Volume 11 Issue 1, January 2010

Cannabidiol attenuates cue-induced drug-seeking behaviour in heroin-addicted rats.

Amyloid–β and tau synergistically impair mitochondrial function in AD mice.

Cadherin-2 drives the directional migration of granule cells during cerebellar development.

FOXP2 variants differentially regulate brain gene expression, providing clues to language evolution.

Vesicle recycling has an important role in maintaining circadian clock gene expression in the SCN.

In the tadpole visual system LTP and LTD can spread to the upstream synapse.

Enhanced tonic inhibition causes seizures in several animal models of epilepsy.

Sex influences on brain function are emerging in all areas of neuroscience. Jazin and Cahill review sex differences in gene expression in various species and consider the potential mechanisms that underlie these differences, including alternative splicing and epigenetics.

Spontaneous, patterned activity occurs in many developing neural circuits and is important for the establishment of neuronal connections. Blankenship and Feller describe the similarities and differences in the generation, regulation and robustness of this activity in different neural circuits.

Marr–Albus models of cerebellar function have been influential but cannot completely explain recent experimental findings. Dean and colleagues show that these recent data are congruent with the computational principles of adaptive-filter operations, suggesting that the cerebellum might act as an adaptive filter.

The remarkable functional and structural changes that take place in the brains of blind and deaf individuals following sensory loss enable them to operate effectively in their environment. Here the authors discuss the current understanding of the mechanisms that underlie this crossmodal neuroplasticity and its implications for rehabilitation.

Visual perceptual learning (VPL) underlies long-term improvements in performance in perceptual tasks. Watanabe and colleagues discuss current ideas about the processing and neural substrates of VPL that may shed light on mechanisms of neural plasticity.

Neuroscientists face increasing pressure to disseminate results and discuss their implications with the public. Illes and colleagues consider the challenges that they face and make specific recommendations for individuals and institutions to promote this process.