Research Highlights in 2015

The endogenous opioid enkephalin acts through δ-opioid receptors to suppress local inhibition of dorsal striatum patch output neurons.

Parkinson disease-associated mutations in the gene encoding vacuolar protein sorting-associated protein 35 increase the turnover of dynamin-like protein 1 in the mitochondrial membrane of neurons, leading to mitochondrial fission and neuronal death.

The behavioural phenotype in a mouse model ofMECP2(methyl-CpG-binding protein 2) duplication syndrome can be rescued in adulthood by normalizing MeCP2 levels.

A study in mice shows that manipulating the activity of the cortical fields associated with sweet and bitter tastes mediates the perception of taste and drives associated behaviours.

By vesicular secretion ofD-serine, astrocytes in the hippocampal neurogenic niche regulate dendritic maturation, spine formation and synapse formation of adult-born hippocampal neurons.

Functional imaging has provided insight into the neuronal processes that regulate fear generalization in humans.

In zebrafish, components of the extracellular matrix help to direct regenerating motor axons to their original targets.

Tonic and phasic patterns of dopamine release have opposing effects on Schaffer collateral stimulation-evoked CA1 activity.

An induced pluripotent stem cell-based model of human bipolar disorder reveals hyperexcitability in hippocampal neurons and mimics clinical responsiveness to lithium.

Dopamine D1 receptor-expressing medium spiny neurons in the medial nucleus accumbens shell that project to the lateral hypothalamus mediate rapid control of feeding behaviour in mice.

Pathological variants of FUS that are associated with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis or frontotemporal dementia can form irreversible gel assemblies that trap and impair the function of ribonucleoproteins and, thereby, disrupt protein synthesis.

Microglia contribute to the propagation of tau between brain regions in mice, by phagocytosis and release of the protein.

A top-down pathway from the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex regulates the retrieval of recent fear memories in the hippocampus.

Inhibition of GLI1 promotes the endogenous response to demyelination, including the recruitment and differentiation of neural stem cells.

Leptin promotes the activity of sympathetic neurons that directly innervate WAT and regulate local lipolysis.

Neural activity may dynamically tune the properties of a group of fast-spiking interneurons in the adult mouse cortex through a transcription-mediated mechanism.

The cortical distribution of Cajal–Retzius cells is regulated by the vesicular trafficking protein VAMP3 and contributes to the specification of higher-order cortical areas.

Parental care of offspring involves a complex array of innate behaviours and is influenced by a dopaminergic circuit within the hypothalamus that regulates circulating oxytocin levels.

A derivative of a glial membrane phospholipid has a crucial role in nociceptive-axon guidance in the spinal cord of chicks and mice.

Studies reveal a gradient in the functional properties of neurons along the transverse axis of hippocampal CA3 and their likely contribution to pattern separation and pattern completion.