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Although neuroscientists focus on only very few animal species today, there are many important reasons to take advantage of model system diversity and embrace (anew) a comparative approach in modern brain research. Recent technological advances make this increasingly possible.
The human motor cortex is selectively vulnerable in numerous neurodegenerative diseases. In this Review, McColgan et al. integrate layer-specific physiology with pathobiology in the motor cortex, thereby generating hypotheses that can be tested in humans using ultra-high-resolution neuroimaging techniques.
The homeostatic CNS environment is maintained by the function of the blood–blood barrier and neurovascular coupling. Kaplan, Chow and Gu describe how neural and vascular activity act on one another with regard to the blood–blood barrier and neurovascular coupling.
Ageing is the main risk factor for Alzheimer disease (AD), but the mechanisms connecting ageing to this disease remain incompletely understood. In this Review, Saez-Atienzar and Masliah examine whether cellular senescence may have a role in linking ageing and AD.
