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Recent work in a number of species has emphasized the role of orbitofrontal cortex in value-based decision-making. However, discrepancies have arisen when comparing the findings from animal models to those from humans. In this review, the author examines several possibilities that might explain these discrepancies.
This review addresses the issues that attend gene discovery in autism spectrum disorders (ASDs). It summarizes recent findings in human genetics and their relevance to models of pathology, highlights the issues raised by the apparent convergence of ASD genetic risks with distinct psychiatric disorders, and considers the interaction of neurobiology and genetics in our understanding of social disability syndromes.
Blood vessels in the CNS have traditionally been considered neutral bystanders that passively adapt in response to the needs of neural cells. This review surveys recent evidence that blood vessels actively participate in the pathogenesis of neurological disorders and the implications of this work for therapy.
Brain tumor stem cells (BTSCs) stimulate angiogenesis and may also directly contribute to tumor vasculature. The authors review the codependence of BTSCs and the perivascular niche and how this may inform new therapeutic approaches.
Recent work suggests that the correlations between neurons are important for encoding information, but there has been significant discrepancy among studies. The authors review this rapidly growing body of literature, examine the potential sources of the discrepancies and offer guidelines for how to interpret data about neuronal correlations.
In this review, the authors discuss the ways in which brain sex difference may arise and provides a model in which genes, hormones and environment can influence the sexual dimorphism of the brain.
Although symptoms and onsets of neuropsychiatric/neurodegenerative diseases may differ markedly, there is evidence that these diseases may share common cellular manifestation(s), particularly at the level of dendritic spines. Using autism spectrum disorder, schizophrenia and Alzheimer's disease as example neurological diseases that affect different stages of life, this review discusses recent evidence suggesting common defects in synaptic spines that may be underlie common pathogenesis.
Replay is the sequential reactivation of hippocampal place cells that represent previously experienced behavioral trajectories. Although first studied during sleep, recent work suggests that replay occurs frequently in the awake state and could be a potential substrate for memory consolidation and retrieval.
Reinforcement learning models have provided insight into the functions of dopamine and cortico-basal ganglia-thalamo-cortical circuits. Here the authors review the literature suggesting that these models can also be applied to improving our understanding of dysfunction in this system, particularly in the context of disease.
