Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain
the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in
Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles
and JavaScript.
In recent years the function of NG2-expressing cells in the developing and adult CNS has attracted the attention of many researchers. Nishiyama and colleagues discuss recent findings and the outstanding questions about these cells' lineage and contribution to CNS function.
Activated glia exert both positive and negative effects on pain processing. Milligan and Watkins review the molecular mechanisms that underlie neuron–glia interactions in this context. Manipulation of these interactions could represent a new and more efficient approach to treating chronic pain.
Facial expressions of emotion are universal, but the sensitivity with which these expressions are recognized differs between individuals. Leppänen and Nelson discuss how a network of emotional and visual processing areas develops through experience-expectant and experience-dependent mechanisms.
Hallucinations and delusions are striking features of schizophrenia that have been difficult to explain. Fletcher and Frith discuss cognitive theories of the positive symptoms of schizophrenia and describe how abnormalities in error-dependent learning could underlie both hallucinations and delusions.
The anterior insular cortex is activated by a wide range of conditions and behaviours that go beyond interoception. In a provocative Perspective, Bud Craig proposes that the anterior insula has a fundamental role in human awareness.
Brain banking has supported many important advances in neuroscience research. Kretzschmar describes the advantages and opportunities offered by brain banking and provides insight into the challenges facing brain banks in the future.
