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In mice, the endocannabinoid system inhibits glutamatergic signalling from the olfactory cortex to the main olfactory bulb after fasting, increasing the detection of food odours and, consequently, enhancing food consumption.
Olfactory receptors signal through G protein βγ subunits to silence the expression of other olfactory receptors within a single olfactory sensory neuron.
The period length of the circadian clock in the suprachiasmatic nucleus can be modulated by changes in DNA methylation induced by shortening the light–dark cycle.
Microglia are known to remove dead and dying neurons in the brain by phagocytosis. In this Progress article, Brown and Neher discuss recent evidence indicating that, in certain situations, microglia can instigate the death of viable neurons through phagocytosis, a process they term phagoptosis.
The size and the extent of gyrification of the cerebral cortex both influence brain function in mammals. In this Review, Sun and Hevner examine the mechanisms underlying cortical growth and folding, and discuss how dysfunction in these processes leads to cortical malformations.
The unfolded protein response (UPR) is a homeostatic mechanism by which cells regulate levels of misfolded proteins in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). Here, Hetz and Mollereau provide an overview of the most recent findings addressing the relevance of ER stress in the nervous system.
Synaptic transmission occurs through two main modalities — namely, chemical and electrical transmission. In this Review, Pereda discusses the complex nature of electrical transmission and explores the mounting evidence that chemical and electrical synapses functionally interact both during development and in adulthood.
Many physiological and anatomical parameters in the brain have a skewed distribution. Buzsáki and Mizuseki propose that this reflects a fundamental aspect of brain organization — namely, a network in which a minority of neurons does most of the work all of the time.