OCD

Recent articles

Research image of microglia in rats.

Temperament is innate but hackable, animal studies suggest

Emotional reactivity and vulnerability to stress are largely inherited in rodents — but can be modified in early life by targeting inflammation-related cells or even just adjusting an animal’s environment.

By Holly Barker
23 January 2024 | 8 min read
Three researchers, one wearing movement-tracking devices, walk around a university campus.

‘Into the wild’: Moving studies of memory and learning out of the lab

People with electrodes embedded deep in their brain are collaborating with a growing posse of plucky researchers to uncover the mysteries of real-world recall.

By Katie Moisse
13 November 2023 | 10 min read
Young woman sitting alone at window in the shadows.

Autistic LGBTQ+ people report frequent mental health problems

The co-occurring conditions may stem from the heightened stress people in minority communities experience.

By Niko McCarty
16 May 2022 | 2 min read
four figures overlapping in red and blue with multi-colored genetic info

Common variants link autism, ADHD, Tourette syndrome

Genetic variants that contribute to autism may also be involved in attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and Tourette syndrome, according to a new study.

By Laura Dattaro
2 February 2021 | 4 min read
Brain hemispheres color-coded.

Autism shares brain structure changes with other psychiatric conditions

Atypical development of a particular type of neuron explains the structural similarities seen in the brains of people with autism, schizophrenia and other conditions, according to a new study.

By Angie Voyles Askham
1 October 2020 | 5 min read
two layers of hands in motion overlap in red and blue

Repetitive behaviors and ‘stimming’ in autism, explained

Restricted interests and repetitive behaviors constitute one of two criteria that define autism in the diagnostic manual for psychiatry.

By Sarah DeWeerdt
31 January 2020 | 6 min read
Illustration shows a large red floating blob that says "PANDAS" while smaller, blue blobs float around it with phrases "autism," "OCD," "ADHD" and "TOURETTE SYNDROME"

How a controversial condition called PANDAS is gaining ground on autism

Some scientists say an immune condition called PANDAS affects as many as 1 in 200 children who have traits similar to those of autism. But many experts contest that figure — and even the condition's very existence.

By Brendan Borrell
8 January 2020 | 18 min read

Rethinking repetitive behaviors in autism

Autistic people have long maintained that repetitive behaviors are beneficial. Emerging evidence in support of this idea is shaping new therapies.

By Rachel Zamzow
25 November 2019 | 13 min read

Enlarged amygdala may forecast anxiety, depression in autistic children

A tiny chunk of the brain’s emotion enter, the amygdala, is enlarged in some autistic children; the larger this piece, the more anxious and depressed the child is likely to be.

By Nicholette Zeliadt
22 October 2019 | 2 min read
brain made of thread shows OCD loop in colored thread

Untangling the ties between autism and obsessive-compulsive disorder

Autism and obsessive-compulsive disorder frequently accompany each other; Scientists are studying both to understand how they differ.

By Daisy Yuhas
27 February 2019 | 13 min read

Explore more from The Transmitter

Mice playing, engaged in learning and memory: some of their brains are yellow, and some are red, matching a red and yellow legend that runs through the image to underscore both memory and learning.

This paper changed my life: A technical breakthrough for memory studies

In a 2007 Science paper, Mark Mayford and his colleagues found that some neurons activated during learning are also recruited during memory retrieval. Noelia Weisstaub shares how this study and others drove an era of great progress in tool development.

By Noelia Weisstaub
14 August 2026 | 5 min read

Early experience reshapes zebrafish retinal cells, alters behavior

The cells undergo a classic form of plasticity previously thought to occur only in downstream visual circuits.

By Siddhant Pusdekar
13 August 2026 | 0 min watch
Research image of expression of MEIS2 in PV interneurons.

Loss of interneuron plasticity may be shared hallmark of neurodevelopmental conditions

Restoring an experience-dependent interneuron plasticity gene in adulthood improves memory and cuts seizures in CNTNAP2 knockout mice, a new study shows.

By Claudia López Lloreda
12 August 2026 | 5 min read