Hostility often co-occurs in parents and associates with increased aggression and inattention problems in children. In this population-based cohort of 484 mother–father–child neuroimaging trios, we investigated the degree to which associations of prenatal and childhood parental hostility would be associated with maternal, paternal, and child brain structural differences. Also, we examined whether hippocampal

Impairments in synaptic dynamics and stability are observed both in neurodegenerative disorders and in the healthy aging cortex, which exhibits elevated dendritic spine turnover and decreased long-term stability of excitatory connections at baseline, as well as an altered response to plasticity induction. In addition to the discrete gain and loss of synapses, spines also change in size and strength

Barn owls enable investigation of neural mechanisms underlying stimulus selection of concurrent stimuli. The audiovisual space map in the optic tectum (OT), avian homolog of the superior colliculus, encodes relative strength of concurrent auditory stimuli through spike response rate and interneuronal spike train synchrony (STS). Open questions remain regarding stimulus selection in downstream forebrain

Cognitive control is engaged by working memory processes and high-demand situations like antisaccade, where one must suppress a prepotent response. While it is known to be supported by the frontoparietal control network, how intra- and interareal dynamics contribute to cognitive control processes remains unclear. N-Methyl-d-aspartate glutamate receptors (NMDARs) play a key role in prefrontal dynamics

Mutations in human VPS4A are associated with neurodevelopmental defects, including motor delays and defective muscle tone. VPS4A encodes a AAA-ATPase required for membrane scission, but how mutations in VPS4A lead to impaired control of motor function is not known. Here we identified a mutation in zebrafish vps4a, T248I, that affects sensorimotor transformation. Biochemical analyses indicate that the

While previous works established the inhibitory role of alpha oscillations during working memory maintenance, it remains an open question whether such an inhibitory control is a top-down process. Here, we attempted to disentangle this issue by considering the spatiotemporal component of waves in the alpha band, i.e., alpha traveling waves. We reanalyzed two pre-existing and open-access EEG datasets

Protocadherins, a family of adhesion molecules with a crucial role in cell–cell interactions, have emerged as key players in neurodevelopmental and psychiatric disorders. In particular, growing evidence links genetic alterations in the protocadherin 9 (PCDH9) gene with autism spectrum disorder and major depressive disorder. Furthermore, Pcdh9 deletion induces neuronal defects in the mouse somatosensory

NMDA receptor (NMDAR)-mediated calcium influx triggers the induction and initial expression of long-term potentiation (LTP). Here we report that in male rodents, ion flux-independent (metabotropic) NMDAR signaling is critical for a third step in the production of enduring LTP, i.e., cytoskeletal changes that stabilize the activity-induced synaptic modifications. Surprisingly, females rely upon estrogen

Huntington's disease (HD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder with no cure, characterized by significant neurodegeneration of striatal GABAergic medium spiny neurons (MSNs). Early stages of the disease are characterized by the loss of dopamine 2 receptor–expressing MSNs (D2 MSNs) followed by degeneration of dopamine 1 receptor–expressing MSNs (D1 MSNs), leading to aberrant basal ganglia signaling

Interhemispheric anatomical differences have long been thought to be related to language lateralization. Previous studies have explored whether asymmetries in the diffusion characteristics of white matter language tracts are consistent with language lateralization. These studies, typically with smaller cohorts, yielded mixed results. This study investigated whether connectomic analysis of quantitative

Layer 4 of rabbit V1 contains fast-spiking GABAergic interneurons (suspected inhibitory interneurons, SINs) that receive potent synaptic input from the LGN and generate fast, local feed-forward inhibition. These cells display receptive fields with overlapping ON/OFF subregions, non-linear spatial summation, very broad orientation/directional tuning, and high spontaneous and visually-driven firing rates

Working memory updating is an important executive process. Here, we study the single-neuron mechanisms involved in updating versus protecting memory from distractors in the macaque prefrontal cortex. We recorded single-neuron activity from the lateral prefrontal cortex (LPFC) and prearcuate cortex (PAC) while male monkeys performed a task that required them to update their memory of target locations

The mammalian auditory system encodes sounds with subtypes of spiral ganglion neurons (SGNs) that differ in sound level sensitivity, permitting discrimination across a wide range of levels. Recent work suggests the physiologically-defined SGN subtypes correspond to at least three molecular subtypes. It is not known how information from the different subtypes converges within the cochlear nucleus. We

Spiral ganglion neuron (SGN) degeneration is a candidate factor for reduced hearing outcomes in cochlear implant (CI) users. However, there is no procedure available to identify CI contacts close to focal SGN degeneration in human patients. In an animal model, we assessed the impact of focal SGN degeneration on electrical responsiveness and derived an electrophysiological marker for the presence, location

Secondary motor cortical regions, such as the supplementary motor area (SMA) are involved in planning and learning motor sequences, however the neurophysiological mechanisms across these secondary cortical networks remain poorly understood. In primary motor cortex, changes in excitatory and inhibitory neurotransmission (E:I balance) accompany motor sequence learning. In particular, there is an early

The subiculum represents a crucial brain pivot in regulating seizure generalization in temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE), primarily through synergy of local GABAergic and long-projecting glutamatergic signaling. However, little is known about how subicular GABAergic interneurons are involved in a cell-type-specific way. Here, employing Ca2+ fiber photometry, retrograde monosynaptic viral tracing and chemogenetics

Alterations in mitochondrial function are the linchpin in numerous disease states including in the development of chemotherapy-induced neuropathic pain (CIPN), a major dose-limiting toxicity of widely used chemotherapeutic cytotoxins. In CIPN, mitochondrial dysfunction is characterized by deficits in mitochondrial bioenergetics (e.g., decreased ATP production) that are thought to drive the degeneration

The cortex immediately surrounding a brain ischemic lesion, the peri-infarct cortex (PIC), harbors a large part of the potential to recover lost functions. However, our understanding of the neurophysiological conditions in which synaptic plasticity operates remains limited. Here we hypothesized that the chronic imbalance between excitation and inhibition of the PIC prevents the normalization of the

Single-photon optogenetics enables precise, cell-type–specific modulation of neuronal circuits, making it a crucial tool in neuroscience. Its miniaturization in the form of fully implantable wide-field stimulator arrays enables long-term interrogation of cortical circuits and bears promise for brain–machine interfaces for sensory and motor function restoration. However, achieving selective activation

In a real-world environment, the brain must integrate information from multiple sensory modalities, including the auditory and olfactory systems. However, little is known about the neuronal circuits governing how odors influence and modulate sound processing. Here, we investigated the mechanisms underlying auditory–olfactory integration using anatomical, electrophysiological, and optogenetic approaches

Mutations in SYNGAP1, a protein enriched at glutamatergic synapses, cause intellectual disability associated with epilepsy, autism spectrum disorder, and sensory dysfunctions. Several studies showed that Syngap1 regulates the time course of forebrain glutamatergic synapse maturation; however, the developmental role of Syngap1 in inhibitory GABAergic neurons is less clear. GABAergic neurons can be classified

Animal vocalizations and human speech are typically characterized by a complex spectrotemporal structure, composed of multiple harmonics, and patterned as temporally organized sequences. However, auditory research often employed simple artificial acoustic stimuli or their combinations. Here we addressed the question of whether the neuronal responses to natural echolocation call sequences can be predicted

There is mounting evidence that the cerebellum impacts hippocampal functioning, but the impact of the cerebellum on hippocampal interneurons remains obscure. Using miniscopes in freely behaving male and female mice, we found optogenetic stimulation of Purkinje cells alters the calcium activity of a large percentage of CA1 interneurons. This includes both increases and decreases in activity. Remarkably

Behaving as desired requires selecting the appropriate behavior and inhibiting the selection of inappropriate behavior. This inhibitory function involves multiple processes, such as reactive and proactive inhibition, instead of a single process. In this study, two male macaque monkeys were required to perform a task in which they had to sequentially select (accept) or refuse (reject) a choice. Neural

While humans typically saccade every ~250 ms in natural settings, studies on vision tend to prevent or restrict eye movements. As it takes ~50 ms to initiate and execute a saccade, this leaves only ~200 ms to identify the fixated object and select the next saccade goal. How much detail can be derived about parafoveal objects in this short time interval, during which foveal processing and saccade planning

Although neurons release neurotransmitter before contact, the role for this release in synapse formation remains unclear. Cortical synapses do not require synaptic vesicle release for formation (Verhage et al., 2000; Sando et al., 2017; Sigler et al., 2017; Held et al., 2020), yet glutamate clearly regulates glutamate receptor trafficking (Roche et al., 2001; Nong et al., 2004) and induces spine formation

Area TE is required for normal learning of visual categories based on perceptual similarity. To evaluate whether category learning changes neural activity in area TE, we trained two monkeys (both male) implanted with multielectrode arrays to categorize natural images of cats and dogs. Neural activity during a passive viewing task was compared pre- and post-training. After the category training, the

Eph/ephrin signaling is crucial for organizing retinotopic maps in vertebrates. Unlike other EphAs, which are expressed in the embryonic ventral retina, EphA4 is found in the retinal ganglion cell (RGC) layer at perinatal stages, and its role in mammalian visual system development remains unclear. Using classic in vitro stripe assays, we demonstrate that, while RGC axons are repelled by ephrinB2, they

In mammals, the central circadian clock is located in the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) of the hypothalamus, which transmits circadian information to other brain regions and regulates the timing of sleep and wakefulness. Neurons in the lateral hypothalamus (LH), particularly those producing melanin-concentrating hormone (MCH)- and orexin are key regulators of sleep and wakefulness. Although the SCN

The cAMP-response element binding protein (CREB) is required for regulation of daily sleep amount, whereas gain-of-function of CREB-regulated transcription coactivator 1 (CRTC1) causes severe insomnia in mice. However, the physiological functions of CRTCs and their downstream target genes in the regulation of sleep amount remain unclear. Here, we use adult brain chimeric (ABC)-expression/knockout platform

Predictive coding mechanisms facilitate detection and perceptual recognition, thereby influencing recognition judgements and, broadly, perceptual decision-making. The anterior insula (AI) has been shown to be involved in reaching a decision about discrimination and recognition, as well as to coordinate brain circuits related to reward-based learning. Yet, experimental studies in the context of recognition

Diabetic neuropathic pain (DNP) is a common chronic complication of diabetes mellitus and a clinically common form of neuropathic pain (NP). The thalamus is an important center for the conduction and modulation of nociceptive signals. The paraventricular thalamic nucleus (PVT) is an important midline nucleus of the thalamus involved in sensory processing, but the specific role of PVT astrocytes and

The mammalian striatum is divided into two types of anatomical structures: the island-like, mu opioid receptor (MOR)-rich striosome compartment and the surrounding matrix compartment. Both compartments have two types of spiny projection neurons (SPNs), dopamine receptor D1 (D1R)-expressing direct pathway SPNs (dSPNs) and dopamine receptor D2 (D2R)-expressing indirect pathway SPNs. These compartmentalized

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder with profound global impact. While Genome-wide Association Studies (GWAS) have revealed genomic variants linked to AD, their translational impact has been limited due to challenges in interpreting the identified genetic associations. To address this challenge, we have devised a novel approach termed Transcription Factor-Wide Association

CD2-associated protein (CD2AP) was identified as a genetic risk factor for late-onset Alzheimer's disease (LOAD). However, it is unclear how CD2AP contributes to LOAD synaptic dysfunction underlying AD memory deficits. We have shown that loss of CD2AP function increases β-amyloid (Aβ) endocytic production, but it is unknown whether it contributes to synapse dysfunction. As CD2AP is an actin-binding

The nervous system contains complex circuits comprising thousands of cell types and trillions of connections. Here, we discuss how the field of "developmental systems neuroscience" combines the molecular and genetic perspectives of developmental neuroscience with the (typically adult-focused) functional perspective of systems neuroscience. This combination of approaches is critical to understanding

SYNGAP1 is a high-confidence autism spectrum disorder (ASD) risk gene, and mutations in SYNGAP1 lead to a neurodevelopmental disorder (NDD) that presents with epilepsy, ASD, motor developmental delay, and intellectual disability. SYNGAP1 codes for Ras/Rap GTP-ase activating protein SynGAP (SynGAP). SynGAP is located in the postsynaptic density of glutamatergic synapses and regulates glutamate receptor

The sexual receptivity of female mice, shown as lordosis response, is mainly regulated by estradiol action on estrogen receptor alpha (ERα) and beta (ERβ), depending on the day of the estrous cycle. Previous studies revealed that ERα in the ventromedial nucleus of the hypothalamus (VMH) plays an essential role in the induction of lordosis on the day of estrus (Day 1). However, the mechanisms of the

Visual information is initially represented in retinotopic coordinates and later in craniotopic coordinates. Psychophysical evidence suggests that visual information is further represented in more general coordinates related to the external world; however, the neural basis of nonegocentric coordinates remains elusive. This study investigates the automatic transformation from egocentric to nonegocentric

The transmission of tau pathology has been proposed as one of the major mechanisms for the spatiotemporal spreading of tau pathology in neurodegenerative diseases. Over the last decade, studies have demonstrated that targeting total or pathological tau using tau antibodies can mitigate the development of tau pathology in tauopathy or Alzheimer's disease (AD) mouse models, and multiple tau immunotherapy

"Trying too hard" can interfere with skilled movement, such as sports and music playing. Postural control can similarly suffer when conscious attention is directed toward it ("conscious movement processing"; CMP). However, the neural mechanisms through which CMP influences balance remain poorly understood. We explored the effects of CMP on electroencephalographic (EEG) perturbation-evoked cortical

Spike timing-dependent plasticity (STDP) is a learning rule important for synaptic refinement and for learning and memory during development. While different forms of presynaptic t-LTD have been deeply investigated, little is known about the mechanisms of somatosensory cortex postsynaptic t-LTD. In the present work, we investigated the requirements and mechanisms for induction of developmental spike

Healthy and successful living involves carefully navigating rewarding and threatening situations by balancing approach and avoidance behaviors. Excessive avoidance to evade potential threats often leads to forfeiting potential rewards. However, little is known about how reward and threat information is integrated neurally to inform approach or avoidance. In this preregistered study, participants (Nbehavior

Crowding, the phenomenon of impaired visual discrimination due to nearby objects, has been extensively studied and linked to cortical mechanisms. Traditionally, crowding has been studied extrafoveally; its underlying mechanisms in the central fovea, where acuity is highest, remain debated. While low-level oculomotor factors are not thought to play a role in crowding, this study shows that they are

Like all domains of cognition, language processing is affected by top–down knowledge. Classic evidence for this is missing blatant errors in the signal. In sentence comprehension, one instance is failing to notice word order errors, such as transposed words in the middle of a sentence: "you that read wrong" (Mirault et al., 2018). Our brains seem to fix such errors, since they are incompatible with

Loss of a sensory modality triggers global adaptation across brain areas, allowing the remaining senses to guide behavior more effectively. There are specific synaptic and circuit plasticity observed across many sensory areas, which suggests potential widespread changes in activity. Here we used a cFosTRAP2 mouse line to drive tdTomato (tdT) expression in active cells to spatially map the extent of

Although the therapeutic potential of miRNA-mediated gene regulation has been investigated, its precise functional regulatory mechanism in neuropathic pain remains incompletely understood. In this study, we elucidate that miR-216a-3p serves as a critical non-coding RNA involved in the modulation of trigeminal-mediated neuropathic pain. By conducting RNA-seq and qPCR analysis, we observed a notable

Estimating the motion of objects in depth is important for behavior, and is strongly supported by binocular visual cues. To understand both how the brain should estimate motion in depth and how natural constraints shape and limit performance in two local 3D motion tasks, we develop image-computable ideal observers from a large number of binocular video clips created from a dataset of natural images

The gustatory system allows animals to assess the nutritive value and safety of foods prior to ingestion. The first step in gustation is the interaction of taste stimuli with one or more specific sensory receptors, that are generally believed to be present on the apical surface of the taste receptor cells. However, this assertion is rarely tested. We recently identified OTOP1 as a proton channel and

We appraise other people's emotions by combining multiple sources of information, including somatic facial/body reactions and the surrounding context. A wealthy literature revealed how people take into account contextual information in the interpretation of facial expressions, but the mechanisms mediating such influence still need to be duly investigated. Across two experiments, we mapped the neural

Humans possess a remarkable ability to rapidly access diverse information from others’ faces with just a brief glance, which is crucial for intricate social interactions. While previous studies using event-related potentials/fields have explored various face dimensions during this process, the interplay between these dimensions remains unclear. Here, by applying multivariate decoding analysis to neural

Growth hormone (GH) action in the brain regulates neuroendocrine axes, energy and glucose homeostasis, and several neurological functions. The lateral hypothalamic area (LHA) contains numerous neurons that respond to a systemic GH injection by expressing the phosphorylated STAT5, a GH receptor (GHR) signaling marker. However, the potential role of GHR signaling in the LHA is unknown. In this study

Chronic pain remains a significant health challenge with limited effective treatments. This study investigates the metabolic changes underlying pain progression and resolution, uncovering a novel compensatory mechanism in sensory neurons. Using the hyperalgesic priming model in male mice, we demonstrate that nerve growth factor (NGF) initially disrupted mitochondrial pyruvate oxidation, leading to

Sequential information permeates daily activities, such as when watching for the correct series of buildings to determine when to get off the bus or train. These sequences include periodicity (the spacing of the buildings), the identity of the stimuli (the kind of house), and higher-order more abstract rules that may not depend on the exact stimulus (e.g., house, house, house, business). Previously

The primary cilium, a single microtubule-based organelle protruding from the cell surface and critical for neural development, also functions in adult neurons. While some dorsal root ganglion neurons elaborate a primary cilium, whether it is expressed by and functional in nociceptors is unknown. Recent studies have shown the role of Hedgehog, whose canonical signaling is primary cilium dependent, in

Viewing brain function through the lens of other physiological processes has critically added to our understanding of human cognition. Further advances though may need a closer look at the interactions between these physiological processes themselves. Here we characterize the interplay of the highly periodic, and metabolically vital respiratory process and fluctuations in arousal neuromodulation, a

The human auditory cortex is organized according to the timing and spectral characteristics of speech sounds during speech perception. During listening, the posterior superior temporal gyrus is organized according to onset responses, which segment acoustic boundaries in speech, and sustained responses, which further process phonological content. When we speak, the auditory system is actively processing