Hot off the presses! Jul 01 Nat Rev Neurosci

The Jul 01 issue of the Nat Rev Neurosci is now up on Pubget (About Nat Rev Neurosci): if you're at a subscribing institution, just click the link in the latest link at the home page. (Note you'll only be able to get all the PDFs in the issue if your institution subscribes to Pubget.)

Latest Articles Include:

• From the editors
  - Nat Rev Neurosci 11(7):451 (2010)
  Topics covered by this month's articles include computational neuroscience, the cellular and systems bases of memory, animal models for basic and clinical research, and the function of the habenula. Below, we highlight three of the articles.
• Sensory systems: The tune of sensory inputs
  - Nat Rev Neurosci 11(7):453 (2010)
  Many neurons in the sensory cortex are tuned to specific stimulus features, but the mechanisms underlying this phenomenon have been a topic of some debate. Now, Jia et al.in vivo imaging technique to measure input signals in the visual cortex and have suggested a new model for signal integration at the level of the dendritic tree.
• Neurotransmission: Putting the synapse in shape
  - Nat Rev Neurosci 11(7):454 (2010)
  Release probability (pr), a measure of the likelihood of neurotransmitter release following an action potential, is an important determinant of synaptic strength. Correlational evidence has linked pr with the size of the readily releasable pool (RRP) of synaptic vesicles, which is defined as vesicles that are docked at the active zone.
• In brief: Epigenetics, Fear, Neuroimmunology, Pain
  - Nat Rev Neurosci 11(7):454 (2010)
  Cortical DNA methylation maintains remote memory Miller, C. A.et al. Nature Neurosci. 13, 664–666 (2010)
• Synaptic plasticity: Depress or die
  - Nat Rev Neurosci 11(7):455 (2010)
  Caspases are well known for their role in apoptosis, but their involvement in synaptic plasticity had not been investigated. Sheng and colleagues now show that NMDA (N-methyl-D-aspartate) receptor-dependent activation of caspase 3 (CASP3) and CASP9 through the mitochondrial pathway plays a key part in the internalization of AMPA (α-amino-3-hydroxyl-5-methyl-4-isoxazole-propionate) receptors (AMPARs) and hence long-term depression (LTD).
• Stress: Tough on the inside
  - Nat Rev Neurosci 11(7):455 (2010)
  Resilience to stress is highly variable among individuals. However, the neurobiological basis underlying this difference is not well understood.
• Learning and memory: Ageing without forgetting
  - Nat Rev Neurosci 11(7):456 (2010)
  Reducing food intake and decreasing insulin signalling can extend the lifespan in several animal species. A question that has remained unanswered is whether these strategies also inhibit processes associated with ageing, such as impairments in learning and memory.
• Development: Schwann cells roll the dice
  - Nat Rev Neurosci 11(7):456 (2010)
  Myelination by Schwann cells greatly increases the conduction velocity of action potentials in peripheral neurons. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are known to regulate diverse processes in neurons, but their role in myelination had not been investigated.
• Small RNAs: Now you see me, now you don't
  - Nat Rev Neurosci 11(7):456 (2010)
  MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are thought to have a long half-life. However, Krol et al.
• In brief: Cortical plasticity, Development, Neurotransmission, Chemical senses
  - Nat Rev Neurosci 11(7):457 (2010)
  Spinal cord injury immediately changes the state of the brain Aguilar, J.et al. J. Neurosci. 30, 7528–7537 (2010)
• Long-term depression in the CNS
  - Nat Rev Neurosci 11(7):459 (2010)
  Long-term depression (LTD) in the CNS has been the subject of intense investigation as a process that may be involved in learning and memory and in various pathological conditions. Several mechanistically distinct forms of this type of synaptic plasticity have been identified and their molecular mechanisms are starting to be unravelled. Most studies have focused on forms of LTD that are triggered by synaptic activation of either NMDARs (N-methyl-D-aspartate receptors) or metabotropic glutamate receptors (mGluRs). Converging evidence supports a crucial role of LTD in some types of learning and memory and in situations in which cognitive demands require a flexible response. In addition, LTD may underlie the cognitive effects of acute stress, the addictive potential of some drugs of abuse and the elimination of synapses in neurodegenerative diseases.
• Neuronal arithmetic
  Silver RA - Nat Rev Neurosci 11(7):474 (2010)
  The vast computational power of the brain has traditionally been viewed as arising from the complex connectivity of neural networks, in which an individual neuron acts as a simple linear summation and thresholding device. However, recent studies show that individual neurons utilize a wealth of nonlinear mechanisms to transform synaptic input into output firing. These mechanisms can arise from synaptic plasticity, synaptic noise, and somatic and dendritic conductances. This tool kit of nonlinear mechanisms confers considerable computational power on both morphologically simple and more complex neurons, enabling them to perform a range of arithmetic operations on signals encoded in a variety of different ways.
• Behavioural phenotyping assays for mouse models of autism
  - Nat Rev Neurosci 11(7):490 (2010)
  Autism is a heterogeneous neurodevelopmental disorder of unknown aetiology that affects 1 in 100–150 individuals. Diagnosis is based on three categories of behavioural criteria: abnormal social interactions, communication deficits and repetitive behaviours. Strong evidence for a genetic basis has prompted the development of mouse models with targeted mutations in candidate genes for autism. As the diagnostic criteria for autism are behavioural, phenotyping these mouse models requires behavioural assays with high relevance to each category of the diagnostic symptoms. Behavioural neuroscientists are generating a comprehensive set of assays for social interaction, communication and repetitive behaviours to test hypotheses about the causes of austism. Robust phenotypes in mouse models hold great promise as translational tools for discovering effective treatments for components of autism spectrum disorders.
• The habenula: from stress evasion to value-based decision-making
  - Nat Rev Neurosci 11(7):503 (2010)
  Surviving in a world with hidden rewards and dangers requires choosing the appropriate behaviours. Recent discoveries indicate that the habenula plays a prominent part in such behavioural choice through its effects on neuromodulator systems, in particular the dopamine and serotonin systems. By inhibiting dopamine-releasing neurons, habenula activation leads to the suppression of motor behaviour when an animal fails to obtain a reward or anticipates an aversive outcome. Moreover, the habenula is involved in behavioural responses to pain, stress, anxiety, sleep and reward, and its dysfunction is associated with depression, schizophrenia and drug-induced psychosis. As a highly conserved structure in the brain, the habenula provides a fundamental mechanism for both survival and decision-making.
• 100 years of Drosophila research and its impact on vertebrate neuroscience: a history lesson for the future
  Bellen HJ Tong C Tsuda H - Nat Rev Neurosci 11(7):514 (2010)
  Discoveries in fruit flies have greatly contributed to our understanding of neuroscience. The use of an unparalleled wealth of tools, many of which originated between 1910–1960, has enabled milestone discoveries in nervous system development and function. Such findings have triggered and guided many research efforts in vertebrate neuroscience. After 100 years, fruit flies continue to be the choice model system for many neuroscientists. The combinational use of powerful research tools will ensure that this model organism will continue to lead to key discoveries that will impact vertebrate neuroscience.
• A model for memory systems based on processing modes rather than consciousness
  Henke K - Nat Rev Neurosci 11(7):523 (2010)
  Prominent models of human long-term memory distinguish between memory systems on the basis of whether learning and retrieval occur consciously or unconsciously. Episodic memory formation requires the rapid encoding of associations between different aspects of an event which, according to these models, depends on the hippocampus and on consciousness. However, recent evidence indicates that the hippocampus mediates rapid associative learning with and without consciousness in humans and animals, for long-term and short-term retention. Consciousness seems to be a poor criterion for differentiating between declarative (or explicit) and nondeclarative (or implicit) types of memory. A new model is therefore required in which memory systems are distinguished based on the processing operations involved rather than by consciousness.