EMERGING IDEAS IN NEURAL SCIENCE

Nature Neuroscience

• Showing transmitters the door: synucleins accelerate vesicle release
  α-Synuclein is present at high levels in all neurons and their synapses. We now learn that this protein helps dilate the fusion pore, which forms transiently during vesicle exocytosis, promoting release of certain neurotransmitters.
  Dennis J Selkoe
• Upstream current for a downstream flow
  Capillary endothelial cells sense neuronal activity-evoked increases in extracellular K+ via KIR2.1 inwardly rectifying K+ channels. The ensuing hyperpolarization travels upstream along the vascular network, reaching arterioles and evoking vasodilation.
  Jessica A Filosa
• Cerebellar granule cells expand their talents
  Technical advances in calcium imaging enable the first tests of classic theories of cerebellar learning. Two independent groups reveal dense representation of surprising modalities in cerebellar granule cells.
  Abigail L Person
• Monkeys face face distortions
  A study combines monkey behavioral testing with electrical stimulation of face patches, located with functional MRI and studied electrophysiologically, to probe the behavioral relevance of the face patches' selectivity.
  Guy A Orban
• Cell transplantation therapy for spinal cord injury
  The consequences of spinal cord injury are often severe and irreversible; cell transplantation has emerged as a potential treatment. In this Review, the authors highlight mechanisms through which cell transplantation is thought to promote functional improvements and the obstacles to making cell transplantation a viable therapy.
  Wolfram Tetzlaff
• Developmental alterations in Huntington's disease neural cells and pharmacological rescue in cells and mice
  The Huntington's disease (HD) induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) consortium describe the combined use of differentiated patient-derived iPSCs and systems biology to discover underlying mechanisms in HD. They identify neurodevelopmental deficits in HD cells that can be corrected in cells and in vivo with a small molecule.
• Purine synthesis promotes maintenance of brain tumor initiating cells in glioma
  Brain tumor initiating cells (BTICs) utilize high-affinity glucose uptake, which is normally active in neurons to maintain energy demands and self-renew. Leveraging metabolomic and genomic analyses, Wang et al. report that de novo purine biosynthesis reprograms BTIC metabolism, revealing a potential point of fragility amenable to targeted cancer therapy.
  Jeremy N Rich
• Regulatory T cells promote myelin regeneration in the central nervous system
  Regeneration of myelin is a dynamic, yet enigmatic process. Dombrowski et al. uncover a central role for regulatory T (Treg) cells in driving oligodendrocyte differentiation, in part via CCN3, a novel factor in Treg function and oligodendrocyte biology. This identifies Treg cells as key cellular players in efficient remyelination.
  Denise C Fitzgerald