NEURO

Normally bushy networks of neural fibers within fat tissue shrink in the absence of leptin, but grow back when the hormone is administered in drug form. The alterations influence the ability to burn energy stored in fat in mouse models. from Neuroscience News https://ift.tt/3fQw6tW

Mapping the thalamic reticular nucleus, researchers have identified two distinct subnetworks of neurons with different functions. Findings offer insight into more specific targets for therapeutics to alleviate some sensory, sleep, and attention symptoms associated with ASD and other disorders characterized by sensory hypersensitivity. from Neuroscience News https://ift.tt/3hlcezg

When T helper cells are absent in the brain, microglia remain suspended between the fetal and adult developmental state. Mice lacking brain T cells showed changes in behavior and defective synaptic pruning. The study reveals the critical role T cells play in the development of the brain. from Neuroscience News https://ift.tt/32GTIxj

The hippocampal activity supporting trace fear conditioning has long been mysterious, but a leading hypothesis posits “time-cell”-like sequential patterns. In this issue of Neuron, Ahmed et al. (2020) present new data suggesting that, at least during the first session of learning, a subset of neurons coalesce to selectively encode the task but without expressing reliable sequences. from journals https://ift.tt/2D07HTT

Dipeptide repeat proteins (DPRs) occur via repeat-associated non-AUG (RAN) translation. In this issue of Neuron, McEachin et al. (2020) show that the aggregation-prone poly(GA)-rich chimeric DPRs determine divergent poly(GP) mediated pathology between C9ALS/FTD and SCA36. from journals https://ift.tt/32LnP6W

How circulating signals enter the median eminence to trigger homeostatic hypothalamic responses is not well understood. Jiang et al. describe a neural mechanism that increases endothelial fenestrations and enhances the hypothalamic response to the circulating hormone leptin, suggesting a novel way to regulate brain entry through vascular wall remodeling. from journals https://ift.tt/2OOlXSo

How can fish see tiny underwater prey invisible to human eyes? In this issue of Neuron, Yoshimatsu et al. (2020) show that ultraviolet light and a rich set of fine-tuned anatomical and neural specializations originating in ultraviolet-sensitive cones underlie high-resolution prey-capture behavior in larval zebrafish. from journals https://ift.tt/2WHSLkj