Table of contents
August 2006 Vol 7 No 8
From the Editors
p591 | doi:10.1038/nrn1985
Research Highlights
Cell biology of the neuron: Degrading Id
p592 | doi:10.1038/nrn1978
Neurotransmission: Clamping down on exocytosis
p593 | doi:10.1038/nrn1975
Neurophysiology: Under the influence
p593 | doi:10.1038/nrn1983
Pain: The frequency for pain
p594 | doi:10.1038/nrn1976
Nerve regeneration: A dual role for reactive astrocytes
p594 | doi:10.1038/nrn1977
In brief
Development | Synaptic Plasticity | Neurodegenerative Disorders | Behavioural Neuroscience
p595 | doi:10.1038/nrn1984
Nerve Regeneration: A strain on regeneration
p596 | doi:10.1038/nrn1972
Cognitive neuroscience: Cultural differences
p596 | doi:10.1038/nrn1980
Cognitive neuroscience: Pause for thought
p597 | doi:10.1038/nrn1981
Synaptic plasticity: Branching out with WNT
p598 | doi:10.1038/nrn1979
Development: Mapping cerebellar development
p598 | doi:10.1038/nrn1982
Foreword
Focus on: Nerve regeneration
Reviews
Can regenerating axons recapitulate developmental guidance during recovery from spinal cord injury?
Noam Y. Harel and Stephen M. Strittmatter
p603 | doi:10.1038/nrn1957
During development, precisely coordinated processes allow the formation of complex neural circuitry, but after CNS injury in adult mammals, functional circuits fail to reform. Recent work indicates that the recapitulation of developmental processes will be advantageous for successful functional recovery.
Glial inhibition of CNS axon regeneration
Glenn Yiu and Zhigang He
p617 | doi:10.1038/nrn1956
Glial inhibition — involving myelin inhibitors and astroglial scarring — represents one of the major barriers to regeneration after CNS injury. Knowledge of the molecular mechanisms of these processes could be crucial for developing therapies to promote axon regeneration and plasticity.
Therapeutic interventions after spinal cord injury
Sandrine Thuret, Lawrence D. F. Moon and Fred H. Gage
p628 | doi:10.1038/nrn1955
There is no known cure for spinal cord injury, although numerous promising cellular, molecular and rehabilitative strategies are being tested in animal models and clinical trials. Emerging findings suggest that a combination of therapies will lead to optimal functional outcome.
Perspectives
Opinion
Spinal cord repair strategies: why do they work?
Elizabeth J. Bradbury and Stephen B. McMahon
p644 | doi:10.1038/nrn1964
Although potential therapeutic strategies for spinal cord injury are emerging, the mechanisms underlying functional recovery are unclear. Recent work emphasizes the contribution of axon regeneration and plasticity, yet their involvement, and that of less well-explored processes, remains to be established.
Reviews
Molecular approaches to brain asymmetry and handedness
Tao Sun and Christopher A. Walsh
p655 | doi:10.1038/nrn1930
The human left and right hemispheres have distinct functions. Sun and Walsh discuss recent genetic, imaging and neurological studies in an attempt to unravel the molecular mechanisms of brain asymmetry and handedness and to understand their evolutionary underpinning.
Path integration and the neural basis of the 'cognitive map'
Bruce L. McNaughton, Francesco P. Battaglia, Ole Jensen, Edvard I Moser and May-Britt Moser
p663 | doi:10.1038/nrn1932
Mammals keep track of relative position and orientation by integrating self-motion cues. McNaughton and colleagues discuss the neurobiological evidence for a synaptic matrix capable of performing this task, and propose a model for how this neuronal network might arise developmentally.