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A cellular reprogramming approach reveals that Timothy syndrome, which may be associated with symptoms of autism, is linked to impaired cortical neuron differentiation and abnormal catecholamine signalling.
A new study demonstrates a method by which dopaminergic neurons can be reliably produced from stem cells, which when transplanted into damaged dopaminergic tissue, integrate into the host tissue to produce functional recovery.
Mutations that cause fragile X syndrome and tuberous sclerosis shift the balance of mGluR5 signalling and synaptic protein synthesis in opposite directions.
Some of the functions attributed to striatal cholinergic neurons, such as spontaneous locomotor activity and rewarding response to cocaine, are actually mediated by the release of glutamate.
The efficacy of synaptic transmission depends on the coupling between presynaptic calcium channels and the molecules that trigger exocytosis in response to calcium influx. Jonas and colleagues describe evidence for tight coupling at certain fast mammalian synapses, its contribution to signalling properties and the underlying protein–protein interactions.
Recent studies have shed light on the mechanisms by which stress and glucocorticoids affect glutamate transmission in the prefrontal cortex and the hippocampus. Sanacora and colleagues review these studies and discuss the relevance of these mechanisms for normal brain functioning and for the pathophysiology and potential new treatments of stress-related neuropsychiatric disorders.
The involvement of the RNA-binding protein TDP43 in neurodegenerative disorders, including amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and frontotemporal lobar degeneration, has become well established. However, the mechanisms by which the protein is linked to the disease process remain unclear. Trojanowski and colleagues describe our current understanding of TDP43 pathology and discuss how gains of toxic function or losses of normal TDP43 function may contribute to neurodegeneration.
Normalization computes a ratio between the response of an individual neuron and the summed activity of a pool of neurons. Here, the authors review the evidence that it serves as a canonical computation — one that is applied to processing different types of information in multiple brain regions in multiple species.
Despite its clinical relevance, direct electrical stimulation (DES) of the human brain is surprisingly poorly understood. Karnath and colleagues discuss the complex local and remote effects of DES on physiology and behaviour, and conclude that DES cannot be regarded as the gold standard for inferring causality between neuronal activity and behaviour.
