Table of contents
From the Editors
p501 | doi:10.1038/nrn1968
Research Highlights
Neurodegenerative disorders: Hunting for huntingtin modification
p503 | doi:10.1038/nrn1958
Development: Instructions for induction
p504 | doi:10.1038/nrn1962
Psychiatric disorders: Homing in on the target of antidepressants
p504 | doi:10.1038/nrn1966
In the news
Mind control
p504 | doi:10.1038/nrn1967
Development: The triple-action factor
p505 | doi:10.1038/nrn1965
Synaptic physiology: Same but different
p506 | doi:10.1038/nrn1960
Synaptic plasticity: Dendritic spines go retro
p506 | doi:10.1038/nrn1963
Neurological disorders: Changing channels
p507 | doi:10.1038/nrn1951
Ion channels: Extremes of excitability
p508 | doi:10.1038/nrn1952
Neuroimaging: Peering into the root of prejudice
p508 | doi:10.1038/nrn1959
Glia: Making waves for myelin
p508 | doi:10.1038/nrn1961
In brief
Synaptic physiology | Pain | Neurodegenerative Disorders | Behavioural Neuroscience
p509 | doi:10.1038/nrn1969
Reviews
The primate cortico-cerebellar system: anatomy and function
Narender Ramnani
p511 | doi:10.1038/nrn1953
Recent evidence suggests that the primate cerebellum contributes not only to motor control, but also to higher cognitive function. Ramnani suggests that the uniform cellular organization of the cerebellum enables established models for motor information processing to be extended to information processing of a far more abstract nature.
Article series: Neuroimaging
Decoding mental states from brain activity in humans
John-Dylan Haynes and Geraint Rees
p523 | doi:10.1038/nrn1931
To understand and decode human consciousness is the holy grail in cognitive neuroscience. Haynes and Rees review emerging approaches to reconstruct mental states from non-invasive measurements of brain activity in humans, and discuss the practical and ethical implications.
The neurobiology of itch
Akihiko Ikoma, Martin Steinhoff, Sonja Ständer, Gil Yosipovitch and Martin Schmelz
p535 | doi:10.1038/nrn1950
Itch and pain are distinct sensations processed by different but overlapping neural pathways. Ikoma et al. review recent evidence on the molecular mechanisms that underlie itch sensation, highlighting the complex interaction with pain processing, and discuss the therapeutic implications.
The distribution and targeting of neuronal voltage-gated ion channels
Helen C. Lai and Lily Y. Jan
p548 | doi:10.1038/nrn1938
The appropriate targeting of voltage-gated ion channels is essential for the normal functioning of neurons. Lai and Jan review the mechanisms involved in the trafficking and retention of these channels, and discuss how their localization affects neuronal activity.
Variability, compensation and homeostasis in neuron and network function
Eve Marder and Jean-Marc Goaillard
p563 | doi:10.1038/nrn1949
Many neuronal and network behaviours are surprisingly stable in the face of ongoing fluctuations in channels and receptors. The authors discuss issues relevant to the homeostatic regulation of synaptic and intrinsic currents necessary for stable neuronal and network activity.
Perspectives
Opinion
A clustered plasticity model of long-term memory engrams
Arvind Govindarajan, Raymond J. Kelleher and Susumu Tonegawa
p575 | doi:10.1038/nrn1937
Long-term memory formation is associated with bidirectional changes in synaptic strength that require enhanced protein synthesis. Govindarajan, Kelleher and Tonegawa describe a model by which translation-dependent plasticity at synapses that are clustered in a dendritic branch facilitates the formation of long-term memory engrams.
Opinion
Gene–environment interactions in psychiatry: joining forces with neuroscience
Avshalom Caspi and Terrie E. Moffitt
p583 | doi:10.1038/nrn1925
In mental health, the perennial debate about nature versus nurture is giving way to an appreciation that nature and nurture work together. Caspi and Moffitt discuss the opportunities and challenges in the collaboration between psychiatry, epidemiology and neuroscience, and our understanding of gene-environment interactions.