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Newly emerging techniques will revolutionize our understanding of the mammalian brain. Deisseroth and colleagues detail the development and use of microbial opsins as optogenetic tools for the study of neural circuits and discuss the use of these tools as potential future therapies for neurological disorders.
Fibroblast growth factors have emerged as key regulators of almost all aspects of neural development, from induction to axonal pathfinding. Mason provides a comprehensive overview of these diverse roles and identifies the major themes from a wealth of experimental data.
Synaptic transmission is temporally and spatially tightly regulated to serve the needs of fast information flow in the nervous system. Lisman and colleagues bridge the synaptic cleft and review the sequence of pre- and postsynaptic events of quantal release.
Tumours rely on blood vessels for survival and growth. Jain and colleagues review the mechanisms by which malignant brain tumours stimulate the formation of new blood vessels, and discuss the latest methods for monitoring and treating brain tumours with anti-VEGF agents.
Deep brain stimulation (DBS) was developed to treat movement disorders, but translational research has revealed new targets for this procedure. Aziz and colleagues elucidate the neurophysiological and translational principles of DBS and provide a model for its underlying mechanisms.
Peelen and Downing review recent evidence for body-selective neural mechanisms in the visual cortex and discuss how body-selective brain regions might relate to action perception and the 'mirror' system, perception of the self and the 'body schema', and understanding the emotions of others.
