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1 month ago | 
thetransmitter.org | Rebecca M. Shansky |Rachel Buckley |Angie Voyles Askham |Austin Coley
“Becca! Becca! I have something to tell you!”During a conference coffee break in 2019, I looked up to see a long-time colleague approaching me with what appeared to be great urgency. What could his exciting news be? I wondered. He looked at me and beamed. “I studied a female!”On the surface, you might not think that the simple act of performing an experiment on a female mouse should be cause for such celebration.
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Jan 20, 2025 | 
thetransmitter.org | Holly Barker |Rachel Buckley |Angie Voyles Askham
When I was 15 years old, I began using oral contraceptives to treat my acne. At 27, I decided to stop taking them, and my skin started breaking out again. I experienced light mood swings and irritability, common premenstrual symptoms I hadn’t had for the 12 years I was on oral contraceptives. Even more surprising was the fact that my menstrual cycle did not return for nearly five months.
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Dec 9, 2024 | 
thetransmitter.org | Armin Raznahan |Rachel Buckley |Mark Humphries |Anne West
Human males and females show profound differences in the prevalence and presentation of numerous brain-related conditions. In neurology, for example, males have a greater risk of Parkinson’s disease and tend to develop the disease earlier and with more severe cognitive impairments. Females have higher rates of multiple sclerosis, but their symptoms progress more slowly than in males. In psychiatry, all early-onset neurodevelopmental conditions are more prevalent in males than in females.
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Oct 24, 2024 | 
thetransmitter.org | RJ Mackenzie |Angie Voyles Askham |Jill Adams |Rachel Buckley
Contributing writerThe Transmitter Share this article: Tags: Microglia, neurodegeneration, Synapses, synaptic pruning Microglia were once thought to have one job—as the brain’s resident garbage collectors. If neurons became damaged or diseased, microglia would spring into action, engulfing dead or infected cells and pumping up the local immune response. Between clean-up operations, scientists believed, they rested in a deep sleep.
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Oct 23, 2024 | 
thetransmitter.org | RJ Mackenzie |Angie Voyles Askham |Jill Adams |Rachel Buckley
Contributing writer The Transmitter RJ Mackenzie is a freelance science reporter based in Glasgow, Scotland. He covers biological and biomedical science, with a focus on the complexities and curiosities of the brain. Mackenzie has degrees in neuroscience from the University of Edinburgh and the University of Cambridge. He has written for National Geographic, Popular Science and The Scientist, among other publications.
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Oct 23, 2024 | 
thetransmitter.org | Angie Voyles Askham |Elissa Welle |Jill Adams |Rachel Buckley
The cognitive decline that prompts a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease is like the smoke that signals a raging fire: by the time it is apparent, the damage has already begun. That damage includes the accumulation of beta-amyloid plaques and tau tangles that kill off excitatory neurons in the hippocampus, entorhinal cortex and, eventually, other parts of the brain. But how this cascade kicks off—and how to halt its progression—remains a mystery.
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Oct 22, 2024 | 
thetransmitter.org | Rachel Buckley |Megan Peters |Jason Shepherd |Lauren Schenkman
Alzheimer’s disease is not just a brain thief; it’s a gendered one. Of all people living with this form of dementia, two-thirds are women. They face a disproportionately higher risk of developing Alzheimer’s not simply because they typically outlive men but also because of intricate differences in brain biology. The gender disparity is woven into the very fabric of how the disease manifests and progresses, suggesting that Alzheimer’s isn’t a one-size-fits-all condition.
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Oct 22, 2024 | 
thetransmitter.org | Jill Adams |Charles Choi |Lauren Schenkman |Rachel Buckley
Here is a roundup of autism-related news and research spotted around the web for the week of 21 October. Contributing writer Share this article: Tags: Spectrum, Autism, Science and society, Spotted Autistic people with depression perceive themselves as having more autism traits and worse social interactions than clinician or objective ratings detect, according to a preprint.
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Oct 22, 2024 | 
thetransmitter.org | Rachel Buckley |Jill Adams |Terrence Sejnowski |Calli McMurray
Recent articles Sex differences are an important and often understudied aspect of brain research. These essays explore new advances, issues and insights in the field. Get notified every time a new essay in this series is published. New results suggest the disease progresses differently in women, but we need more basic science to unpack the mechanisms involved.
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Oct 14, 2024 | 
thetransmitter.org | Rachel Buckley |Jill Adams |Terrence Sejnowski |Calli McMurray
Associate professor of neurology Massachusetts General Hospital and Brigham and Women’s Hospital New results suggest the disease progresses differently in women, but we need more basic science to unpack the mechanisms involved. By Explore more from The Transmitter Here is a roundup of autism-related news and research spotted around the web for the week of 21 October.
