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In neonatal mice, low or moderate cortical activity has no effect on the developing cerebral microvasculature, but more-persistent, repetitive cortical activity can lead to detrimental changes in the cerebral microvasculature.
A study involving a mouse model of autism shows that gut microbes and gastrointestinal abnormalities influence behaviour and suggests that targeting the gut microbiome may alleviate some of the behavioural symptoms of neurodevelopmental disorders.
MicroRNA-128 is expressed in striatal dopamine D1 receptor-expressing neurons and might contribute to the neuronal hyperexcitability observed in epilepsy and motor disorders such as Parkinson's disease.
To enable the complex neural circuitry found in vertebrates, many axons undergo extensive branching. Here, Kalil and Dent review the roles of extracellular cues, intracellular signalling pathways, cytoskeletal dynamics and neuronal activity in axon branching and terminal arbor formation in the vertebrate CNS.
Itch — the sensation that induces the desire to scratch — results from activity in a subset of nociceptors, all of which also respond to painful stimuli. LaMotte and colleagues describe the studies that have begun to pinpoint the molecular transducers and neural pathways that transmit itch and the coding mechanisms that distinguish it from pain.
Cyclooxygenase 2 inhibitors could be used to prevent at least some of the unwanted side effects of the marijuana component Δ9-THC without impairing its beneficial properties.
The neurobiological basis of violence and criminal behaviour is increasingly being recognized. Glenn and Raine review recent 'neurocriminology' studies and discuss whether and how this emerging field may influence the punishment, prediction and prevention of criminal behaviour.
After nerve injury, signals from the lesion site must reach the nucleus in order to initiate the transcriptional responses required for regeneration. In this Review, Rishal and Fainzilber describe recent developments in our understanding of the molecular basis of this retrograde injury signalling system.
Two new studies reveal that parvalbumin-expressing interneurons form extensive connections with mitral cells and tufted cells in the olfactory bulb and have an important role in odour processing.
