The big picture

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Researchers ask colleagues to weigh in on important topics in the field.

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Illustration of an image of a landscape repeated over and over again, with some versions distorted and warped.

What makes memories last—dynamic ensembles or static synapses?

Teasing out how different subfields conceptualize central terms might help move this long-standing debate forward. I asked eight scientists to weigh in.

By Jason Shepherd
14 October 2024 | 7 min read
Collage of different images of brains and mechanical devices in the background with a suitcase in the foreground.

What are mechanisms? Unpacking the term is key to progress in neuroscience

Mechanism is a common and powerful concept, invoked in grant calls and publication guidelines. But scientists use it in different ways, making it difficult to clarify standards in the field. We asked nine scientists to weigh in.

By Dani S. Bassett, Lauren N. Ross
7 October 2024 | 5 min read
Illustration of a sparkly brain.

What, if anything, makes mood fundamentally different from memory?

To better understand mood disorders—and to develop more effective treatments—should we target the brain, the mind, the environment or all three?

By Nicole Rust
8 April 2024 | 8 min read
Illustration of a meteorologist pointing to an aerial view of clouds swirling over a brain-shaped land mass.

Is the brain uncontrollable, like the weather?

The brain may be chaotic. Does that mean our efforts to control it are doomed?

By Nicole Rust
18 December 2023 | 10 min read

Explore more from The Transmitter

Illustration of two neon-toned sets of concentric circles overlapping, with bright spots where they intersect.

Are Brains and AI Converging?—an excerpt from ‘ChatGPT and the Future of AI: The Deep Language Revolution’

In his new book, to be published next week, computational neuroscience pioneer Sejnowski tackles debates about AI’s capacity to mirror cognitive processes.

By Terrence Sejnowski
21 October 2024 | 12 min read

New tissue-clearing techniques let microscopes peer deeper into living brains

Washing mouse brain tissue with a blood protein or complex sugar can illuminate cells 550 micrometers into the cortex without compromising its normal physiology.

By Calli McMurray
18 October 2024 | 0 min watch
A younger looking set of hands holds an older looking set of hands.

New catalog charts familial ties from autism to 90 other conditions

The research tool reveals associations stretching across three generations.

By Charles Q. Choi
17 October 2024 | 4 min read