doi: 10.1038/s41593-021-00995-2pmid: 34992291
The authors of primary research papers accepted by our journal have the opportunity to make their work freely available to all upon publication.
doi: 10.1038/s41593-021-00963-wpmid: 34815557
Microglia form barriers that attenuate the propagation of amyloid pathology in Alzheimer’s disease. d’Errico et al. have uncovered a paradoxical ability of microglia to spread amyloid plaques, which depends on the transcription factor IRF8. Here, we highlight the contexts in which this may happen and discuss outstanding questions.
Jaster, Alaina M.; González-Maeso, Javier
doi: 10.1038/s41593-021-00968-5pmid: 34887589
The structural basis for the clinical and side effects of antipsychotic drugs has not been resolved. A new study combined X-ray crystallography with medicinal chemistry and behavioral pharmacology to design a new dopamine D2 receptor partial agonist that, in mice, shows not only antipsychotic-like activity but also 5-HT1A-receptor-dependent antidepressant-like effects.
Wang, Wenliang; Eldridge, Mark A. G.; Richmond, Barry J.
doi: 10.1038/s41593-021-00965-8pmid: 34903881
Our brains are wired to steer us toward novel experiences. Ogasawara et al. define nodes in a network that underlies novelty-seeking behavior distinct from novelty-orienting responses. In this network, anterior ventral medial temporal cortex (AVMTC) mediates novelty-related sensory processing, and zona incerta uses input from AVMTC to guide gaze shifts for novelty seeking.
Botch, Thomas L.; Robertson, Caroline E.; Finn, Emily S.
doi: 10.1038/s41593-021-00966-7pmid: 34916660
Allen et al. introduce the Natural Scenes Dataset — high-resolution fMRI data from eight individuals scanned as they collectively viewed more than 70,000 natural images and performed a continuous recognition task. This resource promises to yield insights into visual perception and memory and to help bridge cognitive neuroscience and artificial intelligence.
Urai, Anne E.; Doiron, Brent; Leifer, Andrew M.; Churchland, Anne K.
doi: 10.1038/s41593-021-00980-9pmid: 34980926
Neuroscientists today can measure activity from more neurons than ever before, and are facing the challenge of connecting these brain-wide neural recordings to computation and behavior. In the present review, we first describe emerging tools and technologies being used to probe large-scale brain activity and new approaches to characterize behavior in the context of such measurements. We next highlight insights obtained from large-scale neural recordings in diverse model systems, and argue that some of these pose a challenge to traditional theoretical frameworks. Finally, we elaborate on existing modeling frameworks to interpret these data, and argue that the interpretation of brain-wide neural recordings calls for new theoretical approaches that may depend on the desired level of understanding. These advances in both neural recordings and theory development will pave the way for critical advances in our understanding of the brain.
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