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Upregulated bursting activity in the lateral habenula is associated with depression-like behaviours in rats and mice, and depends on NMDA receptors, T-type voltage-sensitive calcium channels and the astrocytic inwardly rectifying potassium channel KIR4.1.
Study employs DNA methylation editing to reactivateFMR1expression and reverse phenotypic deficits in cells derived from individuals with fragile X syndrome.
Axons of striatal dopaminergic neurons are shown to release dopamine in a RIM-dependent manner and with a high release probability from axonal active zone-like structures.
Neurons exhibiting synaptic upscaling or downscaling in response to decreases or increases in activity, respectively, show changes in protein expression that depend on the duration and the polarity of the change.
Coordination between peripheral signals that reflect feeding status and central regulatory mechanisms are crucial for regulating body weight. In this Review, Sandoval and colleagues discuss how and where peripherally derived signals are integrated within the CNS to modulate feeding behaviour.
The prevalence of adolescent alcohol use in some countries is high and is associated with various changes in brain function and behaviour. In this Review, Linda Spear examines the contributors to and consequences of alcohol use during adolescence, covering findings in humans and rodent models of this developmental period.
The morphology of dendrites and dendritic spines changes with development and as a result of activity-dependent plasticity mechanisms. Penzes and colleagues describe the altered dendritic structural plasticity that is associated with some neuropsychiatric disorders and consider the underlying molecular mechanisms, based on recent genetic discoveries.
Much research has shown that lactate produced by astrocytes serves as a neuronal energy substrate. In this Review, Magistretti and Allaman describe this model as well as recent evidence that lactate also modulates neuronal properties, including excitability and plasticity, thus helping to set the 'homeostatic tone' of the nervous system.
