Connectome

Recent articles

‘Digital sphinx’ raises questions about connectome models

The sphinx, with a worm’s brain and a fly’s body, illustrates the potential pitfalls of using deep-learning techniques to model biological processes.

By Natalia Mesa
2 April 2026 | 5 min read
Researcher Russell Poldrack's face closeup, with a scanner seen out of focus behind him.

A brief history of precision self-scanning

When a researcher solved a logistical problem by going rogue, the idea proved remarkably infectious.

By Lauren Gravitz
21 January 2026 | 13 min read
Brain network maps creating using lesion network mapping.

Methodological flaw may upend network mapping tool

The lesion network mapping method, used to identify disease-specific brain networks for clinical stimulation, produces a nearly identical network map for any given condition, according to a new study.

By Angie Voyles Askham
15 January 2026 | 7 min read

Can neuroscientists decode memories solely from a map of synaptic connections?

Five experts discuss the progress, possibilities and hurdles of decoding a “nontrivial” memory from an organism just by analyzing its brain connectivity patterns.

By Paul Middlebrooks
17 December 2025 | 1 min read
A man with glasses reads from a paper with a graph-like pattern of peaks and valleys on it.

The buzziest neuroscience papers of 2023, 2024

The field took note of work on brain-computer interfaces for speech, the mechanism of psychedelics, a broader definition of hippocampal representations, and more.

By Calli McMurray, Francisco J. Rivera Rosario
15 November 2025 | 18 min read
A worm made of circuitry.

Whole-brain, bottom-up neuroscience: The time for it is now

Applying new tools to entire brains, starting with C. elegans, offers the opportunity to uncover how molecules work together to generate neural physiology and how neurons work together to generate behavior.

By Edward Boyden, Konrad Körding
20 October 2025 | 9 min read
A drosophila connectome.

One year of FlyWire: How the resource is redefining Drosophila research

We asked nine neuroscientists how they are using FlyWire data in their labs, how the connectome has transformed the field and what new tools they would like to see in the future.

By Francisco J. Rivera Rosario
7 October 2025 | 17 min read
Map of the fly nervous system.

Local circuit loops within body control fly behavior, new ‘embodied’ connectome reveals

The mapping, which traces how the central nervous system interacts with the rest of the body, challenges the idea that behavior control is centralized.

By Claudia López Lloreda
24 September 2025 | 5 min read

First nerve-net connectome shows how evolutionarily ancient nervous system coordinates movement

The map of a comb jelly’s aboral nerve net, which helps the animal orient and position itself within the water column, reveals a unique system for sensing the world and coordinating movement.

By Siddhant Pusdekar
16 September 2025 | 0 min watch
Research image of neuron organization in c elegans.

Worms help untangle brain structure/function mystery

The synaptic connectome of most animals bears little resemblance to functional brain maps, but it can still predict neuronal activity, according to two preprints that tackle the puzzle in C. elegans

By Holly Barker
29 August 2025 | 7 min read

Explore more from The Transmitter

Taking a closer look at astrocytes and autism

These glial cells are increasingly linked to neurodevelopmental conditions and the regulation of social behaviors and anxiety.

By The Transmitter
2 April 2026 | 2 min read

Neuro’s ark: Sounding out the evolution of hearing with geckos

Catherine Carr explains her discovery that geckos retain a vibration-sensing pathway previously thought to be lost when animals moved onto land.

By Helena Kudiabor
1 April 2026 | 5 min read
Magnifying glass.

Researchers retract multisensory learning paper after failed replications

Even though one set of experiments did not hold up, the authors stand by the original conclusions of the work and plan to resubmit it as a new paper.

By Calli McMurray
31 March 2026 | 4 min read