Parkinson’s disease

Recent articles

Illustrated portrait of Tim Ryan.

Timothy Ryan on his pivotal switch from studying particle physics to decoding synaptic transmission

Dissuaded from pursuing theoretical physics and deterred by the “long feedback loop” in experimental physics, the National Academy of Sciences member took inspiration from “polymath” Watt Webb and “visionary” Stephen Smith—and learned to work “completely outside his comfort zone.”

By Brady Huggett
1 October 2024 | 70 min listen
An illustration of a brain

How can we fold cellular-level details into whole-brain neuroimaging networks?

I got answers from Bratislav Misic, who is inventing practical ways to connect the brain’s microscopic features with its macroscopic organization.

By Mac Shine
21 February 2024 | 8 min read
Abstract illustration of antibodies scattered against a peach-colored background.

We found a major flaw in a scientific reagent used in thousands of neuroscience experiments — and we’re trying to fix it.

As part of that ambition, we launched a public-private partnership to systematically evaluate antibodies used to study neurological disease, and we plan to make all the data freely available.

By Mona AlQazzaz, Aled Edwards
5 February 2024 | 6 min read

Explore more from The Transmitter

Research image of developing axons in the fly brain.

How developing neurons simplify their search for a synaptic mate

Streamlining the problem from 3D to 1D eases the expedition—a strategy the study investigators deployed to rewire an olfactory circuit in flies.

By Calli McMurray
6 June 2025 | 6 min read
Distorted floppy discs.

NIH autism database announcement raises concerns among researchers

The U.S. National Institutes of Health announced a plan to pour $50 million into data science projects intended to investigate the condition’s causes, but the initiative’s short timeline and other atypicalities have prompted questions.

By Angie Voyles Askham
5 June 2025 | 5 min read
Image of alpha-synuclein filaments in the brain.

Large study links autism to Parkinson’s disease

Autistic adults appear to be prone to an early-onset form of Parkinson’s, according to a long-term study that tracked 2.2 million people in Sweden.

By Charles Q. Choi
5 June 2025 | 4 min read