Nature Neuroscience

Parsing autism spectrum heterogeneity through fMRI

Tatiana A. Shnitko — 2026-05-15

Nature Neuroscience, Published online: 15 May 2026; doi:10.1038/s41593-026-02269-1

Autism is remarkably heterogeneous, posing a long-standing challenge for linking genetics to brain dynamics. A cross-species study identifies two principal dysconnectivity signatures across 20 mouse models of autism risk, each associated with distinct molecular pathways, and shows analogous connectivity patterns in autistic humans. These results establish a translational framework for biologically grounded fMRI phenotyping.

Excitatory synapses onto axonic spines jump-start action potentials and route information flow

Hongkun Yang — 2026-05-15

Nature Neuroscience, Published online: 15 May 2026; doi:10.1038/s41593-026-02282-4

The axon initial segment was known to receive GABAergic synaptic inputs. Yang et al. show that it can be excited directly via specialized ‘axonic spines’. These spines thus boost neuronal firing and act as a fast track to route circuit information.

Autism subtypes identified using cross-species functional connectivity analyses

Marco Pagani — 2026-05-15

Nature Neuroscience, Published online: 15 May 2026; doi:10.1038/s41593-026-02287-z

Pagani et al. used cross-species fMRI to reveal two autism subtypes, characterized by lower and higher brain connectivity and linked to synaptic and immune-related pathways, respectively.

Integrated single-cell and spatial transcriptomic profiling in ALS uncovers peripheral-to-central immune infiltration and reprogramming

Ziyang Zhang — 2026-05-14

Nature Neuroscience, Published online: 14 May 2026; doi:10.1038/s41593-026-02300-5

This study reveals that the immune system has a role in driving ALS. These findings link blood immune changes to spinal cord damage and suggest personalized treatments targeting specific immune pathways.

Synchronous climbing fiber activity enables instructive signaling for cerebellar learning through modulation of disinhibitory circuits

Changjoo Park — 2026-05-14

Nature Neuroscience, Published online: 14 May 2026; doi:10.1038/s41593-026-02268-2

Combining connectomics, physiology and behavior, this study shows how the cerebellum decides when to learn. Synchronized climbing-fiber error signals lift an inhibitory signal gate on Purkinje cells, enabling synaptic plasticity and motor adaptation.

Fluctuating internal states mediate neural–behavioral covariations in V1

Baowang Li — 2026-05-13

Nature Neuroscience, Published online: 13 May 2026; doi:10.1038/s41593-026-02296-y

The authors report surprising covariations between subthreshold activity of single V1 neurons and behavior, demonstrating that interactions between external sensory inputs and internal states are implemented by a nonlinear modulatory signal in V1.

Closed-loop stimulation modulates attention shifting in children

Nebras M. Warsi — 2026-05-13

Nature Neuroscience, Published online: 13 May 2026; doi:10.1038/s41593-026-02294-0

Intracranial recordings in children revealed neural signals predicting attentional lapses. Closed-loop stimulation rescued performance and scalp EEG enabled noninvasive modulation, identifying a reproducible marker of attentional control.

Optics-free spatial genomics for mapping mammalian brain aging by IRISeq

Abdulraouf Abdulraouf — 2026-05-12

Nature Neuroscience, Published online: 12 May 2026; doi:10.1038/s41593-026-02293-1

The authors developed an optics-free spatial genomics method to map mouse brain aging, revealing region-specific inflammation and showing that lymphocytes promote harmful interferon signaling, whereas their loss preserves ependymal cells and reshapes glial states.