Animal models
Rat neurons thrive in a mouse brain world, testing ‘nature versus nurture’
Neurons from the two rodents can wire up together to form functional circuits—all while maintaining some species-specific properties, two new studies show.
Rat neurons thrive in a mouse brain world, testing ‘nature versus nurture’
Neuroscience needs a research-video archive
Video data are enormously useful and growing rapidly, but the field lacks a searchable, shareable way to store them.
Neuroscience needs a research-video archive
New genetic tools usher amphibian neuroscience research into modern age
Harmless viruses that ferry genes into the brain cells of rodents and monkeys also work in frogs, newts and axolotls, according to two new preprints.
New genetic tools usher amphibian neuroscience research into modern age
New look at lampreys rewrites textbooks on origins of sympathetic nervous system
Sympathetic neurons pepper the embryos of the jawless fish—Earth’s first vertebrates—and overturn the idea that “fight or flight” was an innovation of jawed vertebrates.
New look at lampreys rewrites textbooks on origins of sympathetic nervous system
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
Wild and free: Understanding animal behavior beyond the lab
Technological advancements have made it possible to study animals in more natural settings, but researchers are debating what that really means and whether natural is always better.
Wild and free: Understanding animal behavior beyond the lab
Knowledge gaps in cephalopod care could stall welfare standards
The U.S. National Institutes of Health wants to regulate research involving cephalopods. But there aren’t enough rigorous studies to base the regulations on, veteran cephalopod researchers say.
Knowledge gaps in cephalopod care could stall welfare standards
The Transmitter Launch: An early-career researcher’s extracurriculars capture beauty in the lab
Doctoral student Thomas Barlow uses photography to illuminate research spaces and show people what scientists do.
Synaptic protein’s shape-shifting skills propel plasticity
SYNGAP supports learning without tapping its eponymous “GAP” enzymatic activity, according to a new study.
Synaptic protein’s shape-shifting skills propel plasticity
Expanding ‘little brain’ may have powered dinosaur flight
The cerebellum swelled in size before flight evolved among modern birds’ dinosaur ancestors, according to a new comparison of fossilized skulls and living birds.
Expanding ‘little brain’ may have powered dinosaur flight
Explore more from The Transmitter
It’s past time to stop using the Reading the Mind in the Eyes Test
The widely used measure of “theory of mind” needs to be re-examined, along with the long-standing claim that autism is linked to a lack of this ability.
It’s past time to stop using the Reading the Mind in the Eyes Test
The widely used measure of “theory of mind” needs to be re-examined, along with the long-standing claim that autism is linked to a lack of this ability.
Robots boost data consistency in rodent studies reliant on mechanical, optogenetic stimulation
Two new devices take experimenter variation out of the equation, the lead investigators say.
Robots boost data consistency in rodent studies reliant on mechanical, optogenetic stimulation
Two new devices take experimenter variation out of the equation, the lead investigators say.
Spina bifida; MDMA effects in a mouse model of autism; maternal autoantibodies
Here is a roundup of autism-related news and research spotted around the web for the week of 13 May.
Spina bifida; MDMA effects in a mouse model of autism; maternal autoantibodies
Here is a roundup of autism-related news and research spotted around the web for the week of 13 May.