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Adult mammalian CNS axons show little regenerative capacity following injury, in part because they fail to assemble functional growth cones at their tips. However, axons from the mammalian peripheral nervous system and non-mammalian species show more regenerative potential. Here, Bradkeet al. examine the process of growth cone assembly after axonal injury. Understanding why this process does not always succeed may facilitate the development of treatments for CNS-damage-related disability.
Long-term potentiation (LTP) describes the long-lasting increase in the strength of synaptic transmission between two neurons, a process that may be integral to learning and memory. In this Review, Lisman and colleagues examine the central role that calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII) has in this form of synaptic plasticity. Focusing on postsynaptic mechanisms, the authors discuss CaMKII in the context of both the early and late stages of LTP.
There is increasing evidence of widespread Ca2+waves and localized spark-like events in neurons, particularly in dendrites; however, their origin and function is still poorly understood. This article reviews emerging data on the nature of these signals, their spatial distribution and potential roles.
Processing within neural circuits in the retina extracts information about the direction of motion of images projected onto the retina. Vaney and colleagues describe the cellular components of this circuitry and outline our current understanding of the mechanisms that are involved in generating direction-selective responses in the retina.
Primed microglia are associated with accelerated decline in patients with neurodegenerative diseases, and a new study indicates that the dysregulation of certain proteins of the alternative complement pathway might trigger the priming process.