Nature Reviews Neuroscience

Volume 17, No 11 November 2016

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Featured Article

Circuit modules linking internal states and social behaviour in flies and mice

David J. Anderson

Front cover of the current issue of Nature Reviews Neuroscience

2015 2-year Impact Factor 29.298 Journal Metrics 2-year Median 22

Next issue date: 17 November 2016

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Article series: Scaling up neuroscience

The contribution of neuroethics to international brain research initiatives


Kathinka Evers

Kathinka Evers discusses the important role of neuroethics research in the planning and implementation of large-scale brain research initiatives.

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Review

The mirror mechanism: a basic principle of brain function


Giacomo Rizzolatti & Corrado Sinigaglia

Mirror neurons transform sensory representations of others' behaviour into the observers' motor or visceromotor representations of that behaviour. In this Review, Giacomo Rizzolatti and Corrado Sinigaglia describe how the mirror mechanism is also likely to be involved in both action and emotion processing.

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Comment

Article series: Scaling up neuroscience

How do we know what we know? Discovering neuroscience data sets through minimal metadata


Sean L. Hill

Sean Hill explains why the growing importance of data-intensive neuroscience makes it crucial for the community to establish minimal metadata standards

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Comment

Article series: Scaling up neuroscience

How can brain mapping initiatives cooperate to achieve the same goal?


Hideyuki Okano & Tetsuo Yamamori

Okano and Yamamori consider how the different international brain research initiatives might collaborate to achieve their common aims.

Current issue

Review

Circuit modules linking internal states and social behaviour in flies and mice


David J. Anderson

Small populations of interneurons in mice and in Drosophila melanogaster have been shown to control both mating and aggression. Here, David Anderson proposes that these neuron populations may represent a conserved or analogous circuit node that controls reproductive behaviours in animals by promoting internal motivational, arousal or drive states.

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Research Highlights

More Neuroscience

Noticeboard

Scaling up neuroscience

Recent years have witnessed the launch of several large-scale national and international initiatives that aim to transform our understanding of brain structure and function through collaborative research and the development and implementation of state-of-the-art neurotechnology. These projects are likely to have wide-ranging influences on all aspects of neuroscientific research, from its organization to its funding. Nature Reviews Neuroscience presents a series of Comment articles in which leading neuroscientists provide their thoughts on the issues, challenges and opportunities that these initiatives present.

The immunology and neurobiology of multiple sclerosis

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a neuroinflammatory condition that affects the central nervous system and presents with various neurological and cognitive symptoms. Although these symptoms and the disease course of MS can vary considerably among affected individuals, most people with this condition exhibit a progressive accumulation of disability in the later phase of the disease. This poster provides an overview of the pathophysiological contributions of both the immune system and the nervous system to MS and how these contributions change with disease progression. The poster also highlights the sites of action of the currently available drugs for MS and briefly touches on other therapeutic strategies that are being explored.

Poster on Control of sleep in mammals

Various brain regions and neuronal populations have been implicated in the control of sleep in mammals. This Poster presents an overview of mammalian sleep generation, provides details of some common sleep disorders and touches on the function of sleep. This Poster is freely available thanks to support from Merck & Co., Inc.

Cell-reprogramming technology and neuroscience

Advances in cell-reprogramming technology have made it possible to convert differentiated cells of one type into cells of a completely different origin and function. This poster illustrates the principles through which cell-reprogramming technology can be used to generate distinct types of neural cells and outlines the most promising applications of these cells in neuroscientific research. This poster is freely available thanks to support from STEMCELL Technologies

Stress

Acute stress induces signalling in the brain and physiological changes that allow an individual to respond appropriately to the encountered situation or threat, whereas chronic stress can elicit detrimental, long-lasting effects on brain function. Nature Reviews Neuroscience presents a series of articles on stress that cover topics ranging from the molecular pathways and cellular processes that are affected by stress to its effects at the behavioural level.

The endocannabinoid system

Although cannabis has been used for centuries as a recreational drug, the mechanisms of action of its active constituents (cannabinoids) and their endogenous counterparts (endocannabinoids) have only been discovered relatively recently. Nature Reviews Neuroscience presents a series of articles that examine the multiplicity of roles of the endocannabinoid system in the CNS, from development to behaviour, and the potential for cannabinoid-based therapies in the treatment of a range of brain disorders.

Poster on BDNF function in health and disease

Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is the most widely expressed and well-characterized member of the neurotrophin family in the mammalian brain. Nature Reviews Neuroscience presents a Poster on the diverse roles of BDNF in the developing and mature nervous system. The Poster is freely available thanks to support from EVER Neuro Pharma.

Neuroscience and the law

New insights into the neural processes that underlie cognition and behaviour have led to discussions about the relevance of these discoveries for the criminal justice system. Conversely, laws can influence neuroscience, for example, with regard to psychoactive drugs and stem cell research. Nature Reviews Neuroscience presents a series of articles that explore the interaction between neuroscience and the law.

Chronic pain collection

This Nature Collection brings together articles from Nature, Nature Medicine, Nature Neuroscience, Nature Reviews Neurology and Nature Reviews Neuroscience that highlight recent advances towards understanding the risk factors and mechanisms that underlie chronic pain, and developing effective, non-addictive treatments for this highly prevalent condition. These articles are freely accessible for 6 months thanks to support from the NIH Pain Consortium.

Neural circuits series

A fundamental goal of neuroscience research is to understand how the brain's neural circuits are structurally and functionally connected. Nature Reviews Neuroscience presents a series of articles that explore various approaches to the analysis of the structure and function of neural circuits and describe recent methodological advances that are driving research.

Brain ageing series

A special series of articles examining the hallmarks of ageing in the brain, the mechanisms underlying brain ageing and the implications for brain function and disease susceptibility. These articles cover the latest findings at the genetic, cellular, circuit and behavioural levels in humans and model organisms, and explore the intrinsic and extrinsic factors that affect the ageing process, as well as potential strategies to slow it down.

Focus on Addiction

This Focus issue features five articles that discuss recent insights into the neurobiology of addiction — from the molecular to the behavioural level — and highlight the importance of these findings for the development of new treatments.

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