Volume 11 Issue 12, December 2010

Humans can use conscious thought to regulate the activity of MTL neurons encoding different concepts, thereby overriding neuronal activation induced by sensory input.

Dual specificity protein phosphatase 1 is upregulated in major depressive disorder.

Signalling through the BDNF pathway in the D1 and D2 dopamine receptor expressing neurons in the nucleus accumbens has opposing effects on cocaine reward.

Defects in the polyamine pathway, including aberrant spermidine/spermine N1-acetyltransferase 1 (SAT1) activity, may play a part in Parkinson's disease pathogenesis.

Microglial cells derive from primitive haematopoietic progenitors.

Endocannabinoid activation of astrocytic CB1Rs potentiates neurotransmission at synapses far away from the site of endocannabinoid release.

The functional integrity of the blood–brain barrier is regulated by pericytes during development and in adulthood.

The SCN drives circadian rhythms in body temperature, which provides the entraining cue for mammalian peripheral clocks.

HSV-1 latency is maintained by a host cell signalling pathway activated by NGF.

Recent evidence suggests that mutations inLRRK2are linked to Parkinson's disease. In this Progress article, Mark Cookson discusses how these mutations might affect LRRK2 function and its interactions with other proteins that have been implicated in Parkinson's disease, specifically α-synuclein and tau.

Nogo proteins inhibit axonal regeneration after injury, but recent studies have shed light on their physiological role in the intact CNS. Martin Schwab reviews the current knowledge of the complex receptor interactions of Nogo proteins and their role in stabilizing CNS wiring during development and in adulthood.

Sensory synapses of the auditory and visual systems need to encode a wide dynamic range of stimuli. Matthews and Fuchs discuss how it is increasingly certain that the ribbon synapse, a highly specialized structure capable of sustained and rapid transmitter release, plays a key part.

Neurons in the dorsal horn of the spinal cord process sensory information and transmit it to the brain. Andrew Todd describes the complex neuronal organization and circuitry of this region and discusses the changes in the dorsal horn that that could underlie hyperalgesia and allodynia.

Emotional events result in strong memories, and these are essential for responding appropriately when similar events occur. However, emotional memories are sometimes so strong as to be disabling, as in post-traumatic stress disorder. In this article, Yehuda and Morris discuss these issues from the viewpoints of a clinical and a basic neuroscientist.