Neuroscience is a truly multidisciplinary field and, as usual, we aim to reflect that diversity in this month's issue, by providing a selection of articles that span the breadth of the discipline.

On page 826, Tai and Schuman delineate neuron-specific mechanisms of protein degradation and discuss the implications of failed degradation for neurodegenerative diseases. Two articles focus on the level of the synapse: Kerchner and Nicoll (page 813) describe past proposals for, and the current understanding of, the mechanisms that regulate 'silent synapses' and discuss how synapse unsilencing relates to long-term potentiation; on page 807, Perry and O'Connor describe recent work linking the complement system to synaptic remodelling mechanisms. On page 839, Franklin and ffrench-Constant outline how an understanding of the cellular mechanisms of remyelination might lead to treatments for demyelinating disorders. And on page 856, Husain and colleagues review the apparently multifaceted role of one particular brain region, the supplementary motor complex, in linking cognition to action.

In such a diverse field, collaborations may be one key to success. The growing investment in neuroscience in Asian countries has led to a surge in the number of collaborations between institutions and researchers in these countries and those in the US and Europe. In this month's Viewpoint, we asked four researchers to describe their experiences of these collaborations (page 881).

Finally, the Science and Society article by Martinez-Conde and colleagues on page 871 describes a collaboration between cognitive neuroscientists and professional magicians. The authors discuss how illusions created on stage can provide insight into cognitive processes such as awareness and attention.