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The big idea with Diego Bohórquez
His theories around the neuropod have challenged the boundaries of classic ideas regarding gut-brain communication.

The big idea with Diego Bohórquez
His theories around the neuropod have challenged the boundaries of classic ideas regarding gut-brain communication.
Neurotransmitter switch-up helps fan extreme stress into full-blown fear
The flip occurs when certain neurons in the dorsal raphe start to express the chemical GABA instead of glutamate, a new study shows.

Neurotransmitter switch-up helps fan extreme stress into full-blown fear
The flip occurs when certain neurons in the dorsal raphe start to express the chemical GABA instead of glutamate, a new study shows.
Neurons in thalamus sort new social cues from familiar ones
A subset of thalamic neurons support an aspect of social behavior called social recognition, according to experiments in mice.

Neurons in thalamus sort new social cues from familiar ones
A subset of thalamic neurons support an aspect of social behavior called social recognition, according to experiments in mice.
Trials of arbaclofen for autism yield mixed results
Autistic children taking the drug showed improvements in some behaviors but not in their social skills.

Trials of arbaclofen for autism yield mixed results
Autistic children taking the drug showed improvements in some behaviors but not in their social skills.
Experimental drug shows promise for autism-linked syndromes
The drug quells seizures in children with Dravet syndrome or Lennox-Gastaut syndrome.

Experimental drug shows promise for autism-linked syndromes
The drug quells seizures in children with Dravet syndrome or Lennox-Gastaut syndrome.
New resource maps gene expression, regulation in neuron subtypes
The catalog could help researchers understand the effects of autism-linked DNA variants that fall outside genes.

New resource maps gene expression, regulation in neuron subtypes
The catalog could help researchers understand the effects of autism-linked DNA variants that fall outside genes.
New human neuron assays set stage for high-throughput autism drug screens
The ability to conduct large-scale screening in human neurons could accelerate the discovery of autism treatments.

New human neuron assays set stage for high-throughput autism drug screens
The ability to conduct large-scale screening in human neurons could accelerate the discovery of autism treatments.
Visual task flags autistic people who respond to GABA agonists
The investigational drug arbaclofen makes autistic people's brains respond to a visual task more like non-autistic people's brains do.

Visual task flags autistic people who respond to GABA agonists
The investigational drug arbaclofen makes autistic people's brains respond to a visual task more like non-autistic people's brains do.
Neural network captures noisy neurons in autism mouse model
Mice missing the autism-linked gene SHANK3 use more neurons to engage in social behavior than control mice do, reflecting a more disorganized, less efficient brain signaling network.

Neural network captures noisy neurons in autism mouse model
Mice missing the autism-linked gene SHANK3 use more neurons to engage in social behavior than control mice do, reflecting a more disorganized, less efficient brain signaling network.
GABA agonist rescues auditory hypersensitivity in rats missing autism-linked gene CNTNAP2
The investigational drug arbaclofen may right an imbalance between inhibitory and excitatory signaling in the animals’ brains.

GABA agonist rescues auditory hypersensitivity in rats missing autism-linked gene CNTNAP2
The investigational drug arbaclofen may right an imbalance between inhibitory and excitatory signaling in the animals’ brains.
Explore more from The Transmitter
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.
Microglia nurture young interneurons
The immune cells secrete a growth factor that “sets the supply of GABAergic interneurons in the developing brain.”

Microglia nurture young interneurons
The immune cells secrete a growth factor that “sets the supply of GABAergic interneurons in the developing brain.”
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.