Midbrain

Recent articles

Research image of mouse brain slices.

Some dopamine neurons signal default behaviors to reinforce habits

Movement-sensing neurons that target the striatum influence a mouse’s choice of action by favoring routine.

By Holly Barker
11 June 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
A marble bust of a face that is covered in real leaves.

Newly found circuit through visual cortex powers first look at faces

The superior colliculus, an evolutionarily ancient brain area responsible for eye movements, responds to faces before the canonical face areas do, a study of macaque monkeys suggests.

By Olivia Gieger
19 July 2024 | 5 min read
A photograph of Paul-Antoine Libourel.

At the end of the earth with Paul-Antoine Libourel

The French researcher’s accomplishments working with chinstrap penguins in the Antarctic highlight the importance of recording sleep in the wild.

By Yves Sciama
11 June 2024 | 18 min listen

Explore more from The Transmitter

Research image of auditory processing in people with Phelan-McDermid syndrome.

New findings on Phelan-McDermid syndrome; and more

Here is a roundup of autism-related news and research spotted around the web for the week of 1 September.

By Jill Adams
2 September 2025 | 2 min read
Computer-generated illustration.

From bench to bot: Why AI-powered writing may not deliver on its promise

Efficiency isn’t everything. The cognitive work of struggling with prose may be a crucial part of what drives scientific progress.

By Tim Requarth
2 September 2025 | 8 min read

Bringing neuroscience to rural Mexico: In conversation with Mónica López-Hidalgo

By offering education and translating scientific terms into Indigenous languages, López-Hidalgo’s outreach program, Neurociencias Para Todos, provides schoolteachers with tools to bring neuroscience to their communities.

By Ashley Juavinett
1 September 2025 | 41 min watch

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