Looser et al. reveal that oligodendrocytes detect and respond to axonal activity using K⁺ signaling to regulate vital metabolic support and maintain axon health.

Monosynaptic cerebellar projections to the substantia nigra pars compacta (SNc) increase the activity of SNc neurons and striatal dopamine levels. These projections may convey information related to movement initiation, vigor and reward processing.

Banerjee and colleagues find that activity within the orofacial motor cortex in a highly vocal rodent reflects different features of the produced song, forming a hierarchical control network with downstream structures to guide vocal production.

This paper shows that memory engrams are dynamic: neurons drop in and out as engrams become selective during memory consolidation. Inhibition and inhibitory plasticity are crucial for the expression and emergence of memory selectivity, respectively.

The authors show that sound-evoked activity in mouse visual cortex consists of both an auditory and a motor component. These have different temporal and spatial profiles (across neurons and layers) but limited impact on ongoing visual processing.

Using dopamine photometry and reinforcement learning models in mice flexibly acquiring cue–action–outcome associations with rule switches, Bernklau et al. show that striatal dopamine reflects an animal’s current understanding of their task.

Banerjee and colleagues find that activity within the orofacial motor cortex in a highly vocal rodent reflects different features of the produced song, forming a hierarchical control network with downstream structures to guide vocal production.

The primary somatosensory cortex and central nucleus of the amygdala project to the spleen via the dorsal motor nucleus of the vagus nerve and regulate the T helper 2 (T_H2) immune cell response in models of neuropathic pain.

Monosynaptic cerebellar projections to the substantia nigra pars compacta (SNc) increase the activity of SNc neurons and striatal dopamine levels. These projections may convey information related to movement initiation, vigor and reward processing.

The authors find that neuronal subpopulations in lateral entorhinal cortex provide reward-centric information during spatial navigation, which may contextualize spatial information from medial entorhinal cortex for forming hippocampal episodic memories.

As Nature Neuroscience celebrates its 25th anniversary, we are having conversations with both established leaders in the field and those earlier in their careers to discuss how the field has evolved and where it is heading. This month we are talking to Bill Martin, Global Therapeutic Area Head, Neuroscience at Johnson & Johnson Innovative Medicine. We discussed the challenges and opportunities ahead for the development of treatments for psychiatric disease.

As Nature Neuroscience celebrates its 25th anniversary, we are having conversations with both established leaders in the field and those earlier in their careers to discuss how the field has evolved, and where it is heading. This month, we are talking to Ukpong Eyo (Associate Professor of Neuroscience at the University of Virginia, USA), a glial biologist interested in the role of microglia in neurodevelopment, health and disease, about science, family, and the benefits of finding your balance.