Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain
the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in
Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles
and JavaScript.
A disinhibitory circuit involving the central nucleus of the amygdala, inhibitory and excitatory neurons in the ventrolateral periaqueductal grey and premotor neurons in the medulla controls freezing behaviour in response to threat.
Developmental dysfunction in peripheral somatosensory neurons causes altered responses to tactile stimuli and other behavioural deficits in mouse models of autism spectrum disorder.
Although both cocaine and morphine administration induce silent synapses in dopaminergic medium spiny neurons and produce similar behavioural changes, they do so through different mechanisms and by affecting different neuronal sub-populations.
AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK), which is expressed in the hypothalamus and activated by fasting, is shown to increase the phosphorylation of p21-activated kinase 2 (PAK2), and induce spinogenesis and an increase in excitatory neurotransmission in hypothalamic AgRP neurons.
Whether autophagy — an intracellular degradation pathway — contributes to or protects against damage following different types of acute brain injury is unclear. Here, Kroemer and colleagues review investigations into the effects of autophagy in excitotoxicity, acute exposure to neurotoxins, neonatal asphyxia, stroke and neurotrauma.
Evidence suggests that activity in the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) contributes to acute and chronic pain. In this article, Zhuo and colleagues review the different types of synaptic plasticity observed in the ACC and the implications of these forms of plasticity for pain processing.
Central and peripheral inflammation can be induced by psychological stress and is associated with depressive symptoms, suggesting a possible role for immune dysfunction in depression. Duman and colleagues examine the neuroimmune mechanisms influencing neuronal–microglial interactions, neuronal activity and synaptic plasticity in stress and depression.
Recent studies have attributed surprisingly similar functional roles to the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) and hippocampus. Evidence is presented that both the OFC and hippocampus contribute to 'cognitive mapping', and it is suggested that future work should focus on understanding the functional interactions between these structures.
The dopamine system has been implicated in a number of psychiatric disorders, including depression and schizophrenia. Here, Grace describes evidence for disrupted afferent regulation of dopamine neuron firing in these disorders and considers the role of stress in driving this pathology.
