Volume 6 Issue 2, February 2003

Actin is abundant at presynaptic terminals, and many important functions have been proposed for it. A new study adds 'scaffold' to the growing list of leading parts for which actin has auditioned and refutes a more action-packed, starring role for actin in presynaptic function.

The EphB ephrin receptors are involved in synapse formation. New work now implicates the EphA family, as glial ephrin3A activates the EphA4 receptor on dendritic spines to stabilize spine shape.

The transcription factor NF-κB, increasingly recognized as a key regulator of developmental and adult neural plasticity, is now reported to be essential for axon myelination as well.

Emotions can be defined by their intensity and pleasantness. A new fMRI study reports that these two attributes are processed independently by different brain regions.