Changes in house rules - p955

doi:10.1038/nn0809-955

Nature Neuroscience will now only publish methods online. We have also amended our rules to clarify authors' and co-authors' responsibilities.

Full Text - Changes in house rules | PDF (114 KB) - Changes in house rules

PDLIM5 is not a neuronal CaV2.2 adaptor protein - pp957 - 958

Sabiha R Gardezi, Alexander M Weber, Qi Li, Fiona K Wong & Elise F Stanley

doi:10.1038/nn0809-957a

Full Text - PDLIM5 is not a neuronal CaV2.2 adaptor protein | PDF (253 KB) - PDLIM5 is not a neuronal CaV2.2 adaptor protein | Supplementary information

Reply to "PDLIM5 is not a neuronal CaV2.2 adaptor protein" - p958

Ji-fang Zhang

doi:10.1038/nn0809-957b

Full Text - Reply to "PDLIM5 is not a neuronal CaV2.2 adaptor protein" | PDF (201 KB) - Reply to "PDLIM5 is not a neuronal CaV2.2 adaptor protein"

Who let the spikes out? - pp959 - 960

Chris G Dulla & John R Huguenard

doi:10.1038/nn0809-959

Quantitative immunostaining, electrophysiology and modeling show that two sodium channel isoforms are asymmetrically distributed in the axon initial segment. Their polarized distribution explains many of the unique properties of the axon initial segment, including its ability to both initiate spikes and guarantee subsequent backpropagation.

Full Text - Who let the spikes out? | PDF (167 KB) - Who let the spikes out?

See also: Article by Hu et al.

Practice makes perfect, even for breathing - pp961 - 963

Jack L Feldman, Kaiwen Kam & Wiktor A Janczewski

doi:10.1038/nn0809-961

Breathing relies on a respiratory rhythm generator. A study characterizes an early emerging oscillatory group of Phox2b-expressing parafacial cells that entrain and couple with the preBötzinger Complex at the onset of fetal breathing.

Full Text - Practice makes perfect, even for breathing | PDF (288 KB) - Practice makes perfect, even for breathing

See also: Article by Thoby-Brisson et al.

Should I stay or should I go: genetic bases for uncertainty-driven exploration - pp963 - 965

Jérôme Sallet & Matthew F S Rushworth

doi:10.1038/nn0809-963

In the face of uncertainty, how do we choose between maintaining our current strategy or trying new strategies? A study shows that a gene controlling prefrontal dopamine function is predictive of uncertainty-driven exploration.

Full Text - Should I stay or should I go: genetic bases for uncertainty-driven exploration | PDF (187 KB) - Should I stay or should I go: genetic bases for uncertainty-driven exploration

See also: Article by Frank et al.

Inactivating the activated: identifying functions of specific neural networks - pp965 - 966

Rachel J Smith & Gary Aston-Jones

doi:10.1038/nn0809-965

Manipulation of the neurons required for a specific behavior can be difficult, but is required for proof of causality. A clever technique now allows inactivation of only the subset of neurons that have been recently active.

Full Text - Inactivating the activated: identifying functions of specific neural networks | PDF (213 KB) - Inactivating the activated: identifying functions of specific neural networks

See also: Technical Report by Koya et al.

Resolving single cone inputs to visual receptive fields - pp967 - 969

Lawrence C Sincich, Yuhua Zhang, Pavan Tiruveedhula, Jonathan C Horton & Austin Roorda

doi:10.1038/nn.2352

Current techniques are insufficient for resolving the contribution of single photoreceptors to the responses of visually responsive neurons in the brain. Here, the authors employ a new technique, which utilizes adaptive optics, to show that LGN neurons respond reliably to the stimulation of a single cone.

Abstract - Resolving single cone inputs to visual receptive fields | Full Text - Resolving single cone inputs to visual receptive fields | PDF (306 KB) - Resolving single cone inputs to visual receptive fields | Supplementary information

Representation of internal models of action in the autistic brain - pp970 - 972

Courtney C Haswell, Jun Izawa, Lauren R Dowell, Stewart H Mostofsky & Reza Shadmehr

doi:10.1038/nn.2356

When learning to use a novel tool, autistic children build a stronger link between their movements and proprioceptive feedback than typically developing children. Their greater reliance on proprioception correlates with the severity of social and impairment deficits.

Abstract - Representation of internal models of action in the autistic brain | Full Text - Representation of internal models of action in the autistic brain | PDF (247 KB) - Representation of internal models of action in the autistic brain | Supplementary information

The genesis of cerebellar interneurons and the prevention of neural DNA damage require XRCC1 - pp973 - 980

Youngsoo Lee, Sachin Katyal, Yang Li, Sherif F El-Khamisy, Helen R Russell, Keith W Caldecott & Peter J McKinnon

doi:10.1038/nn.2375

Defects in DNA single strand break repair (SSBR) can cause neurodegeneration. To better understand the function of SSBR in the nervous system, the authors ablated Xrcc1 in all of the neural progenitors of developing mice. This revealed that the postnatal differentiation of several types of cerebellar interneurons is particularly dependent on SSBR.

Abstract - The genesis of cerebellar interneurons and the prevention of neural DNA damage require XRCC1 | Full Text - The genesis of cerebellar interneurons and the prevention of neural DNA damage require XRCC1 | PDF (1,406 KB) - The genesis of cerebellar interneurons and the prevention of neural DNA damage require XRCC1 | Supplementary information

A trophic role for Wnt-Ror kinase signaling during developmental pruning in Caenorhabditis elegans - pp981 - 987

Yu Hayashi, Takaaki Hirotsu, Ryo Iwata, Eriko Kage-Nakadai, Hirofumi Kunitomo, Takeshi Ishihara, Yuichi Iino & Takeo Kubo

doi:10.1038/nn.2347

Some neurites in developing C. elegans interneurons are eventually pruned. Which exact neurites are subject to pruning appears to be random, suggesting an ongoing local competition between pro- and anti-pruning signals. Hayashi and colleagues show that Wnt signaling through the transmembrane receptor kinase CAM-1/Ror protects developing neurites from being pruned.

Abstract - A trophic role for Wnt-Ror kinase signaling during developmental pruning in : Caenorhabditis elegans | Full Text - A trophic role for Wnt-Ror kinase signaling during developmental pruning in Caenorhabditis elegans | PDF (476 KB) - A trophic role for Wnt-Ror kinase signaling during developmental pruning in Caenorhabditis elegans | Supplementary information

A discrete alcohol pocket involved in GIRK channel activation - pp988 - 995

Prafulla Aryal, Hay Dvir, Senyon Choe & Paul A Slesinger

doi:10.1038/nn.2358

Ethanol activates G protein-gated inwardly rectifying K⁺ (GIRK) channels, but it is unclear how. This study identifies an alcohol-binding pocket located in the cytoplasmic domains of GIRK2. A leucine residue in this pocket was crucial for GIRK2 activation by alcohols, but was not involved in the alcohol inhibition of related, but constitutively active, K⁺ channels.

Abstract - A discrete alcohol pocket involved in GIRK channel activation | Full Text - A discrete alcohol pocket involved in GIRK channel activation | PDF (635 KB) - A discrete alcohol pocket involved in GIRK channel activation | Supplementary information

Distinct contributions of Na_v1.6 and Na_v1.2 in action potential initiation and backpropagation - pp996 - 1002

Wenqin Hu, Cuiping Tian, Tun Li, Mingpo Yang, Han Hou & Yousheng Shu

doi:10.1038/nn.2359

Action potentials initiate preferentially from the distal axon initial segent (AIS). Why do they not initiate from the proximal AIS? This study shows that the distal AIS is rich in low-threshold Na_v1.6, whereas the proximal AIS has a high density of high-threshold Na_v1.2 channels. Although the distal Na_v1.6 promotes action potential initiation, the proximal Na_v1.2 regulates action potential backpropagation to the soma.

Abstract - Distinct contributions of Na: v: 1.6 and Na: v: 1.2 in action potential initiation and backpropagation | Full Text - Distinct contributions of Nav1.6 and Nav1.2 in action potential initiation and backpropagation | PDF (621 KB) - Distinct contributions of Nav1.6 and Nav1.2 in action potential initiation and backpropagation | Supplementary information

See also: News and Views by Dulla & Huguenard

Ca²⁺ and calmodulin initiate all forms of endocytosis during depolarization at a nerve terminal - pp1003 - 1010

Xin-Sheng Wu, Benjamin D McNeil, Jianhua Xu, Junmei Fan, Lei Xue, Ernestina Melicoff, Roberto Adachi, Li Bai & Ling-Gang Wu

doi:10.1038/nn.2355

Endocytosis in a number of forms (slow, bulk, rapid and excess) is necessary for maintaining synaptic transmission. Here the authors report that all of these forms are initiated by the same mechanism, which requires calcium and calmodulin, although each one has its own calcium level threshold.

Abstract - Ca: 2+: and calmodulin initiate all forms of endocytosis during depolarization at a nerve terminal | Full Text - Ca2+ and calmodulin initiate all forms of endocytosis during depolarization at a nerve terminal | PDF (1,317 KB) - Ca2+ and calmodulin initiate all forms of endocytosis during depolarization at a nerve terminal | Supplementary information

SAP97 and CASK mediate sorting of NMDA receptors through a previously unknown secretory pathway - pp1011 - 1019

Okunola Jeyifous, Clarissa L Waites, Christian G Specht, Sho Fujisawa, Manja Schubert, Eric I Lin, John Marshall, Chiye Aoki, Tharani de Silva, Johanna M Montgomery, Craig C Garner & William N Green

doi:10.1038/nn.2362

This study shows that, although AMPA-type glutamate receptors are trafficked to dendrites through the normal Golgi secretory pathway, NMDA receptors bypass the somatic Golgi apparatus and instead move from the endoplasmic reticulum in endoplasmic reticulum–like vesicles to Golgi 'outposts' located in the dendrites.

Abstract - SAP97 and CASK mediate sorting of NMDA receptors through a previously unknown secretory pathway | Full Text - SAP97 and CASK mediate sorting of NMDA receptors through a previously unknown secretory pathway | PDF (1,082 KB) - SAP97 and CASK mediate sorting of NMDA receptors through a previously unknown secretory pathway | Supplementary information

Balanced gene regulation by an embryonic brain ncRNA is critical for adult hippocampal GABA circuitry - pp1020 - 1027

Allison M Bond, Michael J W VanGompel, Evgeny A Sametsky, Mary F Clark, Julie C Savage, John F Disterhoft & Jhumku D Kohtz

doi:10.1038/nn.2371

Evf2 is a polyadenylated, noncoding RNA that is transcribed from the intergenic region of Dlx5 and Dlx6, which are genes for homeodomain transcriptional factors. The authors now show that the loss of Evf2 in mice results in a substantial reduction of GABAergic interneurons via interference with Dlx5/6 expression.

Abstract - Balanced gene regulation by an embryonic brain ncRNA is critical for adult hippocampal GABA circuitry | Full Text - Balanced gene regulation by an embryonic brain ncRNA is critical for adult hippocampal GABA circuitry | PDF (597 KB) - Balanced gene regulation by an embryonic brain ncRNA is critical for adult hippocampal GABA circuitry | Supplementary information

Genetic identification of an embryonic parafacial oscillator coupling to the preBötzinger complex - pp1028 - 1035

Muriel Thoby-Brisson, Mattias Karlén, Ning Wu, Patrick Charnay, Jean Champagnat & Gilles Fortin

doi:10.1038/nn.2354

Breathing relies on a respiratory rhythm generator, which depends on activity of the pre-Bötzinger complex (preBötC) and the parafacial respiratory group. The authors characterize an early emerging group of Phox2b-expressing parafacial oscillatory cells that entrain and couple with the preBötC at the onset of fetal breathing.

Abstract - Genetic identification of an embryonic parafacial oscillator coupling to the preBotzinger complex | Full Text - Genetic identification of an embryonic parafacial oscillator coupling to the preBötzinger complex | PDF (1,158 KB) - Genetic identification of an embryonic parafacial oscillator coupling to the preBötzinger complex | Supplementary information

See also: News and Views by Feldman et al.

Cocaine-evoked synaptic plasticity: persistence in the VTA triggers adaptations in the NAc - pp1036 - 1041

Manuel Mameli, Briac Halbout, Cyril Creton, David Engblom, Jan Rodriguez Parkitna, Rainer Spanagel & Christian Lüscher

doi:10.1038/nn.2367

The authors combine electrophysiology and behavioral assays to show that the duration of cocaine-induced synaptic plasticity in the VTA of mice is gated by mGluR1. The lack of mGluR1 in vivo made VTA potentiation persistent and led to synaptic plasticity in the NAc, which is important for relapse.

Abstract - Cocaine-evoked synaptic plasticity: persistence in the VTA triggers adaptations in the NAc | Full Text - Cocaine-evoked synaptic plasticity: persistence in the VTA triggers adaptations in the NAc | PDF (1,534 KB) - Cocaine-evoked synaptic plasticity: persistence in the VTA triggers adaptations in the NAc | Supplementary information

Synaptic inhibition of Purkinje cells mediates consolidation of vestibulo-cerebellar motor learning - pp1042 - 1049

Peer Wulff, Martijn Schonewille, Massimiliano Renzi, Laura Viltono, Marco Sassoè-Pognetto, Aleksandra Badura, Zhenyu Gao, Freek E Hoebeek, Stijn van Dorp, William Wisden, Mark Farrant & Chris I De Zeeuw

doi:10.1038/nn.2348

The role of feedforward inhibition onto Purkinje cells during learning is still not well understood. Here, the authors report that selective genetic removal of GABA_A receptor–mediated inhibition onto Purkinje cells modulates fine-scale patterns of Purkinje cell activity. These patterns may mediate the induction of downstream plasticity and, ultimately, the consolidation of cerebellar motor learning.

Abstract - Synaptic inhibition of Purkinje cells mediates consolidation of vestibulo-cerebellar motor learning | Full Text - Synaptic inhibition of Purkinje cells mediates consolidation of vestibulo-cerebellar motor learning | PDF (1,388 KB) - Synaptic inhibition of Purkinje cells mediates consolidation of vestibulo-cerebellar motor learning | Supplementary information

Disparity- and velocity-based signals for three-dimensional motion perception in human MT+ - pp1050 - 1055

Bas Rokers, Lawrence K Cormack & Alexander C Huk

doi:10.1038/nn.2343

It is well established that monkey middle temporal area and the human middle temporal complex (MT+) mediate two-dimensional motion perception. Here, the authors use functional magnetic resonance imaging to demonstrate that MT+ carries signals that are also critical for three-dimensional motion perception.

Abstract - Disparity- and velocity-based signals for three-dimensional motion perception in human MT+ | Full Text - Disparity- and velocity-based signals for three-dimensional motion perception in human MT+ | PDF (341 KB) - Disparity- and velocity-based signals for three-dimensional motion perception in human MT+ | Supplementary information

Sensory transformations and the use of multiple reference frames for reach planning - pp1056 - 1061

Leah M M McGuire & Philip N Sabes

doi:10.1038/nn.2357

Sensory signals for movement planning originate in multiple reference frames. Here the authors present a model in which the statistical properties of sensory signals and the transformations needed to compare them determine their effect on movement planning. Their results account for known patterns of movement planning errors and suggest that maintaining multiple reference frames is actually an optimal use of available sensory information.

Abstract - Sensory transformations and the use of multiple reference frames for reach planning | Full Text - Sensory transformations and the use of multiple reference frames for reach planning | PDF (377 KB) - Sensory transformations and the use of multiple reference frames for reach planning | Supplementary information

Prefrontal and striatal dopaminergic genes predict individual differences in exploration and exploitation - pp1062 - 1068

Michael J Frank, Bradley B Doll, Jen Oas-Terpstra & Francisco Moreno

doi:10.1038/nn.2342

The exploration/exploitation dilemma describes the choice between maintaining the current strategy, or trying new strategies, to maximize rewards. The authors show that genes controlling striatal dopamine function are associated with exploitative learning. In contrast, a gene controlling prefrontal dopamine function is predictive of exploration when the value of alternative strategies is uncertain.

Abstract - Prefrontal and striatal dopaminergic genes predict individual differences in exploration and exploitation | Full Text - Prefrontal and striatal dopaminergic genes predict individual differences in exploration and exploitation | PDF (742 KB) - Prefrontal and striatal dopaminergic genes predict individual differences in exploration and exploitation | Supplementary information

See also: News and Views by Sallet & Rushworth

Targeted disruption of cocaine-activated nucleus accumbens neurons prevents context-specific sensitization - pp1069 - 1073

Eisuke Koya, Sam A Golden, Brandon K Harvey, Danielle H Guez-Barber, Alexander Berkow, Danielle E Simmons, Jennifer M Bossert, Sunila G Nair, Jamie L Uejima, Marcelo T Marin, Timothy B Mitchell, David Farquhar, Sukhen C Ghosh, Brandi J Mattson & Bruce T Hope

doi:10.1038/nn.2364

Until now, no tools existed to selectively manipulate the small number of sparsely distributed neurons activated during a drug-related learned behavior. Here the authors describe a new method for selectively inactivating only those neurons activated by cocaine in an environment repeatedly paired with drug injections.

Abstract - Targeted disruption of cocaine-activated nucleus accumbens neurons prevents context-specific sensitization | Full Text - Targeted disruption of cocaine-activated nucleus accumbens neurons prevents context-specific sensitization | PDF (354 KB) - Targeted disruption of cocaine-activated nucleus accumbens neurons prevents context-specific sensitization | Supplementary information

See also: News and Views by Smith & Aston-Jones