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Hippocampal fast excitatory synapses exhibit both full collapse fusion and 'kiss and run'. Parket al. show that the type of fusion a vesicle will undergo depends on the location and the time spent at the active zone prior to fusion.
In mice, sound-induced activation of the primary auditory cortex can inhibit activity in the primary visual cortex and affect visual stimulus-induced behaviour.
The brain is a major target of insulin and insulin-like growth factors (IGFs). Fernandez and Torres-Alemán describe how these peptides enter the CNS to reach specific brain areas and review their actions in the developing and adult brain. They propose that insulin and IGFs regulate diverse processes that are all ultimately involved in energy homeostasis.
Normal ageing is associated with impairments in cognitive function, including memory, and with specific and relatively subtle synaptic alterations in the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex. The authors describe these structural changes reported in monkeys and rodents, how they might affect age-associated cognitive decline and potential strategies to limit their impact.
Optogenetics enables the precise and targeted manipulation of the activity of specific neurons and is a powerful tool for the dissection of neural circuits. Tye and Deisseroth describe the latest refinements in optogenetic technology and show how this approach is being used to investigate the circuits involved in psychiatric and neurological disorders.
Hypothermia has neuroprotective effects in certain clinical conditions and in animal models of brain insult. Yenari and Han review the mechanisms that underlie these effects. Focusing on animal models of ischaemia, they describe how cooling influences multiple aspects of brain physiology in the acute, subacute and chronic stages of ischaemia.
A growing field of research aims to examine the potential overlap between the characteristics and underlying mechanisms of drug addiction and obesity. Here, Fletcher and colleagues argue that there is not yet sufficient evidence to support a 'food addiction' model and call for caution in the application of this model to clinical and policy recommendations.