Alzheimer disease (AD) is a devastating neurodegenerative disorder that eventually results in dementia. Currently, there are no disease-modifying therapies for AD and the few available symptomatic treatments are of limited benefit. Thus, there is a pressing need to better understand this disease in order to develop effective treatments and to detect the disease in individuals before they exhibit extensive brain atrophy. This article series examines our current understanding of the pathophysiology of AD and some of the approaches being used to study this disease.

Obesity and metabolic disorders are becoming increasingly prevalent in many parts of the world, and have been accompanied by rising morbidity and associated health costs. This crisis has driven increased research efforts aimed at understanding the neurophysiological systems that regulate food intake and metabolism — and how these systems can become dysfunctional. Nature Reviews Neuroscience presents a series of articles examining various aspects of this regulation in health and disease, including the potential implications for the development of therapies.

Recent years have witnessed the launch of several large-scale national and international initiatives that aim to transform our understanding of brain structure and function through collaborative research and the development and implementation of state-of-the-art neurotechnology. These projects are likely to have wide-ranging influences on all aspects of neuroscientific research, from its organization to its funding. Nature Reviews Neuroscience presents a series of Comment articles in which leading neuroscientists provide their thoughts on the issues, challenges and opportunities that these initiatives present.

Acute stress induces signalling in the brain and physiological changes that allow an individual to respond appropriately to the encountered situation or threat, whereas chronic stress can elicit detrimental, long-lasting effects on brain function. Nature Reviews Neurosciencepresents a series of articles on stress that cover topics ranging from the molecular pathways and cellular processes that are affected by stress to its effects at the behavioural level.

Although cannabis has been used for centuries as a recreational drug, the mechanisms of action of its active constituents (cannabinoids) and their endogenous counterparts (endocannabinoids) have only been discovered relatively recently. Nature Reviews Neurosciencepresents a series of articles that examine the multiplicity of roles of the endocannabinoid system in the CNS, from development to behaviour, and the potential for cannabinoid-based therapies in the treatment of a range of brain disorders.

New insights into the neural processes that underlie cognition and behaviour have led to discussions about the relevance of these discoveries for the criminal justice system. Conversely, laws can influence neuroscience, for example, with regard to psychoactive drugs and stem cell research. Nature Reviews Neurosciencepresents a series of articles that explore the interaction between neuroscience and the law.

A fundamental goal of neuroscience research is to understand how the brain's neural circuits are structurally and functionally connected. Nature Reviews Neurosciencepresents a series of articles that explore various approaches to the analysis of the structure and function of neural circuits and describe recent methodological advances that are driving research.

The profound social and economic impact of an ageing population highlights the need to understand the factors that influence cognitive health and the decline that occurs with age. Nature Reviews Neurosciencepresents a series of articles that examine the hallmarks of ageing in the brain, the mechanisms underlying brain ageing and the implications for brain function and disease susceptibility.

Recent years have witnessed an explosion of information about the nature and roles of precursor cell populations in the developing and adult CNS. Nature Reviews Neurosciencepresents a series of articles that describe recent advances in the identification of precursor cells and in our understanding of their regulation and functional roles.

Sleep is important for health and cognitive function. Nature Reviews Neurosciencepresents a series of articles that review our understanding of the genetic, cellular and systems basis of sleep. The series will also highlight advances in our understanding of the function of sleep.

The importance of interactions between neurons and glia during development and in adulthood is becoming apparent. Nature Reviews Neurosciencepresents a series of articles to highlight the diversity of these interactions and to draw attention to the sometimes controversial findings in the literature. Articles in this series will cover subjects ranging from molecular aspects of neuron–glia signalling to network interactions and their roles in development and disease.

There is a growing consensus that different types of memory are mediated by multiple distinct systems, but how these 'multiple memory systems' are organized in the brain is still a topic of debate. Nature Reviews Neurosciencepresents a series of articles that discuss recent findings and controversies regarding the neural substrates of different memory systems and their components, drawing on data from neuropsychological, cognitive, neuroimaging and animal studies.