Volume 7 Issue 12, December 2006

Emerging evidence implicates members of a recently identified class of regulatory molecules, microRNAs, as having important roles in nervous system development and function. Kenneth Kosik reviews these findings and discusses the future challenges facing the field.

SLO channels comprise a family of high-conductance potassium channels with several distinctive features that give them the versatility to function in various cellular contexts. The authors describe the key properties and physiological roles of these channels in the nervous system.

Understanding the pathophysiological mechanisms that underlies neurological dysfunction in multiple sclerosis is essential for effective therapeutic intervention. Waxman reviews the evidence that aberrant Na⁺channel expression contributes to restoration of axonal conduction, axonal injury and cerebellar dysfunction in multiple sclerosis.

Mirror neurons are specialized cells that fire both when an animal performs an action and when it observes others performing that action. A role for these cells in social cognition is emerging, and their dysfunction is now implicated in autism.

Brain atlases have existed for centuries; however, these traditional atlases have many limitations, which promise to be overcome with new brain imaging techniques. Toga and colleagues highlight exciting advances in brain mapping technology and the ongoing progress towards integrative multimodal atlases.

The phasic dopamine response is traditionally thought to signal reward prediction errors. Redgrave and Gurney evaluate evidence from studies of basal ganglia circuitry and signal timing, and propose instead that the short-latency dopamine signal is important for discovering novel actions.