Articles in 2012

The TAOK2 locus has been shown to be associated with autism spectrum disorder. In this study, the authors show that downregulation of TAOK2 impairs axonal elongation and the formation of basal, but not apical, dendrites through an interaction with the Sema3A/Neuropilin 1/JNK signaling pathway.

Examining ionic fluxes during action potentials in rat neocortical pyramidal neurons, the authors show that the energy efficiency of action potentials depends on the level of subthreshold depolarization and that energy demands are spatially heterogeneous where the cost per membrane area is highest in the axon initial segment and lowest in the dendrites.

This paper demonstrates, using structural and functional analysis of the GBR2 ectodomain, that this GABA_B receptor subunit potentiates ligand binding by selectively stabilizing the agonist-bound conformation of the GBR1 subunit.

The ability to make inferences about the current state of a dynamic process requires ongoing assessments of the stability and reliability of data generated by that process. Here the authors report that these assessments were reflected in pupil diameter changes, suggesting that pupil-linked arousal systems can help regulate the influence of incoming data on existing beliefs.

This study reports that the Ca²⁺-activated chloride channel anoctamin 1 (ANO1) is activated by heat and is expressed in mouse dorsal root ganglion neurons. Ano1 deletion leads to a deficit in thermal nociception, suggesting that this channel acts as a new heat sensor in pain pathways.

The authors show that conditioned medium from human mesenchymal stem cells reduces functional deficits in an animal model of multiple sclerosis and promotes the development of oligodendrocytes and neurons. They identify hepatocyte growth factor and its receptor cMet as critical for this effect.

In addition to their function in gene regulation, certain microRNAs can be secreted by cells. Here, the authors show that the microRNA let-7 can cause neurodegeneration by directly activating Toll-like receptor 7 and that individuals with Alzheimer's disease have more let-7b in their cerebrospinal fluid.

Understanding color vision requires knowing how signals from the cone photoreceptors are combined in the cortex. Here the authors record from V1 neurons while an automated system identified stimuli that differed in cone contrast, but evoked the same response. They report that many V1 neurons combine cone signals nonlinearly and provide a new framework for color processing in V1.

The authors studied AMPAR-mediated currents in cerebellar stellate cells from stargazer mice, which lack the prototypical TARP stargazin (γ-2). They report that calcium-permeable AMPARS can localize at synapses in the absence of stargazin; moreover, mEPSCs mediated by TARPless AMPARs were also detected in these cells following knockdown of their only other TARP, γ-7.

Using optogenetic activation of adult-born neurons in the mouse olfactory bulb, the authors find that selective stimulation of new interneurons generated during adulthood, but not earlier, accelerates learning in a two-odor discrimination task and improves olfactory memory.

This study uses a new analysis method for magnetoencephalography measurements of the human brain to show brain-wide and frequency-specific functional coupling of spontaneous oscillatory activities during resting state.

The authors show that Preso1 acts as a scaffolding protein that binds mGluR, Homer and proline-directed kinases. Deletion of Preso1 prevents phosphorylation of mGluR at the Homer binding site and leads to an increase in mGluR5-dependent inflammatory pain.

Exposure to rival males increases mating duration in Drosophila melanogaster. The authors show that visual stimuli are sufficient to induce longer mating duration (LMD). LMD requires the circadian clock genes timeless and period, and involves visual memory circuits and a subset of pigment dispersing factor–expressing neurons in the circadian circuit.

It has generally been thought that the primary visual cortex (V1) receives its driving input via the lateral geniculate nucleus and is modulated by input from the lateral pulvinar nucleus. Using several different techniques to manipulate lateral pulvinar activity, the authors report that the lateral pulvinar is able to gate information outflow from V1.

The authors find that the Fic domain–containing protein Fic is necessary for vision in Drosophila. Fic expression is required in the capitate projections of glial cells, where it may be involved in histamine recycling, thus supporting neurotransmission in photoreceptors.

Impulsivity is a multi-dimensional construct, and it is plausible that distinct brain networks contribute to its different aspects. Here the authors identify distinct cortical and subcortical networks underlying cognitive, clinical and genetic dimensions of impulsivity in a large sample of adolescents.

Phosphorylation and SUMOylation of the kainate receptor (KAR) subunit GluK2 have both individually been shown to regulate KAR surface expression. Here the authors find that KAR synaptic plasticity and transmission are regulated by the dynamic interaction of GluK2 phosphorylation and SUMOylation.

In this study, the authors show that TopBP1 is critical for preventing replication-induced DNA damage accumulation in early-born neural progenitors, thereby maintaining genomic integrity in these cells.

Repeated exposure to cocaine increases dendritic spine density on nucleus accumbens (NAc) neurons. Here the authors show that the small GTPase Rac1 is necessary and sufficient for cocaine-induced behavior and spine changes in NAc neurons, adding support for a causal role for structural plasticity in cocaine-induced behavior.

In this paper, the authors present evidence for spatially overlapping populations of neurons representing positive and negative subjective value in the primate pregenual anterior cingulate cortex (pACC) during an approach-avoidance task. However, in one subzone of the pACC, negative coding predominated, and microstimulation in this subzone increased negative decision-making, a bias that was blocked by anti-anxiety drug treatment.