Research Highlights in 2010

Germ cells can be directly converted into specific types of neuronin vivo, bypassing the pluripotent stage.

VGLUT2 is a key component of the circuits that mediate the regulation of itching and the suppression of itch by pain.

Activation of central TRPV1 receptors by anandamide mediates long-term depression in the hippocampus and nucleus accumbens.

Primary somatosensory cortex can drive motor responses independently of the motor cortex.

Primary somatosensory cortex can drive motor responses independently of the motor cortex.

The lateral and medial subdivisions of the central amygdala mediate the acquisition and expression of conditioned fear.

CaMKK signalling acts as a cell-autonomous homeostatic regulator of synaptic strength in response to excitation.

Normal pacemaking activity in dopamine neurons in the SNc results in high basal mitochondrial oxidative stress levels in these neurons, rendering them vulnerable to degeneration.

Manipulation of GABA signalling can promote recovery after stroke in mice.

The mTORC1 signalling cascade plays a key part in alcohol abuse disorders.

Humans can use conscious thought to regulate the activity of MTL neurons encoding different concepts, thereby overriding neuronal activation induced by sensory input.

The SCN drives circadian rhythms in body temperature, which provides the entraining cue for mammalian peripheral clocks.

Signalling through the BDNF pathway in the D1 and D2 dopamine receptor expressing neurons in the nucleus accumbens has opposing effects on cocaine reward.

Microglial cells derive from primitive haematopoietic progenitors.

Dual specificity protein phosphatase 1 is upregulated in major depressive disorder.

HSV-1 latency is maintained by a host cell signalling pathway activated by NGF.

Endocannabinoid activation of astrocytic CB1Rs potentiates neurotransmission at synapses far away from the site of endocannabinoid release.

The functional integrity of the blood–brain barrier is regulated by pericytes during development and in adulthood.

Defects in the polyamine pathway, including aberrant spermidine/spermine N1-acetyltransferase 1 (SAT1) activity, may play a part in Parkinson's disease pathogenesis.

SSRIs are used to treat depression and have a delayed onset of action. The mechanism involves post-transcriptional regulation of a serotonin transporter in the raphe nucleus and the locus coeruleus.