Articles in 2013

Spiny projection neurons in the direct and indirect pathways act simultaneously to initiate movement.

The distinctive firing patterns of grid cells in the medial entorhinal cortex are dependent on excitatory inputs from the hippocampus and local connections between these cells and fast-spiking interneurons.

The neural mechanisms underlying the perception of duration have proved difficult to unravel and remain unclear. Here, Wittmann explores why this has been the case and presents recent theoretical developments and empirical findings indicating that 'climbing' neural activity has a central role in time perception.

A new study shows that the proper development of the vasculature of the mouse eye depends on the detection of light in the womb by fetal melanopsin.

The classification of cortical neurons, including interneurons, remains a thorny issue in neuroscience. This Analysis article presents and tests a possible taxonomical solution for classifying cortical GABAergic interneurons based on a web-based interactive system that allows experts to classify neurons with pre-determined morphological criteria.

Pharmacological inhibition of Notch signalling partially reverses hearing loss in mice by enabling the generation of new auditory hair cells in the inner ear.

Astrocytic Ca²⁺signalling in response to neural activity only occurs in astrocytes from developing brains.

Defects in axonal transport are a feature of various neurodegenerative disorders. In this article, Millecamps and Julien provide an overview of the components of the microtubule-based axonal transport system, before examining how defects in this system might cause or influence neurodegeneration in various diseases.

Microglia activation, BDNF release and the subsequent effect on Cl⁻homeostasis in spinal lamina I neurons have been shown to play key parts in the hyperalgesia side effect of chronic morphine.

Protein kinase Mζ (PKMζ) is thought to be essential for the maintenance of long-term potentiation (LTP) and memory, but two new studies show that mice lacking PKMζ have normal memories and can undergo normal LTP, casting doubt on the importance of PKMζ for these processes.

Homeostatic maintenance of the state of the body within an optimal range is essential for survival. Damasio and Carvalho discuss how feelings derived from body states enhance the effectiveness of the corrective response and suggest a cellular mechanism for how feelings might be generated.