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The mitotic spindle is crucial for cell division and might have an important role in segregating cell fate determining factors. Buchman and Tsai review studies investigating spindle regulation duringDrosophila melanogasterneuroblast mitosis and relate this to our understanding of mammalian neurogenesis.
Plasticity at central glutamatergic synapses is central to learning and memory and involves alterations in the functional properties and trafficking of synaptic AMPA receptors. The authors provide insights into AMPA receptor regulation and subsequent changes in synaptic strength.
The sensory nervous system provides an attractive model in which to study the establishment of neuronal diversity and connectivity. Beginning with neural crest cell migration, Marmigère and Ernfors discuss the molecular basis of specification, survival, axon growth and selection of termination fields.
Lipid rafts — specialized plasma membrane microdomains that are thought to regulate various signalling events — are the focus of intensive research into their roles in the nervous system. Here, Rasenick and colleagues review the evidence for their involvement in regulating neurotransmitter signalling.
Ensuring that neurons migrate to where they are needed in the brain is essential for the establishment, maintenance and modification of neural circuitry. Anton and colleagues describe how neurons migrate in the postnatal brain, specifically the adult brain.
Illes and colleagues examine trends in neuroscience discovery, scientific discourse and public reactions to the dissemination of research findings, drawing on the example of a neurogenetic disorder, autism, to investigate the interactions between these groups.
