Neural circuits articles from across Nature Portfolio

The neural dynamics that optimize coordination of sensorimotor behaviour are not fully understood. Here authors show that the cerebellum receives a copy of the motor commands from the cerebrum during movement preparation, likely to generate motor predictions. During the execution, the cerebellum sends feedback to correct the motor cortical activity.

This study shows that hippocampal and entorhinal connectivity patterns drift over time in humans, providing a spontaneous neural signature of elapsed time that follows functional gradients and reveals network-specific contributions to temporal coding.

Reliable measuring the voltage dynamics of individual neurons in the intact brain is significantly challenging. Here authors developed an all-optical method combining two-photon voltage imaging and optogenetics to measure and induce synaptic plasticity in vivo, revealing LTP of inhibition in cerebellar circuits and providing a blueprint to link synaptic changes to learning.

Across species, how aging leads to progressive spatial memory decline is not fully understood. This study reports dysfunctional spatial coding by aged entorhinal grid cells and networks related to impaired spatial memory and identifies implicated neuronal gene expression changes.

Here, the authors show that Scn2a^+/- autism model mice are unable to use past experiences to update visual sensory responses, and that this phenotype derives from a deficit in cortical feedback signals to the superior colliculus.

Separating firing rate from spiking irregularity is a key challenge in analyzing neural activity. Here, the authors present a mathematical model and inference method that capture diverse spike patterns across neurons, cortical areas, and cognitive states.

In this Tools of the Trade article, Simon Haziza describes the development of USMAART, an optical tool for the detection of high-frequency electrical oscillations in specific neuron types during natural behaviour.

The diverse sensory input provided by physically and socially enriched environments is shown in mice to increase sensory integration and responsiveness to environmental stimuli, whereas social isolation produced the opposite effects.

High-throughput volume electron microscopy and deep learning-driven automated segmentation have revolutionized the mapping of neural circuits at the level of individual neurons and synapses, revealing new cell types and unexpected network architectures in diverse species. Although prospects for continued progress in connectomics are excellent, substantial technical and conceptual hurdles remain.

In this study, flagellin, a highly conserved microbe-associated molecular pattern that increases after meals, is shown to activate TLR5 receptors expressed by neurpod cells in the colonic epithelium that signal to the brain via PYY release and vagal activation and influence feeding behaviour.

Binge drinking is widespread, but its underlying cellular mechanisms remain unclear. A recent study identifies a sparse ensemble of GABAergic neurons in the medial orbitofrontal cortex that is activated during binge drinking. These neurons send inhibitory projections to subcortical regions to limit alcohol intake, suggesting new strategies to reduce binge drinking and protect against alcohol use disorder.