Striatum

Recent articles

Research image of circuits emerging from striosomes in the striatum.

Newly characterized striatal circuits add twist to ‘go/no-go’ model of movement control

The two novel pathways control dopamine release in opposing ways and may link motivation and mood to action, a new study shows.

By Claudia López Lloreda
24 January 2025 | 4 min read
Illustration of cranes attempting to assemble a structure out of very small black squares.

Reconstructing dopamine’s link to reward

The field is grappling with whether to modify the long-standing theory of reward prediction error—or abandon it entirely.

By Angie Voyles Askham
13 September 2024 | 20 min listen
Research image of neurons in mice.

Skewed signaling in striatum may spawn repetitive behaviors

Synaptic changes in the brain region could drive a core trait of fragile X syndrome, a new mouse study suggests.

By Holly Barker
6 September 2023 | 3 min read
Research image of neurons.

Abundant motor proteins disrupt cries in FOXP2 mice

Knocking down the gene that codes for the proteins normalizes the vocalizations.

By Laura Dattaro, Maaisha Osman
28 July 2023 | 3 min read

Autism’s ties to the cell skeleton

Many genes related to the condition play a role in the internal scaffolding of cells, and cytoskeletal disruptions can affect neurodevelopment and behavior.

By Giorgia Guglielmi
22 June 2023 | 7 min read
Composite image of inhibitory and excitatory neurons.

One-rosette technique grows well-organized organoids

The method yields complex organoids that more closely mimic embryonic brain development than do those cultured in other ways.

By Peter Hess
2 December 2022 | 5 min listen
Mouse brain slices showing the effects of SHANK2 and SHANK3 deletions.

Double SHANK knockout highlights brain circuit’s social role

Mice missing the autism-linked SHANK2 and SHANK3 genes in their retrosplenial cortex have trouble distinguishing between novel and familiar mice.

By Angie Voyles Askham
19 October 2022 | 5 min read
Micrographs comparing mouse striatal neurons missing TSHZ3 and wildtype striatal neurons.

Two groups of neurons govern autism-like traits in model mice

Together, the neurons are part of the corticostriatal circuit, which has been implicated in autism.

By Peter Hess
15 April 2022 | 4 min read

Unfamiliar surroundings bring out autism-like behaviors, brain circuit changes in model mice

A brain area called the tail of the striatum may account for the shift.

By Peter Hess
31 March 2022 | 5 min read
grid of 12 views of mouse neurons.

Loss of autism-linked gene alters synapse development in mice

Mice missing a copy of the gene ASH1L have excess synapses and autism-like behavioral differences, some of which are reversed by boosting an ASH1L-regulated gene.

By Laura Dattaro
25 January 2022 | 4 min read

Explore more from The Transmitter

Image of squirrels on a branch.

NeuroAI and the hidden complexity of agency

As we attempt to build autonomous artificial-intelligence systems, we're discovering that a capability we take for granted in animals may be much more complex than we imagined.

By Anthony Zador
5 February 2025 | 6 min read

Plaque levels differ in popular Alzheimer’s mouse model depending on which parent’s variants are passed down

5XFAD model mice that inherit two disease-related genes from their fathers have double the plaques seen in those with maternal inheritance, a new study shows.

By Shaena Montanari
4 February 2025 | 0 min watch
The word Doctored spelled out on pills.

‘Doctored: Fraud, Arrogance, and Tragedy in the Quest to Cure Alzheimer’s,’ an excerpt

In his new book, published today, investigative journalist Charles Piller tells the story of the scientific misconduct that shook Alzheimer’s disease research to its core, and the neuroscientist who helped to expose it.

By Charles Piller
4 February 2025 | 9 min read