Reviews & Analysis

As a dynamical disorder, epilepsy is an attractive target for computer modelling. Here, Lytton provides an overview of the different types of computer model that have been used to describe epilepsy and shows how they can provide new insights into the disorder.

There is mounting evidence that mitochondrial dysfunction is an early and causal event in neurodegeneration. Here, Bossy-Wetzel and colleagues discuss how aberrant mitochondrial fission and fusion can contribute to neurodegenerative disease.

Transgenic animal models have been instrumental for the growth of our knowledge about neurodegenerative diseases. Götz and Ittner review what we have learned from the study of mouse, fly and worm models of Alzheimer's disease and frontotemporal dementia.

The past decade has seen an increasing interest in the mechanisms by which the human brain decides what actions to take. Here, Rangel and colleagues provide a framework for the exploration of the neurobiological and computational basis of value-based decision making.

Fowler and colleagues review the pathways and neurotransmitters in the brain, the spinal cord and the peripheral nervous system that regulate the lower urinary tract, and discuss how disruption of the control of micturition leads to incontinence.

Mammals have evolved a complex set of mechanisms that maintain extracellular fluid osmolality within a narrow range to preserve cellular function. Bourque uncovers the sensory mechanisms, central pathways and peripheral responses that comprise the mammalian osmoregulatory system.

Polymorphisms in the genes that encode neuregulin 1 (NRG1) and its receptor ErbB4 have been associated with schizophrenia. Mei and Xiong review the role of NRG1 signalling in neural development and synaptic plasticity and discuss how alterations in NRG1 signalling might contribute to schizophrenia.

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.

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.

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).

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.