Brainstem articles within Nature Communications

Featured

• Article
  06 July 2021 | Open Access

  Ramp-to-threshold dynamics in a hindbrain population controls the timing of spontaneous saccades

  The neural mechanisms by which the brain initiates self-generated actions are unclear. The authors show, using population imaging and single-cell ablation, that ramp-to-threshold firing dynamics over multiple seconds is critical for the initiation of self-generated eye movements.

  • Alexandro D. Ramirez
  •  & Emre R. F. Aksay

• Article
  20 July 2018 | Open Access

  Spatial frequency sensitivity in macaque midbrain

  In primates, the superior colliculus (SC) contributes to rapid visual exploration with saccades. Here the authors show that the superior colliculus preferentially represents low spatial frequencies, which are the most prevalent in natural scenes.

  • Chih-Yang Chen
  • , Lukas Sonnenberg
  •  & Ziad M. Hafed

• Article
  25 February 2016 | Open Access

  Calcium imaging of sleep–wake related neuronal activity in the dorsal pons

  Dreaming occurs in REM sleep, yet the neural mechanisms involved in generating it are not understood. Here Cox and colleagues show that glutamatergic neurons in the dorsal pons are activated most during transition to REM sleep while GABAergic neurons are more active during waking state.

  • Julia Cox
  • , Lucas Pinto
  •  & Yang Dan

• Article
  28 January 2016 | Open Access

  Serotonin neurons in the dorsal raphe nucleus encode reward signals

  How neurons in the dorsal raphe nucleus (DRN) respond to reward related behaviours is not known. Here, Li and colleagues report that DRN serotoninergic neurons are phasically activated by rewards such as sex, food and sucrose, and tonically activated during reward anticipation, while GABAergic neurons respond to punishment.

  • Yi Li
  • , Weixin Zhong
  •  & Minmin Luo