Bridging the gap: coupling single-cell oscillators in the suprachiasmatic nucleus. Colwell, C. S. Nature Neuroscience January (2005) New work showing that gap junctions between neurons promote synchronous electrical activity and rhythmic behaviour in the suprachiasmatic nucleus is reported in this News and Views article.

●Metabotropic glutamate receptors as novel targets for anxiety and stress disorders. Swanson, C. J. et al. Nature Reviews Drug Discovery February (2005)

●Hearing the messenger: Ins(1,4,5)P3 and deafness. Bruzzone, R. & Cohen-Salmon, M. Nature Cell Biology January (2005) According to a new study described in this News and Vews piece, a mutation to a connexin gene, Cx26, causes a specific reduction in permeability to the Ca2+-mobilizing messenger Ins(1,4,5)P3, therefore providing an explanation for the pathogenesis of inherited deafness.

●Is Rett syndrome a loss-of-imprinting disorder? Pescucci, C., Meloni, I. & Renieri, A. Nature Genetics January (2005)

●Clock reset for alcoholism. Yuferov, V., Bart, G. & Kreek, M. J. Nature Medicine January (2005) The clock gene Per2 is involved in the regulation of the circadian clock, and studies of humans and mice have shown that it also influences alcohol consumption. New work, described in this News and Views article, establishes disruptions to the glutamate system as the link between Per2 dysfunction and enhanced alcohol intake.

●Down syndrome and genetics — a case of linked histories. Patterson, D. & Costa, A. C. S. Nature Reviews Genetics February (2005)

●VEGF: multitasking in ALS. Velde, C. V. & Cleveland, D. W. Nature Neuroscience January (2005) Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is caused by the progressive degeneration of motor neurons. New work, discussed in this News and Views article, indicates that delivery of VEGF to the CNS delays spinal motor neuron degeneration and preserves neuromuscular junctions in rats, which might be the starting point for a new therapeutic approach in ALS.

●The clock that tells the time. Cassone, V. M. Nature Neuroscience January (2005) A review of the book Rhythms of Life: The Biological Clocks that Control the Daily Lives of Every Living Thing by R. Foster & L. Kreitzman.

●Depression, antidepressants and suicidality: a critical appraisal. Licinio, J. & Wong, M. -L. Nature Reviews Drug Discovery February (2005)

●Staring fear in the face. Vuilleumier, P. Nature 6 January (2005) Recent evidence, discussed in this News and Views article, from a patient with bilateral amygdala damage who is unable to recognize fearful expressions indicates that this deficit stems from an inability to process information from the eye region of faces. This indicates a mechanism by which the amygdala is involved in fear recognition.