Articles in 2011

The authors show that structural connectivity, as measured by diffusion-weighted imaging, can predict functional activation to faces in the fusiform gyrus. The structure–function correspondence developed in one group of subjects outperformed two other predictive models and was able to predict activation in a second group of subjects.

This study demonstrates a direct role for synaptotagmin I in the endocytosis of synaptic vesicles that is distinct from its role in exocytosis. In addition, the authors find that either of the C2 domains of syt1 can act as a calcium sensor during endocytosis.

The mediodorsal thalamus links the medial prefrontal cortex and the amygdala in associative learning process in primates. Using mouse models, this study finds that the dual firing modes of mediodorsal thalamus neurons, tonic and bursting, have opposite effects on fear extinction.

The authors describe a new approach to glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) therapy using therapeutic stem cells encapsulated in biodegradable synthetic extracellular matrix in mouse models of human GBM resection.

The authors use computational modeling to design an optimized learning protocol that takes into account the precise timing of molecular signaling cascades that are necessary for synaptic facilitation. This study demonstrates how learning and memory can be enhanced by the coordination of biochemical mechanisms and training protocols.

This study shows a new molecular mechanism governing olfactory receptor neuron (ORN) subtype diversification from a shared precursor cell. Selection of ORNs in Drosophila is mediated by Notch signaling. Chromatin modifications directed to specific genes targeted by Notch modify the responses to this signal and diversify ORN identity and circuitry.

The UK research establishment needs to ensure that there is a clear, transparent process for reporting and investigating accusations of scientific misconduct.

A study now identifies a protein that mediates the cellular transport of the lipophilic endocannabinoid anandamide in aqueous environments.

Learned odor discrimination and generalization are reflected in patterns of ensemble activity in anterior piriform cortex, where learned discrimination between two odors reduces the correlation between their induced patterns.

CRMP and ankyrin have been implicated individually in the regulation of neuronal polarity. A study now identifies an interaction between them that controls microtubule organization and thereby protein sorting into axons and dendrites.

Are astrocytes merely housekeeping cells that maintain constant the environment of neurons or are they important for CNS information processing? Intense debate over the function of calcium signaling in astrocytes will increase with the discovery of a previously unknown mechanism by which astrocyte [Ca²⁺]_i is regulated.

A study finds that the voltage-gated K⁺ channel KCNQ4 is expressed in a subset of rapidly adapting, low-threshold mechanoreceptors, where it shapes the response profile to dynamic tactile stimuli.

The authors report that Rhes, a striatal-specific protein, activates mTOR. Rhes-depleted mice showed reduced dyskinesia, but maintained motor improvement following L-DOPA treatment.

In the striatum, direct pathway and indirect pathway medium spiny neurons (MSNs) receive both cortical and thalamic projections in an intermingled fashion. This study shows that a known axonal repulsive cue system—semaphorin 3E and its receptor Plexin-D1—acts as a determinant of thalamostriatal synapse development, specifically for direct pathway MSNs where presynaptic axons express the ligand and the receptor signals in the postsynaptic MSN target.

Here, the authors show that chronic blockade of neuronal activity reduces the connectivity of recurrent CA3-CA3 neurons in the rodent hippocampus while the synaptic strength of the remaining recurrent connections increased approximately twofold. They also show that this homeostatic process is mediated by the changes in presynaptic release probability regulated by cyclin-dependent kinase 5.

This study describes a microinjection technique that allows for the acute manipulation of individual neural stem cells in organotypic slice cultures via direct delivery of biologically active molecules.

The authors show that in rodents, NRG1-induced activation of ErbB4 in parvalbumin-expressing inhibitory interneurons may serve as a critical endogenous negative-feedback mechanism to suppress limbic epileptogenesis.

The authors show that paired stimulation of thalamic and cortical auditory inputs to the lateral nucleus of the amygdala, with the interstimulus interval mimicking their activation in behaving animals during auditory fear conditioning, results in persistent potentiation of synaptic transmission in the cortico-amygdala pathway in rat brain slices.

Using a membrane-tethered, genetically encoded Ca²⁺ indicator, the authors describe a novel Ca²⁺ signal in hippocampal astrocytes. These 'spotty' Ca²⁺ signals were found to be mediated by astrocytic TRPA1 channels. Decreasing astrocyte resting Ca²⁺, regulated by TRPA1 channels, decreased interneuron inhibitory synapse efficacy by reducing GABA transport through GAT-3.