●Special focus issue on signalling: from surface to centre. Nature Reviews Molecular Cell Biology September (2002). Takes a look at the various pathways involved in transducing a signal from the surface of a cell to its nucleus. This special issue will be accompanied by a web focus that draws its content from across the Nature Publishing Group, as well as a poster that will be distributed freely to subscribers and available free online throughout September 2002. (Image of cerebellar granule cells courtesy of S. Fenella Das Gupta and Anna Logvinova, Buck Institute for Age Research, Novato, California, USA.)

●Drug addictions: towards socially accepted and medically treatable diseases. Pouletty, P. Nature Reviews Drug Discovery September (2002).

●Unifying the genetics of behavior. de Belle, J. S. Nature Genetics August (2002).

●Pursuing commitments. Shadlen, M. Nature Neuroscience September (2002). A News and Views article in which the authors consider two studies that used microstimulation of the frontal eye field to influence cognitive processes.

●Pharmacotherapy of addictions. Kreek, M. J., LaForge, K. S. & Butelman, E. Nature Reviews Drug Discovery September (2002).

●Regenerating nerves follow the road more travelled. Fournier, A. E. & Strittmatter, S. M. Nature Neuroscience September (2002).

●Diminishing returns. Dohlman, H. G. Nature 8 August (2002). A Concepts article that discusses desensitization.

●Tuning in by turning off. Hoy, R. Nature 15 August (2002). A News and Views article discussing the recent finding that crickets use precise inhibition of central auditory neurons to avoid being deafened by their own song.

●Never fear, cannabinoids are here. Sah, P. Nature 1 August (2002). Although we have some understanding of how fearful memories are stored in the brain, how they are extinguished remains a mystery. In this News and Views article, Sah discusses evidence that the answers might lie with the cannabinoid compounds our bodies produce.

●Synaptic vesicle fusion and synaptotagmin: 2B or not 2B. O'Connor, V. & Lee, A. G. Nature Neuroscience September (2002). In this News and Views article, the authors discuss recent evidence in favour of the idea that synaptotagmin is the calcium sensor in vesicle release, and that the C2B domain is crucial for this function.

●Headwaters of the zebrafish — emergence of a new model vertebrate. Grunwald, D. J. & Eisen, J. S. Nature Reviews Genetics September (2002).