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The regulation of body temperature is one of the most critical functions of the nervous system. Here we review our current understanding of thermoregulation in mammals. We outline the molecules and cells that measure body temperature in the periphery, the neural pathways that communicate this information to the brain, and the central circuits that coordinate the homeostatic response. We also discuss...
Cellular interactions between delta and mu opioid receptors (DORs and MORs), including heteromerization, are thought to regulate opioid analgesia. However, the identity of the nociceptive neurons in which such interactions could occur in vivo remains elusive. Here we show that DOR-MOR co-expression is limited to small populations of excitatory interneurons and projection neurons in the spinal cord...
Astrocytes are complex bushy cells that serve important functions through close contacts between their processes and synapses. However, the spatial interactions and dynamics of astrocyte processes relative to synapses have proven problematic to study in adult living brain tissue. Here, we report a genetically targeted neuron-astrocyte proximity assay (NAPA) to measure astrocyte-synapse spatial interactions...
Cell-specific regulation of gene expression is important for maintaining cortical excitatory/inhibitory balance. In this issue of Neuron, Vuong et al. (2018) reveal an unlikely role for a broadly expressed RNA binding protein, Rbfox1, in protecting inhibitory transmission in the hippocampus.
Dysfunction of the neuronal RNA binding protein RBFOX1 has been linked to epilepsy and autism spectrum disorders. Rbfox1 loss in mice leads to neuronal hyper-excitability and seizures, but the physiological basis for this is unknown. We identify the vSNARE protein Vamp1 as a major Rbfox1 target. Vamp1 is strongly downregulated in Rbfox1 Nes-cKO mice due to loss of 3′ UTR binding by RBFOX1. Cytoplasmic...
Reflecting on when Neuron was launched and what the next 30 years may bring, neuroscientists share their excitement and visions for the future of the field.
Screens for genes that orchestrate neural circuit formation in mammals have been hindered by practical constraints of germline mutagenesis. To overcome these limitations, we combined RNA-seq with somatic CRISPR mutagenesis to study synapse development in the mouse retina. Here synapses occur between cellular layers, forming two multilayered neuropils. The outer neuropil, the outer plexiform layer...
Utilization of timing-based sound localization cues by neurons in the medial superior olive (MSO) depends critically on glycinergic inhibitory inputs. After hearing onset, the strength and subcellular location of these inhibitory inputs are dramatically altered, but the cellular processes underlying this experience-dependent refinement are unknown. Here we reveal a form of inhibitory long-term potentiation...
To interpret visual-motion events, the underlying computation must involve internal reference to the motion status of the observer’s head. We show here that layer 6 (L6) principal neurons in mouse primary visual cortex (V1) receive a diffuse, vestibular-mediated synaptic input that signals the angular velocity of horizontal rotation. Behavioral and theoretical experiments indicate that these inputs,...
Inhibitory interneurons regulate the oscillatory rhythms and network synchrony that are required for cognitive functions and disrupted in Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Network dysrhythmias in AD and multiple neuropsychiatric disorders are associated with hypofunction of Nav1.1, a voltage-gated sodium channel subunit predominantly expressed in interneurons. We show that Nav1.1-overexpressing, but not wild-type,...
As the mammalian outer retina develops, rod and cone photoreceptors synapse with their respective bipolar cells. Sarin et al. (2018) develop a somatic CRISPR technique to determine how genes differentially expressed among the four cell types mediate outer retina development.
Active forgetting explains the intrinsic instability of a labile memory lasting for hours. However, how such memory maintains stability against unwanted disruption is not completely understood. Here, we report a learning-activated active protection mechanism that enables labile memory to resist disruptive sensory experiences in Drosophila. Aversive olfactory conditioning activates mitogen-activated...
Maternal behaviors are essential for the survival of the young. Previous studies implicated the medial preoptic area (MPOA) as an important region for maternal behaviors, but details of the maternal circuit remain incompletely understood. Here we identify estrogen receptor alpha (Esr1)-expressing cells in the MPOA as key mediators of pup approach and retrieval. Reversible inactivation of MPOAEsr1+...
We live in a world that is largely socially constructed, and we are constantly involved in and fundamentally influenced by a broad array of complex social interactions. Social behaviors among conspecifics, either conflictive or cooperative, are exhibited by all sexually reproducing animal species and are essential for the health, survival, and reproduction of animals. Conversely, impairment in social...
During natural behavior, saccades and attention act together to allocate limited neural resources. Attention is generally mediated by retinotopic visual neurons; therefore, specific neurons representing attended features change with each saccade. We investigated the neural mechanisms that allow attentional targeting in the face of saccades. Specifically, we looked for predictive changes in attentional...
Diversified neurons are essential for sensorimotor function, but whether astrocytes become specialized to optimize circuit performance remains unclear. Large fast α-motor neurons (FαMNs) of spinal cord innervate fast-twitch muscles that generate peak strength. We report that ventral horn astrocytes express the inward-rectifying K+ channel Kir4.1 (a.k.a. Kcnj10) around MNs in a VGLUT1-dependent manner...
Vision requires perception of both coarse layout and fine details of objects. In this issue of Neuron, Lu et al. (2018) describe a possible basis for the latter: neuronal clusters in area V4 coding high-acuity information, despite the tendency along the visual hierarchy to generate global representations of objects.
In this issue of Neuron, Liao and colleagues (2018) uncover a surprising way that the guidance molecule MIG14/Wntless operates in dendrite self-avoidance in sensorimotor neurons. Not only does MIG14/Wntless not require the soluble cue Wntless, but it can mediate direct cell-cell contact at the plasma membrane. During dendrite tip contact, MIG14/Wntless drives local bursts of WASP-dependent actin filament...
Tremendous progress has been made since Neuron published our Primer on genetic dissection of neural circuits 10 years ago. Since then, cell-type-specific anatomical, neurophysiological, and perturbation studies have been carried out in a multitude of invertebrate and vertebrate organisms, linking neurons and circuits to behavioral functions. New methods allow systematic classification of cell types...
In this issue of Neuron, Collins et al. (2018) delineate the functional circuit architecture connecting the prefrontal cortex with two major thalamic territories, the mediodorsal and ventromedial.
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