Volume 5 Issue 9, September 2002

Two new studies elevate cortical microstimulation from production of surrogate sensory or motor signals to cognitive control signals, confirming suspicions that brain areas that specify movements may also be involved in cognitive processes such as attention and selection.

An in-vivo imaging study shows that regenerating axons retrace their previous paths after nerve crush, apparently guided by the mechanical properties of endoneurial tubes.

Whether synaptotagmin is the calcium sensor in transmitter release has been controversial. Two studies now highlight how calcium binding to synaptotagmin might support this function.

A new imaging study suggests that cortical areas activated during sound-localization tasks also require that sound sources be distinguishable by their spectral or temporal features.