The world around us can have profound effects on our brain development and function: interactions between the environment and molecular, cellular and behavioural processes contribute to the plasticity and refinement of neural circuitry. A growing body of evidence now indicates that environmental modulation has important influences on numerous disorders of the nervous system, including neurodegenerative diseases with Mendelian inheritance patterns such as Huntington's disease. On page 697, Hannan and Nithianantharajah provide an insightful and informative overview of the striking and beneficial effects of enriched environments on brain plasticity in several disorders of the nervous system and their potential therapeutic implications.
One neurodegenerative disorder for which effective therapeutic approaches have remained elusive is amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). On page 710, Pasinelli and Brown present a comprehensive and articulate review of the state of knowledge of the molecular and cellular mechanisms of motor neuron death in this fatal condition, focusing on the impressive insights provided by studies of genetic mutations found in humans.
This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution
