Volume 10 Issue 7, July 2009

GIRK and SK channels, two families of voltage-independent K⁺channels, have recently been described at synaptic as well as extrasynaptic sites. Luján and colleagues discuss how associated signalling complexes in conjunction with local signals could result in the different functions of these two ion channel families.

Kroemer and colleagues discuss the converging signalling mechanisms that lead to mitochondrial membrane permeabilization and trigger neuron death after severe brain injury. They also highlight how knowledge of these mechanisms might be exploited therapeutically.

The different neuron types in the retina are electrically coupled. Bloomfield and Völgyi describe the various types of retinal gap junctions, their dynamic regulation through neuromodulator-activated signalling pathways and their specific roles in visual processing.

Intrinsic spinal cord networks generate the rhythmic patterns of motor activity that underlie locomotion. Goulding shows how genetic analyses, coupled with classical systems neuroscience approaches, are providing new information about the cellular components and functional organization of these circuits.

Brooks and Dunnet provide an overview of available motor behaviour tests, with the aim of helping researchers choose the most appropriate tests for teasing out a transgenic phenotype or assessing the recovery of motor function following therapeutic intervention. An interview with Simon Brooks for Neuropod is available fordownload.

Recent advances in brain–machine interface technology have allowed neuroscientists to gain insights into the principles underlying information processing in the CNS. Nicolelis and Lebedev propose a series of principles of neural ensemble physiology that have arisen from this research.