The fundamental plan of the retina. Masland, R. H. Nature Neuroscience September (2001). Nature Neuroscience

Tracing the lineage of tracing cell lineages. Stern, C. D. and Fraser, S.E. Nature Cell Biology September (2001). Nature Cell Biology

A history of cell lineage analysis in the developing embryo, including an illustration of fate mapping in the zebrafish neural plate.

Stem cells on the brain. Cassidy, R. and Frisén, J. Nature 16 August (2001). Nature

A News and Views article reporting on the purification of a pluripotent stem cell from the adult mouse brain that seems to be able to give rise to both neural and muscle lineages.

Time zones: a comparative genetics of circadian clocks. Young, M. W. and Kay, S. A. Nature Reviews Genetics September (2001). Nature Reviews Genetics

Genetic analyses have identified the basic components of the circadian clock in a range of organisms. These comparative studies reveal that the circadian clock has probably arisen several times during evolution.

Neuronal migration and the evolution of the human brain. Rao, Y. and Wu, J. Y. Nature Neuroscience September (2001). Nature Neuroscience

A News and Views article on the origin of thalamic GABA-containing neurons in the telencephalon.

Dynamic categories. Kilgard, M. P. Nature 16 August (2001). Nature

changes in patterns of cortical activity as animals learn to categorize auditory information.

The many faces of adaptation. Reinagel, P. Nature 23 August (2001). Nature

This News and Views article describes how sensory neurons adapt rapidly to a changing environment.

Figure and ground in the brain. Rubin, N. Nature Neuroscience September (2001). Nature Neuroscience

The perception of a shape in a visual display depends on the brain's ability to segregate it from the background. This News and Views article discusses the neural correlates of this effect.

The sights along route 65. Saari, J. Nature Genetics September (2001). Nature Genetics

Leber congenital amaurosis is a congenital form of retinal dystrophy. This News and Views article reviews new insights gained from studying the RPE65-deficient mouse, which is a model for the disease.

Monogenic causes of X-linked mental retardation. Chelly, J. and Mandel, J.-L. Nature Reviews Genetics September (2001). Nature Reviews Genetics

Our understanding of the biological basis of X-linked mental retardation has increased with the discovery that altered chromatin remodelling and signal transduction underlie some forms of the disorder, implicating disturbed neuronal connections and remodelling in abnormal cognition.