Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain
the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in
Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles
and JavaScript.
The activity of striatal cholinergic interneurons is known to match phasic dopaminergic response to reinforcing stimuli. Here, the authors use optogenetic techniques to stimulate cholinergic interneurons and measured the response of striatal spiny projection neurons, and reveal an indirect inhibitory circuit in the striatum.
In mouse models, the authors find that NRG1–ErbB4 signaling contributes to epilepsy through regulating the excitability of fast-spiking parvalbumin interneurons. ErbB4 expression was also reduced in human epileptogenic tissue.
The authors conduct direct measurements of parvalbumin concentration and paired recordings in rodent hippocampus and cerebellum and show that parvalbumin affects synaptic dynamics, exerting Ca2+-buffering effects only when expressed at high levels.
Xenopus retinal ganglion cells show a switch in sensitivity to the guidance cue Sema3A during development. In this study, the authors show that the timing of this switch is determined by a mechanism in which miR-124 regulates the expression of Neuropilin-1 through modulation of the transcription-repressing cofactor CoREST.
In cultured hippocampal neurons, the authors show that postsynaptic N-cadherin is important to control the basal release probability, and that β-catenin acts via a different trans-synaptic pathway to control the gain adjustment of release probability.
This study demonstrates that the cytosolic helicases RIG-I and MDA5 act to negatively regulate the expansion of the encephalitogenic TH1 and TH17 T cells via a mechanism that induces type I interferon production specifically in dendritic cells. Activating this pathway leads to decreased pathology in response to CNS autoimmunity.
This study reveals a novel function of the Rho GTPase-activating protein called α2-chimerin in cortical development, where acute knockdown of α2-chimerin caused neuronal migration deficit and cortical circuit malformation in the developing mouse brain. This developmental defect was also associated with an impairment of circuit development causing epileptic discharges in adult animals.
In this study, the authors identify a cell-surface leucine-rich repeat protein, DMA-1, and show that it is both necessary and sufficient to promote dendritic branching in C. elegans sensory neurons. Endogenously, DMA-1 expression is maintained only in those neurons that exhibit elaborate dendritic branching.
The authors describe the design of an optetrode, a device that allows for colocalized multi-tetrode electrophysiological recording and optical stimulation in freely moving mice.
The authors show that the transcription factor UNC-3 acts via a common cis element to regulate the battery of genes that confer cholinergic identity on a subset of motor neurons in the nematode. This study provides further insight into the mechanisms by which the coordination of genetic programs acts to specify neuronal subtypes.
Rett syndrome (RTT) is caused by mutations in MeCP2. This study describes a new line of knock-in mutant mice that mimics a MeCP2 mutation found in individuals with RTT and recapitulates RTT-like phenotypes, including motor and cognitive impairments. These MeCP2 knock-in mice also have age-dependent abnormalities in audiogenic event-related neuronal information processing.
Reward signals are widespread in the brain, but why? A study now identifies an important difference in the reward signals encoded by the neurons in the primate anterior cingulate and orbitofrontal cortices during decision making, suggesting that reward-related activity in these areas is shaped by different contextual factors.
Variations in the arginine vasopressin receptor gene, AVPR1A, are shown to be associated with pain sensitivity in a stress- and sex-specific manner in both mice and men.
Scientists should take the lead in opening an honest and accurate discussion with the public about the ramifications of working with animals containing human material.
Orchestration of gene expression enables coordination between the nucleus and synapses. A report now uncovers a function for the fragile X mental retardation protein in RNA editing necessary for synaptic development.