Diseases of the nervous system articles from across Nature Portfolio

We show that genetic disruption of TFEB- and vacuolar ATPase-mediated lysosomal signaling leads to increased tau pathology and defective microglia activation. Our findings demonstrate an essential role of the lysosome in regulating microglia activity in tauopathy and Alzheimer’s disease.

Stress is an important risk factor for neuropsychiatric disorders such as major depression, but the underlying biological mechanisms remain largely unclear. A recent study has revealed a mechanism that regulates neuronal metabolism and mitochondrial function, and thereby drives stress susceptibility and disease outcomes.

Epidural electrical stimulation of the spinal cord alleviated freezing-of-gait and other postural impairments in a patient with Parkinson’s disease, potentially addressing an unmet need and offering an exciting new avenue for therapy.

Ketamine produces rapid antidepressant effects, but the mechanism involved is not fully understood. Here the authors show that ketamine enhances glutamatergic neurotransmission and produces rapid antidepressant-like effects though recruitment of TARP-γ8 at the postsynaptic sites in the ventral hippocampus of stressed male mice.

The associations between sleep, depression and brain activity are not well understood. Here, the authors show patterns of brain activity associated with insomnia and depression resemble those found in people who sleep less, but only under cognitive load. At rest, these activation patterns are hyperconnected and resemble those found in longer sleepers.

Enhanced variability is a hallmark of atypical sensory processing in autism. Here, focusing on variability of neocortical tactile responses in mice, the authors explore the role of endogenous noise sources in neural processing in a model of autism.

In mice, localized mutant APP expression in the CA3 hippocampal region leads to progressive network dysfunction and hippocampus-dependent memory deficits.

We show that genetic disruption of TFEB- and vacuolar ATPase-mediated lysosomal signaling leads to increased tau pathology and defective microglia activation. Our findings demonstrate an essential role of the lysosome in regulating microglia activity in tauopathy and Alzheimer’s disease.

Stress is an important risk factor for neuropsychiatric disorders such as major depression, but the underlying biological mechanisms remain largely unclear. A recent study has revealed a mechanism that regulates neuronal metabolism and mitochondrial function, and thereby drives stress susceptibility and disease outcomes.

Epidural electrical stimulation of the spinal cord alleviated freezing-of-gait and other postural impairments in a patient with Parkinson’s disease, potentially addressing an unmet need and offering an exciting new avenue for therapy.