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Alterations in the light–dark cycle can cause depression and learning deficits without disrupting circadian rhythms or sleep. LeGateset al. show that light exposure detected by intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cells directly influences mood.
The neurovascular mechanisms that underlie functional MRI are still unclear. Now, Goenseet al. show that positive and negative responses arise from different, layer-specific processes.
The role of GABAergic projections from the ventral tegmental area to the nucleus accumbens (NAc) in associative learning is poorly understood. Brownet al. now show that these neurons terminate on a class of interneurons only sparsely represented in the NAc and enhance associative learning by halting their tonic firing.
An optogenetic study reveals a medial prefrontal cortex–dorsal raphe nucleus pathway that specifically controls action selection in a challenging environment.
Neurotrophins are key regulators of neural circuit development and function. In this Review, Park and Poo examine the mechanisms underlying this regulation, with a specific focus on brain-derived neurotrophic factor — the most widely expressed and studied neurotrophin in the brain.
Sandoval and colleagues discuss emerging evidence for a role of the CNS in the regulation of glucose homeostasis and show that this regulation involves several neural circuits and mechanisms that also control energy balance. Disruption of these overlapping pathways may link the metabolic impairments that are associated with obesity and type 2 diabetes.
The abnormal accumulation of α-synuclein seems to have a central role in the pathophysiology of Parkinson's disease and related disorders. Masliah and colleagues review current knowledge regarding the conformational, oligomerization and aggregation states of this protein and how they influence α-synuclein function in health and disease.
Mutations inSCN9A, which encodes the voltage-gated sodium channel NaV1.7, can lead to severe neuropathic pain in humans. In this Review, Waxman and colleagues examine the mechanistic basis of NaV1.7-linked pain and explore strategies for targeting this channel in pain therapy.
In CNS neurons, the somatic membrane potential is subject to subthreshold analogue modulation. This analogue component increases the information content of action potentials and has important implications for information processing in neural networks.
In this Opinion article, Masri and Sassone-Corsi discuss the complex interconnections between circadian rhythms, metabolic processes and epigenetic regulation of gene transcription. They propose that cellular metabolic state and epigenetic mechanisms might work through the circadian clock to regulate neuronal function and influence disease states.
