Anxiety
Recent articles
‘Understudied secret’ in brain dampens nicotine drive in mice
The interpeduncular nucleus produces an aversion to nicotine, even at low doses, and helps moderate how rewarding mice find the drug.

‘Understudied secret’ in brain dampens nicotine drive in mice
The interpeduncular nucleus produces an aversion to nicotine, even at low doses, and helps moderate how rewarding mice find the drug.
Lions and tigers and bears: Long-lived zoo animals offer a promising venue to study mental health and neurodegenerative disorders
These animals’ lifestyles often mirror those of people, making them a more relevant milieu than lab mice for determining how environmental factors influence mental health and cognitive decline. Studying them could improve animal welfare in the process.

Lions and tigers and bears: Long-lived zoo animals offer a promising venue to study mental health and neurodegenerative disorders
These animals’ lifestyles often mirror those of people, making them a more relevant milieu than lab mice for determining how environmental factors influence mental health and cognitive decline. Studying them could improve animal welfare in the process.
Rethinking mental health: The body’s impact on the brain
Mounting evidence illustrates how peripheral molecules can influence brain function, offering new therapeutic targets.

Rethinking mental health: The body’s impact on the brain
Mounting evidence illustrates how peripheral molecules can influence brain function, offering new therapeutic targets.
Vasopressin boosts sociability in solitary monkeys
Inhaling the hormone did not increase aggression in unsociable rhesus macaques and appears to help the animals remember faces and reciprocate friendly behaviors.

Vasopressin boosts sociability in solitary monkeys
Inhaling the hormone did not increase aggression in unsociable rhesus macaques and appears to help the animals remember faces and reciprocate friendly behaviors.
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.

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.
Should I stay (and eat) or should I go? How the brain balances hunger with competing drives
Understanding the interplay among rival signals, such as pain, thirst and fear, could provide insights into anxiety and other neuropsychiatric conditions.

Should I stay (and eat) or should I go? How the brain balances hunger with competing drives
Understanding the interplay among rival signals, such as pain, thirst and fear, could provide insights into anxiety and other neuropsychiatric conditions.
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
The flip occurs when certain neurons in the dorsal raphe start to express the chemical GABA instead of glutamate, a new study shows.
Temperament is innate but hackable, animal studies suggest
Emotional reactivity and vulnerability to stress are largely inherited in rodents — but can be modified in early life by targeting inflammation-related cells or even just adjusting an animal’s environment.

Temperament is innate but hackable, animal studies suggest
Emotional reactivity and vulnerability to stress are largely inherited in rodents — but can be modified in early life by targeting inflammation-related cells or even just adjusting an animal’s environment.
Year in Review: Spectrum’s best in 2023
Here are five must-reads from our coverage of autism research over the past 12 months.

Year in Review: Spectrum’s best in 2023
Here are five must-reads from our coverage of autism research over the past 12 months.
Autism research hits the road
Some scientists are thinking creatively about how to collect data in flexible environments and meet communities where they’re at.
Autism research hits the road
Some scientists are thinking creatively about how to collect data in flexible environments and meet communities where they’re at.
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.
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.
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.

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.
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.

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.