Volume 18 Issue 8, August 2017

Fragments of the protein α-synuclein, which accumulates in substantia nigra neurons in Parkinson disease, are expressed on the surface of these substantia nigra neurons and induce a form of autoimmunity that could account for the degeneration of these cells in the disease.

Enterochromaffin cells in the gut epithelium act as chemosensors and can modulate neural function in response to intestinal signals.

In mice, postnatal stress leads to long-lasting changes in transcription in the ventral tegmental area, sensitizing the brain to stress later in life.

Water in the external environment is detected by acid-sensing taste receptor cells via a carbonic anhydrase 4-mediated pH change.

Disease progression in a mouse model of Alzheimer disease is associated with the appearance of a population of disease-associated microglia that can phagocytose amyloid-β.

Neurons in the 'face patch' system in macaques code features of realistic faces along various continuous axes.

The development of chronic neuropathic pain is associated with cortical hyperexcitability and a marked decrease in inhibition, particularly from cortical somatostatin-expressing interneurons.

Calcitonin gene-related peptide-expressing neurons in the external parabrachial nucleus can drive cancer-induced anorexia in mice.

Thirst is a homeostatic response to changes in fluid balance and is governed by a set of interconnected brain structures known as the lamina terminalis. In this Progress article, Knight and colleagues summarize recent updates to our understanding of the neural circuitry underlying thirst and drinking behaviour in mammals.

Sex differences in behaviour and disease vulnerability are mirrored by the cellular and molecular sexual dimorphism of the brain. McCarthy and colleagues review findings that have highlighted the roles of inflammation and epigenetics in sex-specific brain differentiation and function.

Mammals detect the nutrient content, palatability and potential toxicity of food through taste buds that are present mainly in the tongue. In this Review, Roper and Chaudhari discuss the taste bud cells, receptors and transmitters that are involved in taste detection, how these cells communicate with sensory afferent fibres, and peripheral taste coding.

Empathy is a characteristic of all mammals that ranges from being sensitive to another's emotions to adopting their perspective. In this Review, de Waal and Preston discuss current hypotheses concerning how the emotional states of others are understood in a variety of species.