN 2010

Recent articles

Spectrum from The Transmitter.

Movement study supports ‘extreme-male brain’ hypothesis

People with autism are slower than controls at interpreting emotions expressed by physical movement, researchers reported Wednesday at the Society for Neuroscience annual meeting in San Diego.

By Deborah Rudacille
19 November 2010 | 3 min read
Spectrum from The Transmitter.

Modeling captures mouse habitat’s effect on neurons

Computerized three-dimensional modeling shows nerve cell abnormalities in the hippocampus of fragile X mice — and suggests the importance of raising experimental mice in more natural habitats, according to a poster presented Wednesday at the Society for Neuroscience annual meeting in San Diego.

By Sarah DeWeerdt
19 November 2010 | 2 min read
Spectrum from The Transmitter.

Antibiotic proves promising as fragile X treatment

Minocycline, an antibiotic approved to treat various infections including acne, can increase vocalizations and provide long-lasting improvements in anxiety in a fragile X mouse model, according to two posters presented at the Society for Neuroscience annual meeting in San Diego.

By Jessica Wright
19 November 2010 | 3 min read
Spectrum from The Transmitter.

Video: Live from the brain, it’s neuron development

Brain cells communicate across complex junctions called synapses, filled with proteins working to bind neurons together. Kurt Haas of the University of British Columbia in Vancouver has developed a method to watch neuron development in the growing tadpole brain.

By Jessica Wright
19 November 2010 | 1 min read
Spectrum from The Transmitter.

Mouse model hints at Alzheimer’s therapies for fragile X

Lowering the levels of proteins associated with Alzheimer’s disease can improve symptoms of fragile X syndrome in mice, according to a poster presented Wednesday at the Society for Neuroscience annual meeting in San Diego.

By Sarah DeWeerdt
19 November 2010 | 3 min read
Spectrum from The Transmitter.

Congressman Kennedy calls for neuroscience ‘moonshot’

Sharing stories about his own family’s struggles with neurological disease, Patrick J. Kennedy, a Democratic Congressman, on Monday called for a focused national program to uncover the causes and treatments for brain disorders. The challenge today, he told SFARI, is to devote enough resources for research on disorders such as autism.

By Deborah Rudacille
19 November 2010 | 1 min read
Spectrum from The Transmitter.

Video: Why make neurons from children with autism?

Ricardo Dolmetsch is making neurons from induced pluripotent stem cells derived from people with Timothy syndrome, a rare single-gene disorder that causes heart arrhythmias and autism. On Wednesday morning at the Society for Neuroscience annual meeting in San Diego, Dolmetsch talked to SFARI about how this approach could help autism research.

By Virginia Hughes
19 November 2010 | 1 min read
Spectrum from The Transmitter.

Potential biomarker found in urine of children with autism

Young children with autism have high urine levels of a compound that is likely to be a product of gut bacteria, according to a poster presented Tuesday at the Society for Neuroscience annual meeting in San Diego.

By Sarah DeWeerdt
18 November 2010 | 3 min read
Spectrum from The Transmitter.

Immune protein alters development in young mice

Pregnant mice injected with the immune protein interleukin-6 give birth to pups that are less social than normal, an effect that results from the over-activation of two pathways critical in neurodevelopment, researchers reported Tuesday at the Society for Neuroscience annual meeting in San Diego.

By Deborah Rudacille
18 November 2010 | 2 min read
Spectrum from The Transmitter.

Video: Mining genes from whole genomes

Rapid advances in DNA sequencing technology are enabling researchers to comb quickly — and ever more cheaply — through whole genomes. At the Society for Neuroscience annual meeting in San Diego, Evan Eichler talked to SFARI about what the rapid accumulation of genetic sequence information means for autism research.

By Sarah DeWeerdt
18 November 2010 | 1 min read

Explore more from The Transmitter

Xiao-Jing Wang outlines the future of theoretical neuroscience

Wang discusses why he decided the time was right for a new theoretical neuroscience textbook and how bifurcation is a key missing concept in neuroscience explanations.

By Paul Middlebrooks
2 July 2025 | 112 min listen
Overlapping speech bubbles.

Memory study sparks debate over statistical methods

Critics of a 2024 Nature paper suggest the authors failed to address the risk of false-positive findings. The authors argue more rigorous methods can result in missed leads.

By Katie Moisse
2 July 2025 | 5 min read

Attention not necessary for visual awareness, large study suggests

People can perceive some visual information even if they do not pay direct attention to it.

By Kristel Tjandra
1 July 2025 | 5 min read