Andrew Meissen is a New York City-based freelance science writer specializing in neuroscience and technology. His work has appeared in publications such as BrainFacts.org, Photonics Focus and Drug Discovery News.
Andrew Meissen
Contributing Writer
Spectrum
From this contributor
Sequencing trick identifies brain cells affected by large autism-linked mutation
The method, called Orgo-Seq, reveals that a deletion of genes on chromosome 16 increases the proportion of immature neurons and neural precursors in brain organoids derived from people with the mutation.
Sequencing trick identifies brain cells affected by large autism-linked mutation
By
Andrew Meissen
25 July 2022 | 3 min read
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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.
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.
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Microglia nurture young interneurons
The immune cells secrete a growth factor that “sets the supply of GABAergic interneurons in the developing brain.”
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The immune cells secrete a growth factor that “sets the supply of GABAergic interneurons in the developing brain.”
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Lauren Schenkman
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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.
By
Paul Middlebrooks
27 August 2025 | 1 min read