Critical period

Recent articles

Research image of microglia in organoids.

Microglia nurture young interneurons

The immune cells secrete a growth factor that “sets the supply of GABAergic interneurons in the developing brain.”

By Lauren Schenkman
28 August 2025 | 3 min read
Two panels depict different brain wiring-like networks.

Rethinking how neural activity sculpts critical periods

New findings on the role of neural activity in developing circuits are challenging our prior notions about the rules that govern critical periods.

By Gregg Wildenberg
3 June 2025 | 5 min read

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Face patch cells in macaque monkeys initially respond to images of any object but rapidly transition to attend to faces exclusively, a new study finds.

By Holly Barker
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Liset de la Prida explains how neuron subtypes may control the activity of large neural populations, from manifolds to ripples

De la Prida's work analyzing the varieties of sharp wave ripples in the hippocampus led to her discovery that specific types of neurons control the properties of neural manifolds.

By Paul Middlebrooks
22 April 2026 | 104 min listen

At 25, INSAR needs to bring autism scientists together more than ever

As the International Society for Autism Research’s annual meeting in Prague this week celebrates its quarter-century anniversary, its president reflects on the field’s past successes, current challenges and needs for the future

By Brian Boyd
22 April 2026 | 5 min read