Articles in 2018

A new study suggests an evolutionary mechanism — involving abnormal spindle-like microcephaly-associated protein — that, in part, underlies cerebral cortical expansion.

Different 3′ untranslated regions of mRNA transcripts are associated with differences in mRNA localization, translation, stability and activity-dependent changes in expression.

Breathing is a crucial yet surprisingly complex behaviour. Del Negro, Funk and Feldman describe the neural mechanisms underlying different phases of the breathing cycle, and how breathing affects, and is affected by, emotion, cognition and other behaviours.

The neurodevelopmental disorder Rett syndrome is caused by a deficiency in methyl-CpG-binding protein 2 (MeCP2). Ip, Mellios and Sur describe the many functions of MeCP2 and the effects of MeCP2 loss on gene expression, excitation–inhibition balance and activity-dependent plasticity.

In the mouse postnatal hippocampus, microglia trim presynaptic structures by a partial phagocytic process termed trogocytosis and remodel postsynaptic structures.

Distinct output pathways of the nucleus accumbens mediate the opposing effects of context on relapse to alcohol seeking.

Brain implants are being trialled for their potential to ameliorate treatment-resistant conditions or to restore function. However, there are no clear guidelines for continued access to brain implants for trial participants whose symptoms improve with these devices.

In mice, aggression is regulated by the circadian suprachiasmatic nucleus through at least two neural pathways.

A combination of electrochemical neuromodulation of spinal leg circuits and physical training in a robotic rehabilitation system restored volitional locomotion in rodents with severe spinal cord injury.

The extent and contribution of maternal influence to the developing hypothalamus to later feeding behaviour remain controversial. In this Opinion, Zeltser proposes that crosstalk between developing circuits regulating different modalities of food intake shapes susceptibility to environmental challenges.

Peripheral axon injury initiates a regenerative response that is absent in CNS axons. Mahar and Cavalli describe the mechanisms that initiate and coordinate the programme of transcriptional and epigenetic changes that enable axon regeneration in the peripheral nervous system.

The basal ganglia and the cerebellum were thought to communicate via the cerebral cortex. In this Review, Andreea Bostan and Peter Strick discuss findings indicating that these subcortical areas are in fact interconnected and, along with the cerebral cortex, form an integrated network.

Two studies provide insight into the neural circuits integrating competing threat signals, such as pain and hunger.

A study of post-mortem brains from individuals of difference ages suggests that hippocampal neurogenesis in humans decreases during childhood and is absent in adults.

Fibrinogen enters the brain in a wide range of brain diseases that involve blood–brain barrier disruption. In this Review, Petersen et al. discuss recent evidence that fibrinogen causes damage that contributes to the pathology of a range of neurological disorders and discuss therapeutic implications.

Animals exhibit a variety of different responses to threatening stimuli, including both innate and instrumental behaviours. LeDoux and Daw describe a new taxonomy of defensive behaviours and review what we know about the underlying neural circuits and computational processes.

In the spinal cord and thalamus of mice, astrocyte-generated interleukin-33 instructs microglia to engulf synapses and thus regulates neural circuit development.