neuroscience papers | Gist.Science

Neuroscience explores the intricate machinery of the brain and nervous system, seeking to understand how we think, feel, and move. From the microscopic dance of individual neurons to the complex networks that shape our memories and behaviors, this field peels back the layers of our biological selves to reveal the origins of consciousness and disease.

At Gist.Science, we bring these discoveries directly from bioRxiv, the leading preprint server for biological sciences, to a broader audience. We process every new neuroscience preprint as it is uploaded, transforming dense academic manuscripts into clear, plain-language explanations alongside detailed technical summaries. This ensures that both curious readers and specialists can stay current with the latest breakthroughs before they are formally published.

Below are the latest neuroscience papers we have processed from bioRxiv, offering fresh insights into the workings of the mind.

🧠 neuroscience

Brain Transcriptomics Across Diverse Sleep-Wake Manipulations Reveals Multiple Homeostatic Pathways in Drosophila

This study utilizes comprehensive transcriptomic analysis across diverse sleep-wake manipulations in *Drosophila* to demonstrate that, unlike the universal circadian clock gene *period*, sleep homeostasis is governed by multiple distributed molecular pathways—including mitochondrial function, ribosome biogenesis, immunity, and neuropeptide signaling—rather than a single universal "sleeper" gene.

Rosensweig, C., Shah, A., Sisobhan, S., Andreani, T., Allada, R.2026-03-03

🧠 neuroscience

Closing the loop between brain and electrical stimulation: A proof-of-concept randomized trial of real-time fMRI-guided tACS optimization

This proof-of-concept randomized trial demonstrates that a closed-loop, real-time fMRI-guided tACS system can successfully and selectively modulate frontoparietal functional connectivity in healthy adults, leading to enhanced working memory accuracy learning and sustained changes in intrinsic brain networks.

Soleimani, G., Kuplicki, R., Mulyana, B., Tsuchiyagaito, A., Misaki, M., Paulus, M. P., Ekhtiari, H.2026-03-03

🧠 neuroscience

Modulation of exploration-avoidance behaviors by vmPFC-projecting BLA neurons

This study demonstrates that selectively inhibiting basolateral amygdala neurons projecting to the ventromedial prefrontal cortex promotes avoidance behaviors in mice, revealing a paradoxical role for this specific pathway in facilitating safety signals and highlighting pathway- or subregion-dependent mechanisms in exploration-avoidance regulation.

Huang, H., Mysore, S., Adwanikar, H.2026-03-03

🧠 neuroscience

APOE4 Genotype is Associated with Reduced Cortical VEGFR2 (KDR) Transcript Levels Independent of Endothelial Abundance: An AMP-AD RNA-seq Pilot Study

This AMP-AD pilot study reveals that APOE4 genotype is associated with a modest but significant reduction in cortical VEGFR2 (KDR) transcript levels independent of endothelial cell abundance and neuropathological burden, suggesting a specific APOE4-driven mechanism for vascular dysfunction in Alzheimer's disease.

Laing, K., Montagne, A.2026-03-03

🧠 neuroscience

Developmental and genetic modulation of evidence integration dynamics in zebrafish sensorimotor decision-making

By combining high-throughput behavioral assays with drift-diffusion modeling in larval zebrafish, this study reveals that evidence integration dynamics mature during development and are selectively disrupted by mutations associated with human epilepsy and schizophrenia, demonstrating a scalable approach to studying the algorithmic basis of sensorimotor decision-making in health and disease.

Garza, R., El Hady, A., Bahl, A.2026-03-03

🧠 neuroscience

The orbitofrontal cortex constructs allocentric schemas by integrating dynamic mobile agents with static environmental anchors

Using fMRI and a 3D virtual reality task, this study reveals that the orbitofrontal cortex integrates egocentric agent layouts and landmark-based environmental cues to construct allocentric spatial schemas, which are subsequently utilized by the anterior hippocampus for self-localization.

Zhu, Z., Zhang, B., Zhang, X., Naya, Y.2026-03-03

🧠 neuroscience

The role of the locus coeruleus in eye movements during perceptual decision making

This study demonstrates that in rhesus macaques, the majority of locus coeruleus neurons are tightly coupled to saccadic eye movements during perceptual decision making but remain independent of sensory processing and behavioral accuracy, suggesting a specific role in facilitating motor preparation and execution rather than perceptual evaluation.

Acar, K., Smith, M. A.2026-03-03

🧠 neuroscience

Functional connectome harmonics and dynamic connectivity maps of the preadolescent brain

By applying Functional Connectome Harmonics and Leading Eigenvector Dynamics Analysis to resting-state fMRI data from over 11,000 preadolescent children, this study establishes a large-scale spatiotemporal reference framework that characterizes the hierarchical spatial gradients and recurrent dynamic states underpinning functional brain maturation during this critical developmental window.

Mariani Wigley, I. L. C., Berto, A., Suuronen, I., Jolly, A., Li, R., Merisaari, H., Pulli, E. P., Rosberg, A., Audah, H (…)2026-03-03

🧠 neuroscience

Oxytocin mediates the acquisition and strategy formation of cooperation in rats

This study demonstrates that oxytocin is essential for both the acquisition and the development of communication-based strategies in cooperative behavior among rats, highlighting its critical role in the neural mechanisms underlying social learning and offering potential insights for treating social deficits.

Lin, Y., Wei, L., Wang, Q., Wang, Z.2026-03-03

🧠 neuroscience

Structure, disorder, and dynamics in task-trained recurrent neural circuits

This paper introduces a control parameter and dynamical mean-field theory to systematically explore the spectrum between random and structured recurrent connectivity in task-trained neural networks, revealing that optimal biological function arises from a balance where learned structure coexists with random heterogeneity to produce generalizable, task-relevant dynamics.

Clark, D. G., Bordelon, B., Zavatone-Veth, J. A., Pehlevan, C.2026-03-03

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