Opinion in 2012

In CNS neurons, the somatic membrane potential is subject to subthreshold analogue modulation. This analogue component increases the information content of action potentials and has important implications for information processing in neural networks.

In this Opinion article, Masri and Sassone-Corsi discuss the complex interconnections between circadian rhythms, metabolic processes and epigenetic regulation of gene transcription. They propose that cellular metabolic state and epigenetic mechanisms might work through the circadian clock to regulate neuronal function and influence disease states.

All cells are influenced by mechanical forces, but the effects of mechanical energy in the brain have received relatively little attention. William Tyler summarizes the main mechanical events that take place in neurons and their effects on neuronal function, and argues for an increased consideration of mechanobiology in neuroscience.

Chronic pain is more prevalent in women than in men. In this Perspective, Jeffrey Mogil argues that this sex bias in clinical pain is due to a sex difference in pain sensitivity and discusses various underlying mechanisms that might account for this difference.

The BCM theory of synaptic plasticity is now 30 years old. In this Perspective article, Cooper and Bear discuss how this theory has advanced our understanding of synaptic plasticity, learning and memory and highlight the important role that theory can have in neuroscience research.

Adult neurogenesis is often considered an archaic trait that has undergone 'phylogenetic reduction'. Gerd Kempermann proposes that adult neurogenesis in the hippocampus is in fact a late-evolved trait that may provide the cognitive adaptability that is needed to conquer new ecological niches.

Improvement in the performance of a newly acquired skill with training occurs gradually over time. Here, Censor, Sagi and Cohen highlight similarities in such procedural learning between the motor and perceptual domains and suggest that a common mechanism supports this type of learning in various domains.

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.

Neurons in the human medial temporal lobe respond in a selective and abstract manner to particular persons or objects. Rodrigo Quian Quiroga argues that these 'concept cells' are crucial for memory functions and the transition between related concepts that leads to the flow of consciousness.

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is generally considered to be an autoimmune, inflammatory disease. In this provocative Perspective, Stys and colleagues propose that non-inflammatory, primary progressive MS is the 'real' MS, and that inflammatory forms of the disorder reflect an aberrant immune reaction to ongoing cytodegeneration.

The conservation of processes associated with normal ageing across species suggests that model systems can contribute to our understanding of human brain ageing. In this Perspective article the authors review the insights into longevity emerging from model organisms and highlight the need for the new paradigms in gerontology to be applied to the CNS.

A growing field of research aims to examine the potential overlap between the characteristics and underlying mechanisms of drug addiction and obesity. Here, Fletcher and colleagues argue that there is not yet sufficient evidence to support a 'food addiction' model and call for caution in the application of this model to clinical and policy recommendations.

In recent decades, advances in technology have enabled the structure of the nervous system to be dissected in greater detail than ever before. In this Opinion article, Denk and colleagues outline why structural information is so important for our understanding of the function of neural circuits and describe new tools and approaches that are improving the structural information that we can acquire.

The study of speech production has largely been divided into investigations of lower-level articulatory motor control and of higher-level linguistic processing, with these research traditions rarely interacting. In this Opinion article, Hickok argues that these approaches have much to offer each other, and he presents a model of speech production that incorporates ideas from both research traditions and findings from neuroscientific studies of sensorimotor integration.