Articles in 2018

In mammals, the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) of the hypothalamus acts as the principal pacemaker for circadian rhythms, which are powerful regulators of physiology and behaviour. In this Review, Hastings, Maywood and Brancaccio examine the molecular, cellular and circuit mechanisms underlying time-keeping in the SCN.

In mice with experimental autoimmune encephalitis, dietary metabolites of tryptophan may modulate the activities of glia to influence neuroinflammation.

Opiate drugs and opioid peptides differ in their effects on intracellular signalling, in which following ligand–receptor binding and internalization, opioids continue to signal from endosomes, whereas opiates activate receptors located at the Golgi.

A growing field of research seeks to establish a neuroscientific basis for the correlations between socioeconomic status and life outcomes. Farah evaluates the opportunities and challenges that face the application of this field to wider policy discussions.

Decision-making requires us to correctly evaluate the likely outcomes of our choices. Murray and Rudebeck describe how evidence from lesion and neurophysiology studies in non-human primates has given us insight into the specific contributions of prefrontal cortex subdivisions in this process.

In mice, neurons in the anterior cingulate cortex that project to the basolateral amygdala are required for observational learning.

Gliomas represent the most deadly of human brain tumours; however, little progress has been made towards their successful treatment. In this Review, Deneen and colleagues discuss how glioma tumorigenesis resembles glial development and how this may inform novel therapies.

New findings demonstrate the coordinated regulation of aligned clusters of presynaptic and postsynaptic proteins in dendritic structural plasticity.

Although chronic pain is one of the most important medical problems facing society, there has been very limited progress in the development of novel therapies for this condition. Here, we discuss high-impact research priorities to reduce the number of people transitioning from acute to chronic intractable pain.

In this Opinion article, Mobbs and colleagues argue that more should be done to combine the approaches taken in neuroscience with those taken in ethology and behavioural ecology to study decision-making. They illustrate how this has been achieved in the context of studies on foraging.

Two molecularly and functionally distinct populations of pyramidal cells in the hippocampal subiculum are characterized

Elevated maternal IL-6 in the maternal circulation can enter the fetus via the maternal—placental—fetal route and alter neurodevelopmental processes, with potentially wide-ranging effects on brain function later in life.