Neuroscience articles within Nature Communications

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  • Article
    | Open Access

    Detailed analysis of an animal’s posture and gait can provide a rich resource for behavioural studies. Kain et al. apply the technology of real-time motion capture to Drosophila, allowing automatic classification of the behaviours of flies spontaneously roaming on a tracker ball.

    • Jamey Kain
    • , Chris Stokes
    •  & Benjamin de Bivort

  • Article |

    Recent studies suggest that there is an overlap between neuronal apoptosis and axon-specific degeneration. Cusack and colleagues show that the caspase-dependent pathways mediating axon degeneration during apoptosis are distinct from those mediating localized axon pruning.

    • Corey L. Cusack
    • , Vijay Swahari
    •  & Mohanish Deshmukh

  • Article |

    Clusterin is widely distributed in tissues and body fluids, and is implicated in various physiological processes. In this study the authors investigate the role of hypothalamic clusterin, and find that clusterin regulates energy metabolism and body weight through the lipoprotein receptor LRP2.

    • So Young Gil
    • , Byung-Soo Youn
    •  & Min-Seon Kim

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The protein spinster is implicated in Drosophilacourtship behaviour. Sakurai and colleagues identify two clusters of spinster-expressing interneurons, and show that these cells are required for female receptivity to male advances.

    • Akira Sakurai
    • , Masayuki Koganezawa
    •  & Daisuke Yamamoto

  • Article |

    Outer hair cell electromotility contributes to the cochlear amplifier during hearing. Here the authors find that targeted-deletion of the gap junction protein connexin 26 results in reduced electromotility of outer hair cells, reduced cochlear amplification and hearing loss in mice.

    • Yan Zhu
    • , Chun Liang
    •  & Hong-Bo Zhao

  • Article |

    Early neural development is regulated by the neurotransmitter GABA acting through ionotropic GABAA receptors; however, the function of metabotropic GABAB receptors in this context is less clear. Here the authors show that GABABreceptors promote neuronal migration and maturation by activating cAMP signalling.

    • Guillaume Bony
    • , Joanna Szczurkowska
    •  & Laura Cancedda

  • Article |

    The brains of rock- and sand-dwelling Lake Malawi cichlid fishes differ in telencephalon partitioning. Sylvester et al. show that these differences can be attributed to divergence in Hedgehog and Wingless signalling during development.

    • J B. Sylvester
    • , C A. Rich
    •  & J T. Streelman

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Mutations of the SOD1gene are implicated in neurodegenerative diseases such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Wright and colleagues find that SOD1 aggregation in cells is arrested by compounds that bind at the core of SOD1 aggregates, rather than at the dimer interface site.

    • Gareth S.A. Wright
    • , Svetlana V. Antonyuk
    •  & S Samar Hasnain

  • Article |

    Electrophysiological studies in some fish species suggest that proprioception is needed for fin movement. Here the authors test mechanosensory abilities of afferent nerves in pectoral fin rays, and find that the activity of fin ray nerve fibres reflects the amplitude and velocity of fin ray bending.

    • Richard Williams IV
    • , Nicole Neubarth
    •  & Melina E. Hale

  • Article |

    Alcohols and anaesthetics exert their effects by potentiating ligand-gated ion channels. Here, the authors determine crystal structures of a bacterial ligand-gated ion channel in the presence of alcohols and anaesthetics, and describe a structural mechanism for stabilization of the open form of the channel.

    • Ludovic Sauguet
    • , Rebecca J. Howard
    •  & Marc Delarue

  • Article |

    It is generally accepted that women possess innate behavioural predispositions to assess their babies’ cries. Gustaffson and colleagues compare mothers’ and fathers’ abilities to identify their babies’ cries, and find that fathers can be as good as mothers at recognizing the cries of their offspring, depending on their experience.

    • Erik Gustafsson
    • , Florence Levréro
    •  & Nicolas Mathevon

  • Article |

    Human neocortex expansion is partly due to neuronal production by outer radial glial cells. In the developing human cortex, LaMonica et al. find that horizontal divisions of ventricular radial glial cells produce outer radial glial cells displaying cell-intrinsic regulation of mitosis and spindle orientation.

    • Bridget E. LaMonica
    • , Jan H. Lui
    •  & Arnold R. Kriegstein

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Mechanical allodynia describes the process whereby innocuous stimuli is perceived as being noxious and is a common symptom of neuropathic pain. Using mice deficient in the cAMP sensor Epac1, the authors in this study find that Epac1 regulates mechanical allodynia by sensitizing the mechanotransducer Piezo2.

    • N Eijkelkamp
    • , J.E. Linley
    •  & J.N. Wood

  • Article |

    Inhibition of return describes a mechanism in humans and monkeys whereby the visual detection of recently attended objects or locations is impaired. Gabay et al.find that inhibition of return is also present in archer fish, meaning that a fully developed cortex is not needed for this mechanism.

    • Shai Gabay
    • , Tali Leibovich
    •  & Ronen Segev

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Gamma oscillations act to synchronize neuronal activity and are implicated in cognitive processing. Using in vivo electrophysiology, Shinohara et al. find that gamma oscillations and associated structural changes are greater in right-sided hippocampi of enriched environment-reared rats.

    • Yoshiaki Shinohara
    • , Aki Hosoya
    •  & Hajime Hirase

  • Article |

    The gasotransmitter hydrogen sulfide signals by sulfide modification of target proteins. Vandiver and colleagues study the sulfhydration of parkin by hydrogen sulfide and find that sulfhydration stimulates its activity, and that this activity is reduced in patients with Parkinson’s disease.

    • M. Scott Vandiver
    • , Bindu D. Paul
    •  & Solomon H. Snyder

  • Article |

    Crystallins are structural proteins that are expressed on the outside of the lens of the eye. Valapala and colleagues find that specific crystallins in retinal astrocytes regulate V-ATPase activity and endolysosomal acidification, to facilitate optimal Notch signalling during retinal development.

    • Mallika Valapala
    • , Stacey Hose
    •  & Debasish Sinha

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Exposure to pesticides can disrupt foraging and navigation behaviour in bees. Palmer et al. use electrophysiology to show that two neonicotinoids and an organophosphate miticide cause neuronal dysfunction in the honeybee brain at environmentally relevant concentrations.

    • Mary J. Palmer
    • , Christopher Moffat
    •  & Christopher N. Connolly

  • Article |

    Synaptic plasticity in the nucleus accumbens is implicated in stress and addiction. Sim et al. study mice deficient in dopamine D2 receptors, and find an increase in anxiety behaviour and reduced addictive behaviour in response to stress, both of which are associated with changes in nucleus accumbens activity.

    • Hye-ri Sim
    • , Tae-Yong Choi
    •  & Ja-Hyun Baik

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Memory lapses during memory consolidation are periods when the memory becomes briefly inaccessible after its formation. Marra and colleagues study memory lapses in the mollusc Lymnaea, and find that only during these lapses is consolidation of memories susceptible to interruption by external disturbances.

    • Vincenzo Marra
    • , Michael O’Shea
    •  & Ildikó Kemenes

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Flexible organic electronic devices have the potential to serve as biosensors in living animals. Khodagholy et al. show that organic transistors can be used to record brain activity in rats and demonstrate that they have a superior signal-to-noise ratio compared with electrodes due to local signal amplification.

    • Dion Khodagholy
    • , Thomas Doublet
    •  & George G. Malliaras

  • Article |

    Humans routinely socially evaluate other people based on interactions between third parties. Anderson and colleagues show that capuchin monkeys also negatively evaluate humans who explicitly refuse to help others.

    • James R. Anderson
    • , Hika Kuroshima
    •  & Kazuo Fujita

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Reorganization of the sensorimotor cortex due to loss of sensory input is implicated in phantom pain. Makin and colleagues use functional MRI to show that phantom pain experience is instead associated with maintained local functional and structural cortical representations but disrupted inter-regional connectivity.

    • Tamar R. Makin
    • , Jan Scholz
    •  & Heidi Johansen-Berg

  • Article |

    Brain-derived neurotrophic factor is produced in the brain and is a known regulator of energy homoeostasis. Here Urabe and colleagues show that brain-derived neurotrophic factor-producing haematopoietic cells control appetite by migrating into the hypothalamus, where they make contact with neurons.

    • Hiroshi Urabe
    • , Hideto Kojima
    •  & Hiroshi Kimura

  • Article |

    The arrival of action potentials at nerve terminals often leads to synchronous neurotransmitter release. Medrihan and colleagues use electrophysiology on mouse hippocampal neurons to show that the vesicle protein Synapsin II promotes GABAergic asynchronous release by interacting with calcium channels.

    • Lucian Medrihan
    • , Fabrizia Cesca
    •  & Fabio Benfenati

  • Article |

    Photo-stimulation can be used to control neuronal circuits, but current strategies lack optimal precision and resolution. Reutsky-Gefen et al. demonstrate a potential approach for vision restoration via holographically patterned, optogenetic stimulation of retinal ganglion cells, with temporal precision.

    • Inna Reutsky-Gefen
    • , Lior Golan
    •  & Shy Shoham

  • Article |

    Irradiation treatment for cancer therapy often causes irreparable damage to adult organs. Knox and colleagues study irradiated mouse submandibular salivary glands and find that restoring parasympathetic nerve function with the neurotrophic factor neurturin improves regeneration.

    • Sarah M. Knox
    • , Isabelle M. A. Lombaert
    •  & Matthew P. Hoffman

  • Article |

    A link between smoking and the incidence of Alzheimer’s disease has been implicated in humans. In this study, transgenic mouse models of Alzheimer’s disease exposed to cigarette smoke display increased disease abnormalities in the brain, such as amyloidogenesis, neuroinflammation and tau phosphorylation.

    • Ines Moreno-Gonzalez
    • , Lisbell D. Estrada
    •  & Claudio Soto

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Bilingual infants possess a unique ability to rapidly acquire the grammar of both of their native languages. Gervain and Werker find that bilingual infants achieve this by using characteristic prosodic cues associated with different word orders.

    • Judit Gervain
    •  & Janet F. Werker

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Neural plasticity can be mediated by cognitive processes or sensory inputs to the brain. Cardin et al.use fMRI to study individuals who vary in hearing and sign language abilities, and find that sensory and cognitive experiences cause plasticity in anatomically and functionally distinguishable cortical areas.

    • Velia Cardin
    • , Eleni Orfanidou
    •  & Bencie Woll

  • Article |

    Primary sensory areas of newborn mammals typically display input-dependent plasticity. Thomson and colleagues use a sensory prosthetic device in rats to show that adult rats can discriminate different infrared light signals, when the signals are routed to somatosensory cortex by electrical microstimulation.

    • Eric E. Thomson
    • , Rafael Carra
    •  & Miguel A.L. Nicolelis

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Integrating stereo information from two eyes or two ears is fundamental to localizing visual and auditory stimuli. Kenneth Catania investigates the olfactory sensitivity of eastern American moles, and finds that they use bilateral chemosensory cues in combination with serial sampling to localize odorants.

    • Kenneth C. Catania

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