Featured
-
-
Letter |
Regulation of parkinsonian motor behaviours by optogenetic control of basal ganglia circuitry
It has long been thought that motor control is achieved through the balanced activity of two distinct pathways through the basal ganglia that have opposing effects, but this has never been functionally verified. These authors directly test this hypothesis with optogenetic activation of different populations of mouse striatal neurons, and not only trace functional connectivity but demonstrate opposing effects on motor behaviour in a parkinsonian model.
- Alexxai V. Kravitz
- , Benjamin S. Freeze
- & Anatol C. Kreitzer
-
Research Highlights |
Neuroscience: Drug shrinks brain
-
News |
No gain from brain training
Computerized mental workouts don't boost mental skills, study claims.
- Alla Katsnelson
-
Letter |
Learning-related fine-scale specificity imaged in motor cortex circuits of behaving mice
It is generally accepted that specific neuronal circuits in the brain's cortex drive behavioural execution, but the relationship between the performance of a task and the function of a circuit is unknown. Here, this problem was tackled by using a technique that allows many neurons within the same circuit to be monitored simultaneously. The findings indicate that enhanced correlated activity in specific ensembles of neurons can identify and encode specific behavioural responses while a task is learned.
- Takaki Komiyama
- , Takashi R. Sato
- & Karel Svoboda
-
-
News |
Robotic roach creates order from chaos
Chaos theory eases the path of autonomous robots.
- Zeeya Merali
'Marilyn Monroe' neuron aids mind control