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The sensitivity, frequency resolution and dynamic range of hearing depend upon the cochlear active process, a mechanical-amplification system within the cochlea. In this Review, Hudspeth summarizes evidence that these features result from the operation of hair cells near a dynamical instability, the Hopf bifurcation.
The ability of sensory neurons to sense temperature is dependent on thermosensitive ion channels. In this Review, Voets and colleagues examine the ion channels — notably, the transient receptor potential cation channels — that have been implicated in the detection of temperature in mammals.
Superior colliculus neurons develop the ability to integrate information from different senses postnatally based on experience with cross-modal events. In this Review, Steinet al. discuss how this experience-dependent process ensures that this multisensory circuit and the behaviours it mediates are adapted to the environment in which they will operate.
Retinal bipolar cells provide the link between photoreceptors and retinal ganglion cells, the output neurons of the eye. In this Review, Euler and colleagues explore the features of retinal bipolar cells and examine how they shape the visual signal.
Retrotransposons — endogenous DNA sequences that can change their position within the genome — have been found to be active in neurons. Here, Gage and colleagues describe the regulation of retrotransposition in the nervous system and consider its functions in neuronal development, evolution and disease.
Do social decisions and material decisions involve the same neural circuits and computations? In this article, Ruff and Fehr review the social decision-making literature and propose a theoretical framework that may help to address this question.
The ventral temporal cortex (VTC) rapidly and flexibly categorizes visual stimuli. In this Review, Grill-Spector and Weiner discuss how the structural features of the VTC support the computations that are necessary to achieve this categorization.
Malignant gliomas are notoriously difficult cancers to treat. The majority of current therapeutics target the traditional oncological traits of glioma cells. In this Review, Cuddapahet al. explore the unique biology of glioma cells and propose novel, brain-specific therapeutic targets.
Environmental noise is thought to have a negligible influence on the auditory system, but recent data casts doubt on this assumption. In this Opinion article, Gourévitch and colleagues provide their view on how long-term exposure to environmental noise alters the way sound is represented in the adult brain.
Nervous systems recreate properties of the environment in activity patterns referred to as neural representations. In this Review, Moser and colleagues examine how grid cells in the medial entorhinal cortex contribute to the neural representation of external space.
Alterations in normal patterns of exposure to light disrupt circadian rhythms and sleep, and have a profound effect on health and mood. Hattar and colleagues describe the role of intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cells in mediating the direct and indirect effects of light on mood and cognition.
Müller glia in the fish retina respond to injury by reprogramming to a stem-cell-like state that enables them to regenerate all of the major retinal cell types. Goldman reviews our current understanding of the mechanisms that regulate this regenerative response and considers how this knowledge might be applied to improve repair in the mammalian retina.
Obsessive–compulsive disorder has been scrutinized in many genetic, neuropsychological and neuroimaging studies. Pauls and colleagues provide an overview of our current understanding of the vulnerability factors, triggers and mechanisms underlying this devastating condition.
The auditory system is finely tuned to the unique statistical structure of natural sounds. In this Review, Theunissen and Elie discuss how specific neurons found at the higher levels of the auditory system respond selectively to perceptually salient sounds such as vocalizations used in communication.
Cortical spreading depressions and spreading depolarizations are associated with migraines and stroke, respectively. In this Review, Pietrobon and Moskowitz discuss recent data that provide insight into the mechanisms underlying the initiation and propagation of cortical spreading depressions and spreading depolarizations, and highlight the therapeutic potential of pharmacological targeting of these mechanisms.
The energy homeostasis system maintains stability of body fat stores over time but can be overridden by activation of feeding neurocircuits during emergent or stressful conditions. In this Review, Schwartz and colleagues highlight crosstalk between homeostatic and emergency feeding circuits in the regulation of energy balance.
Recent work has identified novel modifiers of axon degeneration following injury, known as Wallerian degeneration, and new examples of convergence between this mechanism and axon degeneration occurring in some neurodegenerative diseases. Coleman and colleagues outline our current understanding of the Wallerian degeneration pathway and consider its links to disease mechanisms.
Bilingualism has attracted attention for its reported effects on linguistic and cognitive abilities. In this Opinion article, Costa and Sebastián-Gallés provide their view on how learning and speaking two languages affects language acquisition and processing as well as executive control processes.
The role of astrocytic Ca2+ signalling in synaptic function remains elusive. In this Opinion article, Volterra and colleagues discuss how recent data reveal an unexpected complexity of Ca2+dynamics in astrocytes, which both challenges current thinking and suggests a new conceptual and experimental framework to address astrocyte function.
JUN amino-terminal kinases (JNKs) regulate various processes in neurodevelopment and the adult brain. In this Review, Coffey examines the neuronal functions of JNKs and the therapeutic potential of targeting these kinases in various diseases of the nervous system.
