Table of contents
June 2007 Vol 8 No 6
From the editors
p403 | doi:10.1038/nrn2160
Research Highlights
Vesicular trafficking: Traffic jam at the synapse
p405 | doi:10.1038/nrn2166
Neurodegenerative disorders: Astrocytes turn nasty
p406 | doi:10.1038/nrn2156
In brief
Ion channels | Addiction | Epigenetics | Neurodegenerative disorders
p406 | doi:10.1038/nrn2165
Epigenetics: Reclaiming lost memories
p407 | doi:10.1038/nrn2158
Neuroimaging: Unconscious activity in the monkey brain
p407 | doi:10.1038/nrn2159
Addiction: Learning to be addicted
p408 | doi:10.1038/nrn2163
In the news
p408 | doi:10.1038/nrn2167
Memory: Neurons enter memory competition
p408 | doi:10.1038/nrn2193
In brief
Learning and memory | Perception | Psychiatric disorders | Motivation
p409 | doi:10.1038/nrn2164
Neuronal migration: Signalling retreat
p410 | doi:10.1038/nrn2157
Molecular neuroscience: Homer's alcohol connection
p410 | doi:10.1038/nrn2161
Psychiatric disorders: Understanding white matter defects
p411 | doi:10.1038/nrn2162
Reviews
NMDA receptor trafficking in synaptic plasticity and neuropsychiatric disorders
C. Geoffrey Lau & R. Suzanne Zukin
p413 | doi:10.1038/nrn2153
Lau and Zukin focus on the contribution of NMDARs to synaptic plasticity, reviewing the molecular mechanisms that underlie the regulation of subunit composition and receptor numbers in the postsynaptic density. They also discuss how these regulatory mechanisms are thought to contribute to addiction and neurological diseases.
Neuronal subtype specification in the cerebral cortex
Bradley J. Molyneaux, Paola Arlotta, Joao R. L. Menezes & Jeffrey D. Macklis
p427 | doi:10.1038/nrn2151
An increasing number of genes have been identified that control the specification and development of projection neuron subtypes in the neocortex. Macklis and colleagues review recent progress in understanding their function and discuss the implications for progenitor plasticity.
Cell-cycle control and cortical development
Colette Dehay & Henry Kennedy
p438 | doi:10.1038/nrn2097
The development of the mammalian cortex, with its unique layered and areal complexity, is at the centre of this article. Dehay and Kennedy review our knowledge of the interrelationship between cell-cycle regulation — specifically the G1 phase — and the proliferation and differentiation of cortical precursors.
The action potential in mammalian central neurons
Bruce P. Bean
p451 | doi:10.1038/nrn2148
Bean discusses how the diversity of ion channels expressed by mammalian central neurons underlies the generation of a variety of action potential shapes, frequencies and firing patterns that allows the nervous system to encode complex information.
Enteric nervous system development and Hirschsprung's disease: advances in genetic and stem cell studies
Tiffany A. Heanue & Vassilis Pachnis
p466 | doi:10.1038/nrn2137
Enteric nervous system (ENS) development attracts the interest of developmental biologists and human geneticists alike. Heanue and Pachnis review ENS development, the molecular basis of Hirschprung's disease and the potential for stem cell therapies to treat this condition.
Perspective
Opinion
How widespread is adult neurogenesis in mammals?
Elizabeth Gould
p481 | doi:10.1038/nrn2147
It is widely accepted that adult neurogenesis occurs in the hippocampus and olfactory bulb in the mammalian brain, but whether it is restricted to these areas remains controversial. Gould discusses evidence for and against neocortical neurogenesis in the adult, emphasizing some key methodological issues.
