Volume 7 Issue 1, January 2006

The developmental origin of oligodendrocytes has been a contentious issue for years. Richardson and colleagues review the complexity of the debate, and show that oligodendrocyte development results from competition among precursors from dorsal and ventral parts of the ventricular zone.

Cochlear hair cells detect sound vibrations and generate force to enhance auditory sensitivity and frequency selectivity. Fettiplace and Hackney describe proteins involved in the sensory and motor functions of outer hair cells, presenting evidence for two types of force production.

A decline in learning, memory and executive functions frequently occurs with advanced age. Barnes and Burke evaluate recent progress in our understanding of subtle changes affecting plasticity in medial temporal and prefrontal regions that contribute to age-related cognitive decline.

Abbott, Rönnbäck and Hansson describe interactions between brain endothelial cells, astrocytes and neurons that regulate blood–brain barrier function, and consider how disturbances of these interactions could be minimized or prevented in various pathological conditions.

LaBar and Cabeza review the powerful effects of emotion on memory. These influences are mediated by the amygdala and its interactions with medial temporal and prefrontal regions, and affect memory from the encoding and consolidation stages through to long-term retrieval.

Nanotechnology holds great promises in all scientific disciplines. Silva discusses the basic concepts of nanotechnology, its current applications in basic and clinical neuroscience, and the conceptual and technical challenges it faces in tackling the complexities of the nervous system.

There has been considerable speculation about the possibilities of exploiting neural stem cells as delivery vehicles in gene therapy. Müller, Snyder and Loring discuss the potential applications of this approach and obstacles to the clinical development of such strategies.