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New oligodendrocytes that are derived from oligodendrocyte-precursor cells and express myelin regulatory factor are important for the learning of novel motor skills.
During memory retrieval the hippocampus is required for the reactivation of cortical activity patterns that occurred during encoding, but artificial reactivation of the cortical representation of a memory alone is sufficient to drive recall.
Polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) and their biologically active derivatives regulate many processes in the brain, including neurotransmission, cell survival and inflammation. Bazinet and Layé review PUFA metabolism and functions in the brain and discuss the potential for PUFA supplementation in psychiatric and neurodegenerative disorders.
Endocannabinoids are involved in regulating neural progenitor cell proliferation, as well as neuronal and glial differentiation. In this Review, Maccarrone, Harkany and colleagues discuss mechanisms of endocannabinoid signalling, the action of plant cannabinoids in the foetal brain, and their exploitation to modulate diseases associated with defective cell cycle control, particularly cancer.
Suicide is one of the leading causes of death for people of all ages in the developed world and is associated with various risk factors. Here, Gustavo Turecki reviews the molecular processes that may predispose individuals to suicide, mediate suicidal ideation and behaviour, and trigger suicidal events.
Myths about the brain — neuromyths — have established themselves among teachers worldwide, often contributing to poor practice. Paul Howard-Jones shows how fact became distorted into popular neuromyth by biases and cultural conditions that largely remain, threatening current attempts at authentic dialogue between neuroscience and education.
In this Science and Society article, Tracey and Flower examine how insights and techniques from neuroscience have been and might be used by the military. They also highlight some of the ethical issues raised by the use of neuroscientific knowledge in this context.
