Excitatory signaling

Recent articles

Research image of mouse brain slices stained in red and blue.

Ramping up cortical activity in early life sparks autism-like behaviors in mice

The findings add fuel to the long-running debate over how an imbalance in excitatory and inhibitory signaling contributes to the autism.

By Sarah DeWeerdt
30 October 2025 | 6 min listen
Research image showing cell activity in a particular region of the mouse thalamus.

Sensory gatekeeper drives seizures, autism-like behaviors in mouse model

The new work, in mice missing the autism-linked gene CNTNAP2, suggests a mechanism to help explain the overlap between epilepsy and autism.

By Diana Kwon
11 September 2025 | 5 min listen
Research image of neurons in the interpeduncular nucleus.

‘Understudied secret’ in brain dampens nicotine drive in mice

The interpeduncular nucleus produces an aversion to nicotine, even at low doses, and helps moderate how rewarding mice find the drug.

By Lauren Schenkman
4 June 2025 | 5 min listen
Detailed image of neurons in the mouse visual cortex.

Inhibitory cells work in concert to orchestrate neuronal activity in mouse brain

A cubic millimeter of brain tissue, meticulously sectioned, stained and scrutinized over the past seven years, reveals in stunning detail the role of inhibitory interneurons in brain structure and function.

By Katie Moisse
9 April 2025 | 6 min listen
Research image of a fiber optic implant in a mouse brain.

Bespoke photometry system captures variety of dopamine signals in mice

The tool tracks the excitation of an engineered protein that senses dopamine’s absolute levels, including fast and slow fluctuations in real time, and offers new insights into how the signals change across the brain.

By Sydney Wyatt
21 March 2025 | 5 min read
High-resolution image of interconnected brain cells highlighted in magenta and blue.

What are recurrent networks doing in the brain?

The cortex is filled with excitatory local synapses, but we know little about their role in brain function. New experimental tools, along with ideas from artificial intelligence, are poised to change that.

By Mark Histed
16 December 2024 | 5 min read
Research image of mouse brain slices.

Newfound gene network controls long-range connections between emotional, cognitive brain areas

The finding could help unravel gene regulatory networks and explain how genetic and environmental factors interact in neurodevelopmental conditions.

By Charles Q. Choi
14 November 2024 | 4 min read
Research image of different interneuron subtypes responding to the absence of pyramidal neurons in the mouse cortex.

As circuits wire up, interneurons take cues from surrounding cells

The inhibitory cells’ development, diversity and abundance in the cortex is directed in part by pyramidal cells, a new preprint suggests.

By Olivia Gieger
14 August 2024 | 5 min read
Research image of fetal macaque brains.

Brain patterning in utero may be implicated in autism, other conditions

Genes tied to several conditions are expressed in regions that control neural stem cell fate within the first few months post-conception.

By Chloe Williams
1 August 2024 | 6 min read
Research image of a chimeroid.

Brain ‘chimeroids’ reveal person-to-person differences rooted in genetics

These fusions created from multiple donors’ organoids may help scale up comparative brain research.

By Charles Q. Choi
5 July 2024 | 4 min read

Explore more from The Transmitter

Colored outlines form the silhouette of a human brain in profile.

‘How to Change a Memory: One Neuroscientist’s Quest to Alter the Past,’ an excerpt

Part scientific exploration, part memoir, Steve Ramirez’s new book delves into the study of memory manipulation and his personal journey of discovery, friendship and grief.

By Steve Ramirez
7 November 2025 | 9 min read
A grabber tool removes several sheets from a stack of paper.

Journal retracts two papers evaluating ADHD interventions

Frontiers in Public Health retracted one paper for its “unacceptable level of similarity” to another paper, and the other over concerns about its “scientific validity.”

By Calli McMurray
6 November 2025 | 5 min read
Mouse brain slices and atlases.

Constellation of studies charts brain development, offers ‘dramatic revision’

The atlases could pinpoint pathways that determine the fate of cells linked to neurodevelopmental conditions.

By Holly Barker
5 November 2025 | 6 min read

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