Volume 7 Issue 8, August 2004

Frequent licking and grooming by rat mothers increases the number of hippocampal glucocorticoid receptors in their pups, leading to tighter regulation of stress hormone levels. A study in this issue shows that this treatment alters DNA methylation of the glucocorticoid receptor gene and acetylation of histones early in life, providing a mechanism for these permanent changes in stress responses.

Numb is an important developmental protein that functions in fate determination, differentiation and cell maturation, but its role in mammalian neural progenitors has been controversial. A new paper uses a clever approach to attempt to reconcile the opposing views.

Some people seem to hold their liquor better than others, but are also more prone to becoming alcoholics. Altered function of the adenosine type 1 equilibrative nucleoside transporter (ENT1), which regulates the neurotransmitter adenosine, may be the reason.

The circuitry responsible for generating orientation-specific responses in primary visual cortex remains controversial. A new study identifies an anatomical substrate for orientation selectivity and suggests the mechanism may be conserved across species.