Articles in 2012

In this Review, De Zeeuw and colleagues discuss the types of plasticity that occur at different synapses within the cerebellar cortex. They propose that the distributed and synergistic character of the various forms of plasticity promotes optimal motor learning.

Protein-rich diets reduce food intake by activating gut–brain pathways through μ-opioid receptors in the portal vein. This activation promotes gluconeogenesis in the gut, which acts as a satiety signal.

The dorsal premotor cortex encodes both target direction and movement direction during a complex reaching task.

Oligodendrocytes use a lactate transporter to provide metabolic support to axons and neurons.

There are currently no known mutations in the amyloid-β precursor protein gene that reduce the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease. Jonssonet al. now provide evidence for a mutation that protects against Alzheimer's disease and also confers a more general resistance against age-related cognitive decline.

It is commonly thought that fear induced by distinct stimuli is processed by a single 'fear circuit'. Gross and Canteras discuss evidence showing that separate, parallel pathways process different types of innate fear but a common mechanism underlies the encoding of learned fear for all classes of stimuli.

The recent characterization of non-coding RNAs and their astonishingly diverse functions has led to a radical shift in our understanding of how the genome influences neuronal function. In this Review, Qureshi and Mehler describe the numerous classes of non-coding RNAs and how they might contribute to neuronal physiology and disease.

Astrocytes in the mouse CNS migrate radially from their points of origin within the ventricular zone to restricted spatial domains throughout the brain and spinal cord, with implications for localized astrocyte functions.

Loss of TSC1 function in cerebellar Purkinje cells in mice induces an autism-like phenotype that can be prevented by rapamycin treatment.

Bodily self-consciousness includes the conscious experience of identifying with the body, of where 'I' am in space, and of the perspective from where 'I' perceive the world. Olaf Blanke discusses the cortical mechanisms that underlie these experiences, highlighting data from neuroimaging, neurology and virtual reality.