Reviews & Analysis

Two studies now show that epigenetic regulation of gene transcription by histone deacetylases (HDACs) 1 and 2 regulates Schwann cell myelination through activation of a cascade of myelin gene expression. Deletion of HDAC1 and HDAC2 in Schwann cells disrupts interactions with axons, blocks myelination and leads to Schwann cell death.

A new study connects dietary polyunsaturated fatty acid intake to endocannabinoid-mediated neuronal function. Animals with specific fatty acid depletion show deficits in endocannabinoid-mediated synaptic depression and altered emotional behaviors.

A new optogenetics study finds that stimulation of pro-opiomelanocortin (POMC) and agouti-related peptide (AGRP) neurons acutely regulates feeding behavior. AGRP-induced hyperphagia is independent of melanocortin signaling.

A new study finds that memory reactivation during slow-wave sleep following learning can stabilize memories. Reactivation during wakefulness has the opposite effect, rendering memories labile and susceptible to modest modification.

A study shows that NR3A–containing presynaptic NMDA receptors regulate glutamate release, and that a switch in subunit composition underlies the developmental loss of spike timing–dependent LTD at cortical synapses.

Although symptoms and onsets of neuropsychiatric/neurodegenerative diseases may differ markedly, there is evidence that these diseases may share common cellular manifestation(s), particularly at the level of dendritic spines. Using autism spectrum disorder, schizophrenia and Alzheimer's disease as example neurological diseases that affect different stages of life, this review discusses recent evidence suggesting common defects in synaptic spines that may be underlie common pathogenesis.

The immediate early gene product Arc has been broadly implicated in synaptic and experience-dependent plasticity. In this perspective, the authors synthesize disparate views of Arc in molecular signaling and its relevance to neurological disorders.

Hunger makes Drosophila larvae move faster to find food. A new study suggests the underlying functional and structural plasticity, showing that hunger increases release of octopamine and branching of motor neurons.

Demonstrating the common mechanism of proteasome-dependent degradation of ion channels, two studies in this issue of Nature Neuroscience show that ubiquitin-dependent protein degradation can modulate neuronal excitability.

Our perception of the visual world is stable despite saccade-caused retinal input shifts. A new behavioral study shows that this stability may be achieved by predictively remapping attention before eye movements begin.

A new study shows that even under normal conditions repetitive spiking in some cortical interneurons can trigger spontaneous spiking that originates from distal axons and lasts for tens of seconds.

A study now reveals that ON and OFF thalamic inputs to visual cortex are partially segregated in space and predict the preferred orientation of neurons of the target cortical column. This finding brings us a step closer to a full understanding of the origin of simple cells and orientation maps in primary visual cortex.

Parietal cortex has been implicated as a locus for decision making, and it has been suggested that decision encoding in this area is based on the movement used to report the decision. Here the authors discuss a complementary view that decisions represent more abstract information not linked to movements per se.

Progress in neural recording techniques has allowed the number of simultaneously recorded neurons to double approximately every 7 years, mimicking Moore's law. Emerging data analysis techniques should consider both the computational costs and the potential for more accurate models associated with this exponential growth of the number of recorded neurons.

Experimental work suggests that synaptic and intrinsic neuronal properties vary considerably across identified neurons in different animals. The authors propose that instead of building a single model that captures the average behavior of a neuron or circuit, one could construct a population of models with different underlying structure and similar behaviors, as a way of investigating compensatory mechanisms that contribute to neuron and network function.

Replay is the sequential reactivation of hippocampal place cells that represent previously experienced behavioral trajectories. Although first studied during sleep, recent work suggests that replay occurs frequently in the awake state and could be a potential substrate for memory consolidation and retrieval.

Reinforcement learning models have provided insight into the functions of dopamine and cortico-basal ganglia-thalamo-cortical circuits. Here the authors review the literature suggesting that these models can also be applied to improving our understanding of dysfunction in this system, particularly in the context of disease.