Three dimensional representation of the intersection area of the distal connectivity form historical lesion surgery sites (anterior capsulotomy, anterior cingulotomy, subcaudate tractotomy and limbic leucotomy) as depicted with DTI. The structure in sum shows forceps minor, medial frontal lobe and superolateral medial forebrain bundle. Courtesy of Jan-Christoph Schoene-Bake1, 2, Yaroslav Parpaley1, Bernd Weber1, 2, Jaak Panksepp3, Trevor A Hurwitz4 and Volker A Coenen1 (1University of Bonn Medical Center, Bonn, Germany; 2Life & Brain Center, Bonn, Germany; 3Washington State University, Pullman, WA, USA; 4University of British Columbia, Vancouver, CA, USA).

The neostriatum is critical for signaling surprising outcomes. Waltz et al found that this area shows an intact response to worse-than-expected outcomes in patients with schizophrenia (SZ), although monetary outcomes evoke abnormal response in cortical regions, including medial prefrontal cortex. Figure courtesy of Dr. James Waltz, Maryland Psychiatric Research Center, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD and Dr. Thomas Ross, Neuroimaging Research Branch, National Institute on Drug Abuse-Intramural Research Program, Baltimore, MD.

Brain activation for major depressive disorder patients in response to painful heat stimulation. The axial view shows significant bilateral involvement of the insulae and the opercula. Courtesy of Dr. Jesus Pujol, Institut d'Alta Tecnologia-PRBB, CRC Hospital del Mar, Barcelona, Spain.

Electron micrograph of an early endosomal fraction isolated from postmortem human frontal cortex captured with magnetic beads. Courtesy of John Hammond, Department of Psychiatry, University of Alabama at Birmingham.

Spilling the beans about coffee, anxiety, and alertness: ADORA polymorphisms and caffeine consumption. Courtesy of the Neuropsychopharmacology editorial office, Nashville, Tennessee, USA.

Binding potential map of cannabinoid receptor type 1, using [11C]OMAR PET. Courtesy of the Laboratory of Dean F. Wong, Department of Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins Medical Institute.

Colocalization of the lipid raft marker protein flotillin-1 (red) and the 5-HT3 receptor (green) in N1E-115 mouse neuroblastoma cells. Courtesy of Dr. C. Nothdurfter and Prof. R. Rupprecht, MPI Psychiatry and Department of Psychiatry, Ludwig-Maximilans-University, Munich, Germany.

Triple-channel fluorescent image showing colocalization of GASP (green) and CB1 receptor (red) in both parvalbumin-positive (blue) GABAergic neurons of the reticular thalamic nucleus (resulted in white-blue), and in glutamatergic neurons of the ventrobasal thalamus (resulted in yellow). Courtesy of Viktor Kharazia, Ernest Gallo Clinic and Research Center, University of California, San Francisco.

Cellular characterization of post-natal (P4) hippocampal cultures at 8 days in vitro (DIV 8). Glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) labels astrocytes (green) and all cell types are labeled by DAPI (blue). Courtesy of Dr A. Daszuta and F. Masmejean, IBDML, France.

The cover painting is entitled ‘Chromatin Regulation in Memory Formation’, acrylic on canvas, 48″ × 48″. It represents an artistic interpretation of the role of dynamic regulation of the histone/DNA chromatin complex in transcriptional control in long-term memory. Painting courtesy of J. David Sweatt, Department of Neurobiology and McKnight Brain Institute, University of Alabama at Birmingham.

Imaging of brain serotonin reuptake transporters by 11C-DASB PET in a 45 year old male taking the anti-obesity drug sibutramine. Courtesy of Dr Peter Talbot, Wolfson Molecular Imaging Centre, University of Manchester, UK.

Specific blockade of the dopamine transporter DAT activates extracellular-signal regulated kinase (ERK) exclusively in striatal medium-sized spiny neurons expressing D1 receptors. Red: phospho-ERK; Blue: DARPP-32; Green: EGFP in D1 neurons. Courtesy of Jesus Bertran-Gonzalez and Jean-Antoine Girault, Institut du Fer à Moulin, Inserm, UPMC, Paris, France.