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Grid cells produce exceptionally regular firing patterns as animals navigate in 2D spaces. Two new studies show that in flying and climbing animals, the activity patterns of these cells in 3D space are irregular. These results reveal an unexpected way in which the brain represents spatial location.
In this Perspective, Tononi and colleagues argue that while knowledge of elementary mechanisms is enough to predict everything about the dynamics of a system, only the analysis of causal structures can provide a coherent account of ‘what caused what’.
Goltstein et al. investigate the role of mouse visual cortical areas in information-integration category learning. They report widespread changes in neuronal response properties, most prominently in a higher visual area, the postrhinal cortex.
Placental allopregnanolone affects oligodendrocyte differentiation and myelination in the developing cerebellum. Male mice deprived of allopregnanolone in utero show impaired sociability and communication in later life; their female littermates are unaffected. Allopregnanolone replacement restores normal myelination and behavior.
Everyday phrases like ‘top dog’ and ‘low status’ suggest that we may mentally represent social and spatial information similarly. To what extent is that true? New research suggests that, like physical space, social knowledge is encoded as a cognitive map in the human brain and represented with a grid-like code.
Cognitive maps are theorized to enable generalizing experiences in new situations. Park et al. show that non-spatial experiences sampled piecemeal are integrated into a two-dimensional cognitive map of social hierarchy, and a grid code is used for novel inferences.
This paper identified >500 genetic loci associated with behaviors and disorders related to self-regulation, including addiction and child behavior problems. The resulting genetic risk scores predict several behavioral, medical and social outcomes.
This paper explores neural network and cellular complexity within human cortical and subcortical fusion organoids. The platform is used to model network dysfunction associated with Rett syndrome and to identify new therapeutic candidates.
Visually guided behavior begins with inputs to sensory cortices, but the decision to initiate actions engages the frontal cortex. A new study dissects a microcircuit for visual-to-motor transformation in the anterior cingulate cortex of the mouse with implications for impulsivity and disease states.
Using single-cell RNA sequencing and spatial transcriptomics, Hasel et al. uncover complex reactive astrocyte subtypes that occupy distinct areas of the brain. They find two super-responders expressing unique genes in strategic locations in the brain.
Ma et al. show that the PVT biases the selection of passive and active defensive behaviors via mostly segregated projections to the CeA and the NAc. Their results update current views on the role of the midline thalamus in fear-related behaviors.
Kim et al. found that visual inputs trigger gated feedforward inhibition of ACC neurons, which disinhibits striatal motor neurons and initiates precise responses in mice performing a visual Go/No-go task.
Using a human forebrain organoid model of fragile X syndrome, Kang et al. reveal a critical role of FMRP in human brain development and identify a large number of human-specific mRNAs that could be regulated by FMRP.
Placental dysfunction has been implicated in abnormal neurodevelopment. Vacher et al. found that loss of a neuroactive hormone from the placenta alters brain development in a regional and sex-linked manner, resulting in autism-like behaviors in male offspring.