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Chemical communication between axons and their myelin sheath is an emerging concept in neurobiology. In this review, Stys and colleagues discuss how this 'axo-myelinic synapse' may play a role in metabolic control of the myelinating unit, modulate myelin dynamics and be a future therapeutic target.
Volitional motor control involves not only the initiation of desired movements but also the suppression of undesired movements. In this Opinion article, Ebbesen and Brecht argue that motor cortex neurons have a role in both aspects of motor control.
Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) is emerging as a potential broad-spectrum therapy for addiction. In this Opinion article, Diana and colleagues discuss the neural foundations of TMS and discuss possible mechanisms underlying the beneficial effects observed in people with addictions.
The idea that specialized cognitive processes or brain regions are devoted to particular cognitive functions — known as domain specificity — remains an area of substantial debate. Adolphs and Spunt outline the challenges in defining and assessing domain specificity and use social neuroscience findings to suggest a new approach.
Recent evidence suggests that T cells and their derived cytokines affect the brain in disease and health. In this Opinion article, Kipnis and colleagues describe their effects and possible underlying mechanisms, and propose an evolutionary model to explain why the T cell-derived cytokine interferon-γ has both pro-social and immune effects.
There is little agreement on the definition of emotions or the neural mechanisms by which they are realized. Bach and Dayan here use decision theory to shed light on the nature and implementation of the algorithms that underlie emotion-related behaviours.
Recent human neuroimaging studies suggest that, in addition to its role in visuospatial and sensorimotor processes, the posterior parietal cortex (PPC) also plays an important part in episodic memory retrieval. Here, Sestieri, Shulman and Corbetta present a functional–anatomical model of the involvement of the PPC in memory retrieval.
In this Opinion article, Hunt and Hayden highlight that many of the models for reward-based choice are based on distinct component processes that occur in series and are functionally localized. They argue that, instead, such choice emerges from repeated computations that are undertaken in many brain areas.
