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Hands enable us to interact with objects in precise and versatile ways. In this Review, Sobinov and Bensmaia discuss aspects of mundane and expert manual behaviours, the anatomical complexity of the human hand and neural mechanisms that underlie manual dexterity.
Gastrin-releasing peptide (GRP) signalling regulates vasoactive-intestinal peptide (VIP)-expressing cortical cells in a disinhibitory microcircuit that modulates a cortex-dependent behaviour.
In a mouse model of mesial temporal lobe epilepsy, reactive hippocampal glia were reprogrammed into functional GABAergic interneurons that integrated into local circuits and reduced seizure incidence.
Fibroblasts in the CNS have been assigned a role in fibrotic scar formation in response to injury and inflammation but might perform additional roles attributed to other cell types. In this Review, Dorrier and colleagues discuss the available evidence regarding fibroblast functions in the CNS.
The encoding of itch by peripheral and central neural circuits is a topic of long-standing interest in the somatosensory field. Here, Zhou-Feng Chen outlines a model for itch coding that emphasizes the role of neuropeptides in conveying itch information from the periphery to the spinal cord.
The sympathetic regulation of bodily functions relies on precise connections between sympathetic neurons and peripheral organs. In this Review, Scott-Solomon and colleagues discuss the mechanisms underlying the development of the sympathetic nervous system and provide insight into disorders regulated by this branch of the nervous system.
A new study describes opposing cell-specific RhoA-dependent mechanisms linking the intrinsic regulation of neuronal microtubule dynamics and the extrinsic regulation of reactive astrocyte signalling that restrain axon regeneration.
The raphe nucleus contains specific populations of serotonergic neurons that express either orexin type 1 or type 2 receptors that directionally regulate plasma glucose and peripheral energy metabolism.
Male-only studies predominate preclinical research on anxiety and depression. In this Review, Bangasser and Cuarenta discuss how, since the inclusion of female subjects, new mechanisms have been identified that underlie vulnerability to these disorders, and that reveal novel targets for treatments.
Neural circuits in the mammalian central nervous system are modified in response to neural activity during development. In this Review, Faust and colleagues provide an overview of the mechanisms underlying developmental synaptic pruning and how alterations in this process can occur in neurodevelopmental disorders such as autism spectrum disorder and schizophrenia.
Developing a better understanding of neural codes should enable the links between stimuli, brain activity and behaviour to become clearer. In this Perspective, Kriegeskorte and Wei examine neural tuning and representational geometry — complementary approaches used to understand neural codes — and the relationship between them.
Cortical–subcortical fusion organoids replicate complex features of human brain activity and are used to explore altered network function in Rett syndrome.
The 'new head' hypothesis proposes that the advent of the neural crest and cranial placodes was crucial for the evolution of vertebrates. In this Review, Martik and Bronner discuss this hypothesis and how emerging data about gene regulatory networks in neural crest-like cell types in invertebrate chordates are providing insights into neural crest evolution.
A new study reports gene coexpression networks from across 12 major human brain regions and insights obtained from them into the biology and disorders of the brain.
Entorhinal cortical grid cells have been suggested to encode an internal map of the environment during spatial navigation. In this Perspective, Rueckemann, Sosa and colleagues propose that grid cells and hippocampal place cells cooperate to provide a topological representation of experience through temporal ordering of events, in both spatial and non-spatial contexts.
Homeobox genes were initially characterized on the basis of the homeotic transformations in segmental identity during development that resulted from mutation of the Hox cluster family of homeobox genes. In this Perspective article, Hobert proposes that homeobox genes specify neuronal identity in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans and possibly in other animals too.
