In celebration of our 200th issue, we look ahead to the future of neuroscience. The cover image depicts a neuron mosaic composed of 320 images of cultured hippocampal neurons immunolabeled for MAP2 (red) and synaptophysin (green). It represents large amounts of quantitative data synthesized into a concise understanding of a system—an approach that will have an increasing role in neuroscience. Image by Michael Henderson.p 1623

Neuroscientists have to learn to manage and take advantage of the big waves of data that are being generated. In this special issue on big data, we present a series of Commentaries, Perspectives and Reviews by leading experts on the collection, management, analysis and utility of large data sets in neuroscience.1440–1517

Muthukumar and colleagues show how astrocytes developmentally regulate GABA levels through expression of the GABA transporter (GAT). The cover depicts the synaptic infiltration of astrocytes (green) in the central brain of the fly (red).p 1340

Rokni and colleagues show that the ability of mice to detect target odorants amongst a mixture of components is dependent on the representational overlap of target and background olfactory receptors. The cover depicts mice in an odor-rich social gathering, an allusion to the cocktail party problem where one's name is a salient sound amongst a cacophony of chatter.11441225

During sleep, slow-wave activity (SWA) helps consolidate new memories and skills. Gulati and colleagues find that successful control of brain-machine interfaces (BMI) leads to coherent activation of task-relevant units during SWA, and that the more time spent in slow-wave sleep, the better the subsequent control of the BMI task. The cover depicts a sleeping rat as activity related to the control of the BMI is processed offline.10191107

The subependymal zone (SEZ) is a neurogenic niche that gives rise to adult-born neurons. Paez-Gonzalez and colleagues describe a population of cholinergic neurons in this region that modulates neural progenitor proliferation. The cover depicts a SEZ cholinergic neuron (red) along with surrounding stem cells and newborn neuroblasts (teal). Cover image by Chay Kuo.897934

Hundreds of regions across the genome have now been implicated in disorders of the brain, but navigating this data deluge and translating it into biological and mechanistic insights remains a challenge. In this special issue on neurogenomics, we present a series of Perspectives and Reviews by leading experts on the latest genomic methods, their recent discoveries in psychiatry and neurology, and their implication for and application to neuroscience. Cover image by Alexander Arguello. (p 745, pp 756-800)

Huntington's disease is thought to be a result of neuronal dysfunction, but a study from Tong and colleagues now suggests that mutant huntingtin in astrocytes leads to dysregulation of extracellular K+. Excess K+ leads to elevated spiking and potentially to excitotoxicity in striatal projection neurons. On the cover is an artistic rendering of astrocytes in the neuropil by Janet Iwasa.641694

Astrocytes provide essential support for and modulate synaptic transmission between neurons. In this issue, Pannasch and colleagues show that non-channel functions of connexin 30, a gap-junction subunit, control the synaptic coverage of astroglial processes and regulate glutamate clearance, synaptic strength and memory function. The cover shows a three-dimensional model reconstructed from serial transmission electron microscopy images of a synaptic contact (red) on the dendritic spine (gray), closely surrounded by an astrocytic process (green).p 549

In this issue, Wimmer and colleagues investigate the neural basis of temporal decay in working memory precision, based on a computational hypothesis. 'Bump attractor' dynamics explained the relationship between the accuracy of behavioral responses and neuronal activity in the prefrontal cortex of monkeys performing a spatial working memory task. The cover illustrates the gradual decay of a telephone number as it is actively maintained in working memory. Artwork by óscar Astromujoffp 431

Pain has a multitude of causes and, although it can be a helpful signal, it can also become maladaptive, long-lasting and resistant to available treatments. We present a special focus on pain, featuring five Reviews focusing on the molecular, cellular and circuit mechanisms underlying acute and chronic pain states and discussing some of the therapeutic promises associated with these discoveries.153–200

In this issue, Dias and Ressler provide evidence supporting epigenetic inheritance of a learned behavior. Learning about a specific olfactory stimulus changed brain structure and the behavior of future generations, with transmission across generations via epigenetic changes in the gametes. On the cover is Jean-Baptiste Lamarck, known for his theory of the inheritance of acquired characteristics. Credit: INTERFOTO / Alamy.289