Articles in 2008

Many human neurological traits are linked to variations in the gene that encodes the serotonin transporter. Murphy and Lesch describe the phenotypes of mice with altered serotonin-transporter function, emphasizing how this might inform our understanding of the transporter's roles in humans.

Growth-cone migration during neuronal development is guided by dynamic networks of actin filaments. Bamburg and colleagues review how actin-binding proteins influence the formation of these networks and discuss their role in growth-cone pathfinding and potential implications for axonal regeneration.

Neurons might encode information in the timing of action potentials, but evidence for this processingin vivohas been elusive. Sejnowski and colleagues describe how to uncover precise and reliable spike timing and discuss its contribution to cortical computation.

Neuroscientists often refer to brain areas as being 'affective' or 'cognitive'. In this Opinion article, Luiz Pessoa argues that complex behaviours are based on dynamic coalitions of brain networks and that there are no specifically 'affective' or 'cognitive' brain areas.

In 1970 the Boulder Committee met to standardize the nomenclature used to describe the developing human cortex. Bystron and colleagues describe how new insights since that time have led to the need to revise this nomenclature, and provide their recommendations.

The ventral visual pathway contains both category-selective graded maps and distinct modules. The authors discuss the properties that define maps and modules, consider whether modules are parts of maps, and propose that different graded maps might combine to form discrete selective modules.