Reviews & Analysis

Our understanding of the functional roles of presynaptic glutamate receptors continues to grow. Pinheiro and Mulle capture the current state of this knowledge, describing the modes and mechanisms of action of these receptors and the evidence for their contributions to synaptic transmission.

Heekeren and colleagues review neurophysiological and neuroimaging studies of monkeys and humans making perceptual decisions, highlighting both the similarities and the differences in their decision-making processes and providing a new model for the neural architecture that underlies perceptual decision making in humans.

Early in their careers, students and postdoctoral researchers in neuroscience have to make important decisions that might have long-lasting consequences for their success as researchers. In this Viewpoint, four high-profile neuroscientists provide their thoughts on some of the issues they might want to consider.

The intrinsic properties of a neuron profoundly influence neuronal function and are governed by the ion channels found in different neuronal compartments. Here, Beck and Yaari discuss the mechanisms underlying the plasticity of these properties in various CNS disorders.

Actin filaments are the major cytoskeletal elements at the pre- and postsynaptic terminals. Cingolani and Goda discuss how the organization and dynamics of actin filaments are central to the coordination of synapse structure and function.

Synaptic plasticity is central to learning mechanisms, but what keeps the plasticity in check? Abraham reviews our current understanding of the mechanisms of metaplasticity — the plasticity of synaptic plasticity — and considers its importance for nervous system function and disease.

GABA_A receptors mediate most inhibitory synaptic transmission, and their assembly and trafficking in neurons is tightly regulated. Moss and colleagues review our current knowledge about the molecular mechanisms that regulate GABA_Areceptor trafficking and their contribution to neuronal function.

The molecular targets of anaesthetics and the neuronal mechanisms through which they induce reversible loss of consciousness have been long-standing mysteries. This Review discusses the most important anaesthetic targets and the implications of the latest imaging studies, which show that there are striking similarities between anaesthetic-induced loss of consciousness and deep sleep.

New technologies promise to decipher whole-brain connectivity at a much greater resolution than ever before. Here, Lichtman, Livet and Sanes, the creators of Brainbow, critically assess the applications and challenges of this technology and those of other existing and emerging technologies.

Social behaviour changes dramatically during adolescence. Sarah-Jayne Blakemore reviews the recent evidence of structural and functional alterations in areas of the social brain during this period and discusses how these changes might contribute to the development of social behaviour in adolescents. An interview with Sarah-Jayne Blakemore is available for download from theNeuropodpodcast (April 2008).

In recent years the role of the cerebellum in the control of non-motor functions has been acknowledged. Here, Ito elaborates on his hypothesis of internal-model control of mental functions and describes recent findings that provide supporting evidence for the theory.

Many animal species have the ability to discriminate different numerical quantities. Daniel Ansari reviews the neurobiology of basic number processing and discusses how, in humans, systems of basic numerical-magnitude processing and representation are changed through development, learning and culture.

Multisensory integration allows information from multiple senses to be combined, with benefits for nervous-system processing. Stein and Stanford discuss the principles of multisensory integration in single neurons in the CNS and consider the questions that the field must address.

Noise contributes significantly to neuronal and behavioural trial-to-trial variability. Faisal and colleagues discuss the sources and effects of noise in the nervous system as well as the principles used to counter its detrimental effects.

The unique dendritic morphology of pyramidal neurons is likely to have an impact on their function. Spruston discusses how the properties of these neurons' distinct dendritic domains might contribute to their integration of synaptic inputs.

There are many parallels in the mechanisms that underlie the development and function of the vascular and nervous systems. Carmeliet and colleagues describe molecules that have activity on both neural and vascular cells and highlight their roles in neurodegenerative disease.

Advances in cellular imaging have been crucial for improving our understanding of many aspects of neuroscience. Kerr and Denk describe how sophisticated optical imaging techniques allow us to image activity in single neurons or neuron populations in living animals.

Bird and Burgess review the hippocampus's role in memory in light of a model of neuronal processing in which hippocampal activity constrains neocortical information to be perceivable from a single location. This enables spatially coherent mental imagery, explaining several recent findings and theoretical conflicts.

Dystonia is characterized by involuntary movements and postures. Breakefield and colleagues provide insight into the underlying neuronal dysfunction through a comprehensive review of the genes that are responsible for primary dystonias, animal models of dystonia and brain imaging of dystonia patients.

Many human neurological traits are linked to variations in the gene that encodes the serotonin transporter. Murphy and Lesch describe the phenotypes of mice with altered serotonin-transporter function, emphasizing how this might inform our understanding of the transporter's roles in humans.