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The confidence that we place in our decisions can affect the judgments themselves. The BOLD signal in ventromedial prefrontal cortex automatically reflects the relationship between confidence and judgments on a range of tasks.
The nature of the retinal computations of the direction of motion of visual stimuli has fascinated vision researchers for decades. In this Review, Borst and Helmstaedter discuss the most recent findings in the field, and draw parallels and point to differences in the circuitry of the mouse retina and the fly optic lobe from which such basic neuronal computation arises.
Schizophrenia-linked single nucleotide polymorphisms in MIR137 alter expression of miR-137 in neurons. Abnormal expression of miR-137 affects vesicle release at presynaptic terminals and in turn alters hippocampal functioning.
Epidemiological studies and anecdotal evidence show overlap between psychiatric disorders and creativity, but why? A new study uses genome-wide association data from schizophrenia and bipolar disorder to show that genetics are part of the explanation.
Discovering the environmental factors that control microglia is key to understanding and managing brain health. A new study finds that microbiota in the gut are essential to the regulation of microglial maturation and activation.
In a bidirectional relationship, the sleep/wake cycle regulates amyloid-β (Aβ) levels and Aβ accumulation then disrupts sleep. A quantitative three-way model now suggests that Aβ impairs memory via its effect on sleep.
This Review article by Baljit Khakh and Michael Sofroniew discusses the latest progress in demonstration of molecular, cellular and functional heterogeneity of astrocytes in the central nervous system. The article highlights the way in which this diversity within and across astrocytes can affect normal function of the brain differently, and discusses pathological conditions where astrocyte heterogeneity is instrumental in manifesting various aspects of CNS dysfunction.
In this Review, Schneggenburger and Rosenmund discuss the molecular mechanisms that control the Ca2+ dependence of synaptic vesicle fusion during spontaneous and evoked modes of release at mammalian brain synapses. They argue that the same pool of vesicles is recruited during spontaneous and evoked release but at drastically different rates.
A study finds the transcription factor Lmx1b to be necessary in adults for preventing degeneration of midbrain dopamine neurons and implicates it in lysosomal function and regulation in these neurons.
Observing the choices of others adds utility to the chosen option. The additional utility conferred by others' choices is encoded by the ventromedial prefrontal cortex and explains the idiosyncratic effects of social influence.
The prefrontal cortex is known to influence dopamine release in the striatum–but how? New data in mice suggest that cortical spine density affects striatal dopamine release via monosynaptic control of dopamine neurons, tracing a chain of events from spine loss to antipsychotic-responsive psychomotor agitation.
The amyloid cascade is perhaps the most dominant hypothesis in the field of Alzheimer's disease pathogenesis but it is also one of the most controversial. Here, we present two Perspective articles which argue both for and against the amyloid hypothesis. In this piece, Drs. Musiek and Holtzman argue that, despite sometimes conflicting data, there is ample evidence to suggest that Aβ accumulation is a key initiator of AD-related pathology and may act as a trigger of downstream effects such as tau aggregation.
The amyloid cascade is perhaps the most dominant hypothesis in the field of Alzheimer's disease pathogenesis, but it is also one of the most controversial. Here we present two Perspective articles that argue both for and against the amyloid hypothesis. In this opinionated piece, Dr. Herrup challenges the Alzheimer's field to re-examine the complex biochemical, clinical and epidemiological evidence and reassess its over-reliance on this proposed pathogenic mechanism.
Theory suggests that cerebellar granule cells combine sensory and motor signals originating from different sources. An unexpected logic governing how granule cells process different input sources may enhance computational power.
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a complex and as yet untreatable neurodegenerative disorder. We discuss two examples of exome sequencing in large international collections of familial and sporadic ALS cases that are revealing new and potentially treatable pathways, such as those involving autophagy and neuroinflammation.
Strategic decisions can prove difficult to study. The board game shogi is used to investigate the functional neuroanatomy of strategic decisions, revealing different brain areas from those engaged by other forms of choice.
Insight into the mechanism by which deep brain stimulation exerts its therapeutic effects comes from recording in motor cortical regions of neurosurgical subjects undergoing subthalamic nucleus deep brain stimulation.
How are quiescent adult neural stem cells (NSCs) generated during development? A study now identifies a reserve population of p57-expressing, slowly dividing embryonic neural progenitors that later give rise to adult NSCs.
