Research articles

The authors describe the role of the primary cilium in the synaptic integration of adult-born hippocampal neurons. Preventing cilia formation in adult-born neurons causes deficits in dendritic refinement and synaptic formation.

In this study, the authors direct human iPS and ES cells to adopt cortical progenitor and, subsequently, mature projection neurons with functional synaptic connections. This protocol is able to generate both deep and upper layer neurons in proper temporal order.

Slit and NTRK-like family member (Slitrk) proteins are known to have typical peptide signatures for synaptogenic cell adhesion. This study reveals a specific function of Slitrk3 and tyrosine phosphatase receptor PTPδ transynaptic interaction in inhibitory synaptogenesis and excitatory and inhibitory balance.

Using direct recordings in monkeys, the authors find that theta-band synchronization between V4 and prefrontal cortex is likely to be important for the maintenance of short-term visual memory. These synchronizations provide a means for distant cortical areas to communicate with each other during the performance of a cognitive task.

Cortical states regulate behavior, but the network mechanisms underlying cortical states are unknown. Here the authors show that the desynchronized cortical state that occurs during active behavior is driven by an increase in thalamic firing independent of sensory input, which can be mimicked by optogenetic stimulation of the thalamus.

Using several lines of retinal cell type–specific GENSET BAC transgenic GFP mice, the authors segregated these retinal cell types then subjected them to transcriptome microarray analysis to provide a transcriptional 'barcode' of retinal cell identity.

Recording in the rat primary visual cortex, this study finds that after repeated exposure to a light spot moving along the same path, just seeing the static spot at its start position is sufficient to cause the sequence of activity associated with the movements of the spot along its path. This activity may contribute to cue-triggered recall of learned sequences.

This study shows that the interaction between metabotropic glutamate receptor 5 (mGluR5) and a specific form of the scaffolding protein Homer contributes to the behavioral and physiological defects in the mouse model of fragile X syndrome.

The authors use optical activation and cell type–specific pharmacogenetic silencing in vitro to show that dendritic inhibition critically regulates input-output transformations in mouse hippocampal CA1 pyramidal cells. Dendrite-targeting interneurons are themselves modulated by interneurons targeting pyramidal cell somata.

In this study, the authors show that Psd-95 mRNA is regulated by an alternative splicing and nonsense-mediated decay mechanism involving PTBP1 and PTBP2. The downregulation of these proteins with development allows for the expression of PSD-95 and synaptic maturation.

The authors report that a developmental increase in the 4-sulfation/6-sulfation ratio of chondroitin sulfate proteoglycans modulates the maturity of parvalbumin-expressing interneurons and leads to the termination of the critical period for ocular dominance plasticity in the mouse visual cortex.

The authors investigate the basis of the variations in the channel properties of NMDAR subtypes and report that the specificity of the Mg²⁺ block, the selective permeability to Ca²⁺ and the single-channel conductance are all primarily controlled by the residue at a single GluN2 site in the M3 transmembrane region.

Neurons in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) and parietal cortex, including the lateral intraparietal area (LIP), can represent the category membership of stimuli. Category signals in LIP were thought to result from top-down feedback from the PFC. Here the authors show that category signals in the LIP are stronger, more reliable and occur earlier than those in the PFC.

In this study, the authors show that mDia1 and mDia3 are necessary for the tangential migration of interneuron precursors, but are dispensable for radial migration. These proteins act via a Rho/ROCK-mediated pathway to regulate F-actin accumulation and nuclear translocation.

This study uses computational modeling to demonstrate how a visual number sense might emerge. The results of the model successfully predict behavior from both non-human primates and human children.

In this study, the authors show that NAB-1 acts during synaptogenesis to link the F-actin network and the active zone proteins SYD-1 and SYD-2, thereby promoting presynapse assembly in Caenorhabditis elegans.

This study uses a combination of computational modeling and magnetoencephalography to track activity while people make decisions, and finds that prefrontal and parietal cortex activity is consistent with mutual inhibition between competing options during decision-making. This activity is likely to represent a mechanism for the comparison of values while making choices.

This study demonstrates that visual crowding (the inability to identify objects in clutter) develops as a result of interactions between peripheral attention and saccade-induced image displacements. The authors suggest that this offers a much more generalized explanation for the phenomenon of visual crowding.

In a mouse model of cannabinoid tolerance, persistent activation of the eCB pathway impairs eCB-mediated long-term depression (LTD) preferentially at connections to striatopallidal neurons. This is associated with a shift in behavioral control from goal-directed action to habitual responding; both LTD and behavioral changes were rescued by modulating small-conductance Ca²⁺-activated K⁺ channels (SK channels).