Volume 11 Issue 11, November 2010

Regional variations in aerobic glycolysis in young adults correlate spatially with amyloid-β deposition in older individuals.

DISC1 negatively regulates synaptic strength by inhibiting the TNIK-dependent stabilization of postsynaptic proteins.

EGFR–Notch 1 pathway interactions balance neural stem cell and progenitor cell populations.

SSRIs are used to treat depression and have a delayed onset of action. The mechanism involves post-transcriptional regulation of a serotonin transporter in the raphe nucleus and the locus coeruleus.

Glutamate can facilitate inhibitory glycine receptor signalling in the spinal cord and brainstem through allosteric modulation.

A small molecule that increases endocannabinoid signalling at sensory nerve terminals enhances analgesia.

Hedgehog signalling establishes spatial correspondence between olfactory receptor neurons and their targets in the brain through a two-step mechanism.

The extracellular matrix (ECM) plays a key part in diverse cellular processes. Dityatev and colleagues review how the ECM can have opposing effects on neuronal function — promoting plasticity or homeostasis of synaptic contacts — depending on the physiological context and regulation by key proteases.

Recent research has revealed similarities between speech and birdsong on different levels. Bolhuis et al. discuss parallels between humans and songbirds in terms of vocal learning, the neural networks underlying vocalization and the role of FOXP2, highlighting both general and species-specific principles.

In this Review, Redgraveet al. provide an updated model of basal ganglia architecture in which spatially segregated functional territories contribute to goal-directed and habitual control circuits. They propose that in Parkinson's disease, selective dopamine loss impairs habitual control and distorts goal-directed behaviours.

A subcortical pathway is assumed to mediate non-conscious visual processing of emotional stimuli. In this provocative Perspective, Pessoa and Adolphs argue that this pathway does not exist in primates and propose novel roles for the amygdala and the cortex in visual emotion processing.