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Minakuchi et al. find that separable inhibitory inputs to a critical hypothalamic aggression-control node can influence the evolution of an aggressive state by independently modulating either the motivational phase or the action phase.
The basal ganglia control the execution of motor actions. However, how they engage spinal motor networks is unclear. Here the authors show that the basal ganglia–spinal cord pathway controls locomotor asymmetries in adult mice.
Using in vivo calcium imaging and cell-type-specific pharmacology, we reveal that synaptic inhibition in the cerebellar granule cell layer supports pattern separation and cerebellum-dependent behavior.
Mohebi et al. report that dopamine (DA) pulses in different rat striatal subregions signal prediction errors across different timescales. In this way, one learning process may achieve a range of adaptive behaviors.
The authors show that sound-evoked activity in mouse visual cortex consists of both an auditory and a motor component. These have different temporal and spatial profiles (across neurons and layers) but limited impact on ongoing visual processing.
A widespread group of cerebellar projections form monosynaptic excitatory synapses with neurons throughout the substantia nigra pars compacta (SNc). These projections contain information associated with movement and reward and can rapidly increase SNc neuron activity, and thereby basal ganglia dopamine levels, which contribute to movement initiation, vigor and reward processing.
Using dopamine photometry and reinforcement learning models in mice flexibly acquiring cue–action–outcome associations with rule switches, Bernklau et al. show that striatal dopamine reflects an animal’s current understanding of their task.
Banerjee and colleagues find that activity within the orofacial motor cortex in a highly vocal rodent reflects different features of the produced song, forming a hierarchical control network with downstream structures to guide vocal production.
The primary somatosensory cortex and central nucleus of the amygdala project to the spleen via the dorsal motor nucleus of the vagus nerve and regulate the T helper 2 (TH2) immune cell response in models of neuropathic pain.
Monosynaptic cerebellar projections to the substantia nigra pars compacta (SNc) increase the activity of SNc neurons and striatal dopamine levels. These projections may convey information related to movement initiation, vigor and reward processing.
The authors find that neuronal subpopulations in lateral entorhinal cortex provide reward-centric information during spatial navigation, which may contextualize spatial information from medial entorhinal cortex for forming hippocampal episodic memories.
This research elucidates that oligodendrocytes detect and respond to fast axonal spiking through K+ signaling, and that Kir4.1 channel activation has a pivotal role. This activity-driven interaction regulates axonal metabolic support by oligodendrocytes and influences lactate delivery and glucose metabolism in axons, which is essential for sustaining axonal health.
Looser et al. reveal that oligodendrocytes detect and respond to axonal activity using K+ signaling to regulate vital metabolic support and maintain axon health.
Dopp et al. profiled gene expression in single cells from the whole fly brain, revealing how it changes with sleep/wakefulness states and circadian times. The findings highlight the role of glia in integrating sleep drive and circadian processes.