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In addition to the central pacemaker, the mammalian brain contains additional circadian clocks. In this Review, Greco and Sassone–Corsi discuss how systemic homeostasis relies on the coordinated communication between these clocks.
Narcolepsy is a sleep disorder caused by selective loss of orexin-producing neurons. Scammell and colleagues describe the functions of orexin neurons and the effects of their loss and review evidence implicating the immune system in the pathogenesis of the disorder.
Maladaptive modulation of learning, memory and affect by opioids is linked to dysfunctional neurogenesis. In this Review, Kibaly and colleagues discuss this link and how strategies that target neurogenesis to rescue opioid-dependent learning, memory and affect impairments constitute future directions for anti-addiction therapies.
Necroptosis is a form of cell death mediated by receptor-interacting protein kinase 1 (RIPK1), and is observed in several CNS disorders. Here, Yuan, Amin and Ofengeim give an overview of necroptosis in the CNS and explain its relationship with inflammation in CNS disorders.
Neural stem and progenitor cells can be regulated through mitochondrial signalling mechanisms and this has major implications in physiological and pathological conditions. In this Review, Khacho and colleagues discuss how mitochondria can serve as signalling organelles that modify the fate of stem cells in the brain.
Many neurobiological processes are regulated on a circadian basis. Circadian rhythms change during development, into adulthood and with ageing, when certain disorders typically emerge. Here, Logan and McClung give an overview of the relationship between the circadian system and brain disorders across various life stages.
Nonsense-mediated RNA decay — a highly selective and conserved RNA turnover pathway — is shown to have roles in both brain development and function. In this Review, Jaffrey and Wilkinson discuss how this pathway affects the nervous system.
Astrocytes display widespread functional diversity that translates into distinct regulation of synaptic circuits. In this Review, Dallérac and colleagues discuss the determinants of these divergent regulations throughout life focusing on astroglial intrinsic heterogeneity, developmental changes and activity-dependent processes.
Animals may adopt an active-sampling strategy to assess their environment. In this Review, Jacqueline Gottlieb and Pierre-Yves Oudeyer explore the emerging neuroscientific literature examining active sampling and how it relates to attention and curiosity.
Sharp wave–ripples (SWRs) are specific neural activity patterns in the hippocampus that are thought to support memory. In this Review, Hannah Joo and Loren Frank explore where and when SWRs are generated and propose a revised view of the role of these activity patterns in memory functions.
Traditionally, the CNS is described to have immune privilege, largely because of its immunological barriers. Here, Forrester, McMenamin and Dando describe how this immune privilege may sometimes not be beneficial, as it enables invading pathogens to exist as latent CNS infections.
Recent research advances have yielded fresh insights into the fundamental neural processes underlying pair bonding. In this Review, Walum and Young discuss how neural representations of a partner become inherently rewarding, providing intriguing insights into the neural origins of love.
The brain can be parcellated into areas or networks with different structural or functional properties. Eickhoff, Yeo and Genon describe various imaging-based strategies to parcellate the human brain, including those based on local properties, such as cytoarchitecture, and global properties, such as connectivity.
Various techniques can be used to image aspects of the pathophysiology of Alzheimer disease in humans, notably protein deposition and neurodegeneration. In this Review, William Jagust discusses how human neuroimaging studies have shaped our understanding of this disease.
Technological advances have allowed the molecular ‘signatures’ of microglia to be characterized, providing insight into their roles in CNS function. Weiner and Butovsky discuss the plasticity of these signatures in health and disease and consider the mechanisms underlying their establishment, maintenance and regulation.
Inflammasomes are pro-inflammatory protein complexes that become activated in a range of neurodegenerative conditions. In this review, Heneka and colleagues discuss recent findings that provide fresh insights on the role of inflammasomes across cell types and disease states in the brain.
Rodent models are extensively used to investigate the pathophysiology of Alzheimer disease. In this Review, Götz, Bodea and Goedert critically examine the approaches that have been adopted to generate rodent Alzheimer disease models and touch on some of the lessons that have been learned from their use.
Cognitive impairment is a key feature of multiple sclerosis (MS). Di Filippo and colleagues provide an overview of the cognitive domains and brain regions that are affected in MS, with a focus on potential hippocampal mechanisms underlying learning and memory deficits in this disease.
The planning and execution of goal-directed actions require numerous decisions to be made, from action selection to the continuous refinement of movement plans. Here, Gallivan et al. discuss these sensorimotor decision-making processes and their interactions with mechanisms of action planning and control.
Advanced techniques for the imaging and manipulation of neural circuits are increasingly being used to advance our understanding of psychiatric disorders. Ressler and colleagues describe our current understanding of the circuit dysfunction that underlies the symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder.