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Using a behaviorally obtained reference point to compute social value, Ma et al. show that social-value distance is encoded by the amygdala in prosocials. Oxytocin amplifies this amygdala representation and increases prosociality in individualists.
The connectivity of a cortical region is instrumental to its function. The authors generated brain-wide maps of the afferent input to four distinct cell types in the mPFC to reveal the structural architecture that underlies the mPFC’s functions.
A peroxidase-based labeling method allows simultaneous visualization of multiple cell types using electron microscopy without the need for spectral separation, enabling identification of synapses between genetically defined neuronal populations.
A modified brain-organoid culture generates extensive axon outgrowth with specific tract-like patterns. Organoid tracts connect neurons across distant sites and can innervate and stimulate co-cultured mouse spinal cord tissue to elicit muscle contractions.
Park et al. demonstrate in vivo the efficacy of Cas9 nanocomplexes as therapeutic agents in mouse models of Alzheimer’s disease. This strategy may be applicable to the treatment of a broad range of neurological diseases.
The lateral hypothalamic area (LHA) regulates fundamental aspects of innate behavior. However, the circuit-level underpinnings of LHA function are poorly understood given its cellular heterogeneity. Here, Mickelsen et al. employ a single-cell RNA-sequencing approach to classify molecularly distinct cell types in the mouse LHA.
Apical tuft dendrites of pyramidal neurons in retrosplenial cortex receive inhibition from a class of CA1 GABAergic neurons with long-range layer 1-targeting axons; this inhibition opposes matrix-type thalamocortical excitation from anterior thalamus.
Clancy et al. investigated the relationship between individual neuron activity and cortex-wide dynamics. Neurons were diversely coupled to distal areas, and locomotion affected how neurons in different areas coupled with distal activity.
Animals must determine quickly whether any given environmental stimuli are beneficial or detrimental. This work reveals a novel strategy to encode opposing valences by a single population of CRF neurons in the hypothalamus.
A simple behavioral task identifies two qualitatively different groups within the general population, according to their speech-to-speech synchronization abilities. Group pertinence predicts brain function and anatomy, as well as word-learning performance.
Causal manipulations combined with simultaneous recordings of both interneurons and medium spiny neurons in the striatum reveal dissociable contributions of cholinergic and parvalbumin interneurons in movement initiation and termination.
Miller et al. show that subpopulations of D1 receptor-expressing neurons in the medial amygdala modulate approach–avoidance responses to threats through inhibitory and excitatory projections to the extended amygdala and hypothalamus, respectively.
The cellular origin of glioblastoma is controversial. Alcantara Llaguno et al. examine the tumor-initiating capacity of adult neuronal cells and find that increasing lineage commitment is accompanied by decreasing susceptibility to transformation.
Li et al. have discovered a necessary role for the DNA modification N6-methyldeoxyadenosine (m6dA) in regulating experience-dependent gene expression and the formation of fear extinction memory. These findings expand the scope of DNA modifications in the adult brain.
The authors report that mitophagy is impaired in Alzheimer’s disease. Stimulation of mitophagy reverses cognitive deficits in nematode and mouse models of Alzheimer’s disease, suggesting a potential therapeutic intervention.
Shen et al. show that FMRP promotes mitochondrial fusion through HTT. FMRP loss caused fragmented mitochondria and oxidative stress in immature neurons, and enhancing mitochondrial fusion rescued neuronal and behavioral deficits in Fmr1-mutant mice.
Weiler et al demonstrate that the fastest spinal feedback pathway can integrate information from the elbow and wrist, and take into account the arm’s orientation to produce corrective responses that help to maintain the hand’s position in space.
The authors found that white blood cells plug about 2% of capillaries in the brains of Alzheimer’s disease mouse models. When the adhesion of these cells was blocked, cerebral blood flow immediately increased and cognitive performance rapidly improved.
An interaction between UTX and 53BP1, which occurs in humans but not mice, promotes neurogenic gene expression that underlies neuronal differentiation and cortical development, perhaps providing insight into human-specific neurodevelopment.
van Ede et al. show that both sensory qualities and motor responses associated with information held in mind are accessed simultaneously to guide behavior. The findings help bridge the fields of visual working memory and action planning.