Epigenetics and plasticity articles from across Nature Portfolio

FACS-based sorting of regenerating retinal ganglion cells, following optic nerve transection in the rat, reveals a regulatory role of Na + /K + -ATPase in axon regeneration that is mediated by DNA methylation.

A new study shows that brain-resident parenchymal border macrophages (PBMs) maintain perivascular extracellular matrix composition by the release of matrix metalloproteinases. Depletion of PBMs suppressed glymphatic fluid transport, underscoring their responsibility for perivascular space homeostasis and brain protein clearance.

Early nicotine exposure during brain development may cause long-lasting neurobiological and behavioral alterations in adulthood. Jung et al. present insights into the mechanisms mediating these developmental changes.

Chronic cocaine exposure induces long-lasting, transcription-dependent changes in neuronal function. A genome-wide sequencing study shows how cocaine changes the epigenome to exert specific, long-lasting effects on neuronal transcription.