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How does sleep deprivation affect the human brain? Walker and colleagues review neuroimaging studies on the consequences of sleep deprivation on cognition and emotion — with specific focuses on attention and working memory, positive and negative emotion, and hippocampal learning — and the mechanisms underlying these effects.
Sirtuins and the neuron–microglia network have a key role in the ageing process. In this Review article, Satoh and colleagues discuss the role of sirtuins in age-related changes in communication between peripheral tissues and the brain, which has a key influence on ageing and longevity in mammals.
The contribution of epigenetics to many aspects of neuronal development and function is becoming apparent. In this Review, Zukin and colleagues describe how the dysregulation of epigenetic mechanisms may contribute to neurodegenerative diseases.
Cerebral blood flow regulation is essential for normal brain function. In this Review, Kisler and colleagues examine the cellular and molecular mechanisms that underlie cerebral blood flow regulation at the arteriole and capillary level, and how neurovascular dysfunction contributes to neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer disease.
A study shows that systemic adminstration of plasma from human umbilical cord counteracts ageing-induced impairment of hippocampal function in mice and identifies a key protein in plasma that confers such effects.
A new study in mice shows that memory engram cells associated with long-term memories form in the prefrontal cortex early during learning in a contextual fear conditioning paradigm and reveals details of the circuitry involved in long-term memory consolidation.
In this Review, Anacker and Hen explore how regulation of dentate gyrus function by adult hippocampal neurogenesis may link the memory and mood functions of the hippocampus. They also examine the potential of targeting such regulation for mood disorders.
The transcription factor MYT1L contributes to the induction and maintenance of neuronal identity through the repression of multiple alternative lineages.
Recent evidence suggests that T cells and their derived cytokines affect the brain in disease and health. In this Opinion article, Kipnis and colleagues describe their effects and possible underlying mechanisms, and propose an evolutionary model to explain why the T cell-derived cytokine interferon-γ has both pro-social and immune effects.
Neurons in the hippocampus and entorhinal cortex of rats manipulating the frequency of a tone exhibit 'frequency fields', akin to place fields seen during spatial navigation.
Recent studies suggest that progranulin has an important role in lysosome biogenesis and innate immunity in the brain. In this Progress article, Kao and colleagues suggest that progranulin also plays a part in suppressing excessive neuroinflammation during ageing.
