Decision-making
Recent articles
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.
Some dopamine neurons signal default behaviors to reinforce habits
Movement-sensing neurons that target the striatum influence a mouse’s choice of action by favoring routine.

Some dopamine neurons signal default behaviors to reinforce habits
Movement-sensing neurons that target the striatum influence a mouse’s choice of action by favoring routine.
This paper changed my life: Marino Pagan recalls a decision-making study from four titans in the field
Valerio Mante and David Sussillo, along with their mentors Krishna Shenoy and Bill Newsome, revealed the complexity of neural population dynamics and the power of recurrent neural networks.

This paper changed my life: Marino Pagan recalls a decision-making study from four titans in the field
Valerio Mante and David Sussillo, along with their mentors Krishna Shenoy and Bill Newsome, revealed the complexity of neural population dynamics and the power of recurrent neural networks.
Most neurons in mouse cortex defy functional categories
The majority of cells in the cerebral cortex are unspecialized, according to an unpublished analysis—and scientists need to take care in naming neurons, the researchers warn.

Most neurons in mouse cortex defy functional categories
The majority of cells in the cerebral cortex are unspecialized, according to an unpublished analysis—and scientists need to take care in naming neurons, the researchers warn.
In case you missed it: Standout news stories from 2024
These five stories—on the pregnant brain, a failed imaging method and more—top our list of some of the most notable neuroscience research findings this year.

In case you missed it: Standout news stories from 2024
These five stories—on the pregnant brain, a failed imaging method and more—top our list of some of the most notable neuroscience research findings this year.
Widely distributed brain areas sync to orchestrate decisions in rodents
Multiple brain areas synchronize their activity to help a rodent accumulate the evidence it needs to make a choice, two new studies suggest.

Widely distributed brain areas sync to orchestrate decisions in rodents
Multiple brain areas synchronize their activity to help a rodent accumulate the evidence it needs to make a choice, two new studies suggest.
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.
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.

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.
On fashion in neuroscience: In defense of freezing behavior
Neuroscience experiments are moving toward the analysis of more complex behaviors, enabled by increasingly sophisticated tools. But we shouldn’t abandon simpler paradigms.

On fashion in neuroscience: In defense of freezing behavior
Neuroscience experiments are moving toward the analysis of more complex behaviors, enabled by increasingly sophisticated tools. But we shouldn’t abandon simpler paradigms.
Explore more from The Transmitter
Xaq Pitkow shares his principles for studying cognition in our imperfect brains and bodies
Pitkow discusses how evolution's messy constraints shape optimal brain algorithms, from Bayesian inference to ecological affordances.
Xaq Pitkow shares his principles for studying cognition in our imperfect brains and bodies
Pitkow discusses how evolution's messy constraints shape optimal brain algorithms, from Bayesian inference to ecological affordances.
The Transmitter’s reading list: Six upcoming neuroscience books, plus notable titles in 2025
Dig into an exploration of the fundamental aspects of intelligence, a new textbook about theoretical neuroscience and a memoir about memory research, among other new releases.

The Transmitter’s reading list: Six upcoming neuroscience books, plus notable titles in 2025
Dig into an exploration of the fundamental aspects of intelligence, a new textbook about theoretical neuroscience and a memoir about memory research, among other new releases.
Long-standing theoretical neuroscience fellowship program loses financial support
Funding from the Swartz and Sloan Foundations helped bring physicists and mathematicians into neuroscience for more than 30 years.

Long-standing theoretical neuroscience fellowship program loses financial support
Funding from the Swartz and Sloan Foundations helped bring physicists and mathematicians into neuroscience for more than 30 years.