The CNS critically relies on an extensive and complex vasculature to function properly. In this Review, Wälchli and colleagues examine the general and CNS-specific mechanisms that underlie angiogenesis in brain development, brain vascular malformations and brain tumours.

In this Journal Club, María Llorens-Martín describes a 1983 paper that revealed ongoing neurogenesis in the brains of adult female canaries.

Through their widespread connectivity, cholinergic projection neurons in the basal forebrain can modulate diverse cognitive functions. In this Review, Ananth and colleagues provide a comprehensive overview of the development, organization and function of different populations of basal forebrain cholinergic neurons.

Seung-Hee Lee describes findings published in 2000 that gave us insight into the principles by which different types of GABAergic synapses are organized in cortical networks.

Infant attachment to the mother in rodents and monkeys is shown to rely on regulation of hypothalamic oxytocin release by a serotonergic projection from the raphe nucleus.

New findings indicate a role for SMN protein in assembly of the synaptic SNARE complex at neuromuscular junctions, providing insight into mechanisms of pathology in spinal muscular atrophy.

In this Journal Club, María Llorens-Martín describes a 1983 paper that revealed ongoing neurogenesis in the brains of adult female canaries.

The centrosome is crucial for the microtubule dynamics that underlie the radial migration of developing rodent neurons but is not required for axon growth.

A new study examines thalamic innervation of cortical layer 2/3 pyramidal neurons and models how this thalamic connectivity affects visual responses in these cells.

The ability to be woken from deep sleep by a sound (such as an alarm) is shown to be mediated by a specialized glutamatergic brainstem–mediodorsal thalamic pathway.