Published in Current Opinion in Neurobiology
• Technological innovations have lowered the barriers for whole-brain connectomics. • Comparative connectomics (CC) across suitable representative species is now feasible. • CC infers the common neural architecture across closely related animal species. • CC reveals the neural circuit details that make animals different from each other. • CC identi...
Published in Current opinion in neurobiology
Redundancy is a ubiquitous property of the nervous system. This means that vastly different configurations of cellular and synaptic components can enable the same neural circuit functions. However, until recently, very little brain disorder research has considered the implications of this characteristic when designing experiments or interpreting da...
Published in Current Opinion in Neurobiology
• Restorative medicine aims to replace adequate, specific neuronal subtypes. • Criteria defining neuronal subtypes, given their high molecular diversity, are needed. • Single-cell RNA sequencing allows monitoring and refining transplanted neuron subtype identity. • Direct neuronal reprogramming from glia in vivo occurs with high efficiency. • Crite...
Published in Current Opinion in Neurobiology
• Mitochondrial dynamics after mitosis controls neuronal fate commitment. • Developmental metabolic shifts drive neural stem cell amplification and differentiation. • Metabolic intermediates impact neurogenesis through post-translational modifications. • Loss of tricarboxylic acid cycle–associated genes impairs neurogenesis in the embryonic and adu...
Published in Current Opinion in Neurobiology
Purpose of the review: The synchronic development of vascular and nervous systems is orchestrated by common molecules that regulate the communication between both systems. The identification of these common guiding cues and the developmental processes regulated by neurovascular communication are slowly emerging. In this review, we describe the mole...
Published in Current opinion in neurobiology
Social animal species present a vast repertoire of social interactions when encountering conspecifics. Reproduction-related behaviors, such as mating, parental care, and aggression, are some of the most rewarding types of social interactions and are also the most sexually dimorphic ones. This review focuses on rodent species and summarizes recent a...
Published in Current Opinion in Neurobiology
What are emotions and how should we study them? These questions give rise to ongoing controversy amongst scientists in the fields of neuroscience, psychology and philosophy, and have resulted in different views on emotions [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 ]. In this review, we define emotions as functional states that bear essential roles in promoting survi...
Published in Current opinion in neurobiology
Plasticity is a fundamental property of neuronal circuits, allowing them to adapt to alterations in activation. Generally speaking, plasticity has been viewed from a 'neuron-centric' perspective, with changes in circuit function attributed to alterations in neuronal excitability, synaptic strength or neuronal connectivity. However, it is now clear ...
Published in Current opinion in neurobiology
Synapses and neural connectivity are plastic and shaped by experience. But to what extent does connectivity itself influence the ability of a neural circuit to learn? Insights from optimization theory and AI shed light on how learning can be implemented in neural circuits. Though abstract in their nature, learning algorithms provide a principled se...
Published in Current Opinion in Neurobiology
Humans are able to continually learn new information and acquire skills that meet the demands of an ever-changing environment. Yet, this new learning does not necessarily occur at the expense of old memories. The specialised biological mechanisms that permit continual learning in humans and other mammals are not fully understood. Here I explore the...
