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Excitability is a property of a cell, allowing it to respond to stimulation by rapid changes in membrane potential produced by ion fluxes across the plasma membrane. This is most commonly associated with neurons, but more recently astrocytes have also been shown to exhibit ‘cellular excitability’, resulting from changes in calcium ion concentration in the cytosol.
Previous work has identified cells in L2/3 of auditory cortex which strongly respond with bursting to a specific learned chord, but not to single component tones in an auditory task. Here the authors show that these cells correlate with the behavioral relevance of the learned composite sounds.
Predicting seizure onsets may allow for seizure prevention in patients. Here, authors show two distinct phases that always preceded temporal lobe seizures in mice, with activity confined within these two phases failing to progress into a seizure.
The authors identify a role for GABRA5 neurons in the lateral hypothalamus for energy balance regulation. Inhibiting these neurons increases weight gain and lipid accumulation through a process dependent on astrocytic GABA release.
A new positron emission tomography radiotracer enables imaging of the human glutamate receptor AMPA-R, a fundamental component of neurotransmission involved in neuropsychiatric disorders.
Two new studies demonstrate the importance of awake imaging to investigate microglia–neuron interactions. These studies show that microglial dynamics are influenced by neuronal activity, and they provide evidence that norepinergic signaling plays an important role in this effect.