Volume 21 Issue 12, December 2020

A dissociative state is caused by slow rhythmic firing of deep neurons in the retrosplenial cortex in mice or the homologous posteromedial cortex in humans

In mice, experience-dependent pauses in movement during exploration are mediated by a circuit in the amygdala.

Metabolites regulated by the microbiota of pregnant mice modulates the developing embryonic brain and influences thalamocortical axon formation and subsequent sensorimotor behaviour in adult offspring.

Viral vectors are important tools for neuroscientists. In this Review, Nectow and Nestler discuss state-of-the-art recombinant viral tools, the key principles governing their selection, development and use, and how they could answer some of the most important questions in neuroscience today.

Oligodendrocyte lineage cells have recently been shown to exhibit plasticity in response to sensory experience and learning. In this Review, Xin and Chan outline the evidence for and the possible mechanisms underlying the contribution of oligodendrocyte and myelin plasticity to memory acquisition and maintenance.

Faces represent important objects to primates. In this Review, Janis Hesse and Doris Tsao provide a comprehensive overview of the face patch system in macaques. They also argue that understanding this system may provide more general insights into high-level object representation.

Mounting evidence suggests that the gut microbiome impacts brain function, and mechanistic connections between specific microbial by-products and the brain have begun to emerge. In this Perspective, Mazmanian and colleagues discuss the assortment of microbial molecules currently thought to mediate these gut–brain connections.