Nature Neuroscience Contents: January 2014 Volume 17 Number 1, pp 1 - 143

TABLE OF CONTENTS January 2014 Volume 17, Issue 1 Editorial News and Views Reviews Brief Communications Articles Resources Subscribe   Facebook   RSS   Recommend to library   Twitter   Advertisement nature.com webcasts Macmillan Science Communication presents a custom webcast series: Drugging the Human Methylome Two independent, but complimentary, webcasts and live Q & A's broadcasting on:  21 January    23 January Sponsored by:   Editorial Top Funding big neuroscience   p1 doi:10.1038/nn.3621 The BRAIN initiative is set to award its first grants this year. It is imperative that this initiative be funded appropriately for neuroscientists to fully reap its benefits. News and Views Top Lamarck revisited: epigenetic inheritance of ancestral odor fear conditioning   pp2 - 4 Moshe Szyf doi:10.1038/nn.3603 A study shows that when mice are taught to fear an odor, both their offspring and the next generation are born fearing it. The gene for an olfactory receptor activated by the odor is specifically demethylated in the germ line and the olfactory circuits for detecting the odor are enhanced. See also: Article by Dias & Ressler How sex prevents violence: the magic of caress (and GABA)   pp4 - 6 Liming Wang doi:10.1038/nn.3605 Long-term exposure to females reduces aggression of male fruit flies. The mechanism involves contact-dependent pheromone sensing and the activation of a small group of GABAergic inhibitory neurons unique to the male brain. See also: Article by Yuan et al. Does a unique olfactory genome imply a unique olfactory world?   pp6 - 8 Idan Frumin, Noam Sobel and Yoav Gilad doi:10.1038/nn.3608 While effectively doubling the number of known odorant-to-receptor pairings in human olfaction, researchers explain a portion of perceptual variability that stems from genetic variability. See also: Article by Mainland et al. Mother's milk programs offspring's cognition   pp8 - 9 Sarah L Parylak, Wei Deng and Fred H Gage doi:10.1038/nn.3611 A study finds that immune factors transmitted through breast milk regulate the cognitive function of offspring. Changes in milk composition alter hippocampal development and have effects on memory that last into adulthood. See also: Article by Liu et al. Neuroscience JOBS of the week Research Engineer position in Neuroscience Karolinska Institutet (KI) Postdoctoral Fellow in Neuroscience Stanford University Research Associate (Assistant Professor) in Neuroscience University of Chicago Bernstein Fellows Independent Research Positions in Computational Neuroscience Bernstein Center for Computational Neuroscience (BCCN) Ph.D. Student Position Medical Neuroscience University of Bonn Medical Center, Germany More Science jobs from Neuroscience EVENT 16th International Neuroscience Winter Conference 8–12 April 2014 Sölden, Austria More science events from Reviews Top Visualizing presynaptic function   pp10 - 16 Ege T Kavalali and Erik M Jorgensen doi:10.1038/nn.3578 From FM dyes, cypHers, pHluorin and Q-dots to electron tomography and super-resolution microscopy, Kavalali and Jorgensen present a critical survey of the optical paraphernalia currently available to investigate presynaptic function, highlighting the specific strengths and limitations inherent to these various approaches. State of play in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis genetics   pp17 - 23 Alan E Renton, Adriano Chiò and Bryan J Traynor doi:10.1038/nn.3584 In this review, the authors examine how the identification and analysis of genes associated with ALS have begun to provide insight into the onset and pathology of this motor disease. In addition, they discuss some emerging themes that are poised to inform future efforts to identify further gene targets. Brief Communications Top Auto-attraction of neural precursors and their neuronal progeny impairs neuronal migration   pp24 - 26 Julia Ladewig, Philipp Koch and Oliver Brustle doi:10.1038/nn.3583 Transplanted neurons often fail to migrate sufficiently into host brain tissue. In this study, the authors show that this migration deficiency may not be the result of a nonpermissive host environment but instead is due to a chemoattractive effect of grafted neural precursors on their own neuronal progeny. Stress and CRF gate neural activation of BDNF in the mesolimbic reward pathway   pp27 - 29 Jessica J Walsh, Allyson K Friedman, Haosheng Sun, Elizabeth A Heller, Stacy M Ku et al. doi:10.1038/nn.3591 Chronic social-defeat stress increases phasic firing of ventral tegmental area (VTA) neurons and increases the amount of BDNF in the nucleus accumbens (NAc). The authors show that increased activity of NAc-projecting VTA neurons is sufficient to increase the amount of BDNF in the NAc, an effect that depends on CRF signaling in the NAc. Distal connectivity causes summation and division across mouse visual cortex   pp30 - 32 Tatsuo K Sato, Michael Hausser and Matteo Carandini doi:10.1038/nn.3585 Here the authors used optogenetic stimulation to trigger antidromic spikes in a local region of primary visual cortex. This local activity caused two effects at distal locations: summation and division. The balance between the two depended on visual contrast, and a normalization model captured these effects. What's better for me? Fundamental role for lateral habenula in promoting subjective decision biases   pp33 - 35 Colin M Stopper and Stan B Floresco doi:10.1038/nn.3587 The authors find that pharmacological inactivation of the lateral habenula leaves rats indifferent when choosing between rewards associated with different costs and benefits. These data show that the lateral habenula not only signals aversion but also functions as a preference center to promote subjective decision biases during goal-directed behavior. Articles Top Coronin-1 is a neurotrophin endosomal effector that is required for developmental competition for survival   pp36 - 45 Dong Suo, Juyeon Park, Anthony W Harrington, Larry S Zweifel, Stefan Mihalas et al. doi:10.1038/nn.3593 In this study, the authors report that target-derived NGF signaling induces the expression of Coronin-1, which consequently gets recruited to the NGF-TrkA-carrying signaling endosome, where it regulates endosomal fusion with lysosomes, trafficking and recycling. In addition, Coronin-1 appears to be necessary for NGF-dependent signaling events such as CREB phosphorylation, Ca2+ release and activation of calcineurin. Therapeutic activation of macrophages and microglia to suppress brain tumor-initiating cells   pp46 - 55 Susobhan Sarkar, Axinia Döring, Franz J Zemp, Claudia Silva, Xueqing Lun et al. doi:10.1038/nn.3597 Growth of malignant glioma involves a rare population of stem-like cells in the brain called brain tumor-initiating cells (BTICs). This study shows that immune cells in the brain can attenuate tumorigenic capacity of cancer patient-derived BTICs. The authors also identify a drug amphotericin B as an activator of microglia and macrophages that can enhance the microglial activation and mitigate BTIC proliferation in culture. This drug also improved the lifespan of a mouse model of malignant glioma in vivo. CaMKII phosphorylation of neuroligin-1 regulates excitatory synapses   pp56 - 64 Michael A Bemben, Seth L Shipman, Takaaki Hirai, Bruce E Herring, Yan Li et al. doi:10.1038/nn.3601 This study shows that neuroligin-1, a trans-synaptic cell adhesion molecule for excitatory synapses, is directly phosphorylated by Ca2+/CaM kinase II in a neuronal activity-dependent manner in vitro and in vivo. The authors also show that this post-translational modification of neuroligin-1 regulates excitatory synaptic potentiation. Memory recall and modifications by activating neurons with elevated CREB   pp65 - 72 Jieun Kim, Jeong-Tae Kwon, Hyung-Su Kim, Sheena A Josselyn and Jin-Hee Han doi:10.1038/nn.3592 Neurons in the lateral amygdala (LA) with high expression of the transcription factor CREB at the time of fear learning are known to be preferentially recruited to the activated neuronal network for memory recall. The current study shows that artificial activation of high CREB expressing-neurons in the LA using the vanilloid receptor TRPV1 and capsaicin system is sufficient to induce memory recall and promote memory consolidation without external cue and reminders. Synaptic depression via mGluR1 positive allosteric modulation suppresses cue-induced cocaine craving   pp73 - 80 Jessica A Loweth, Andrew F Scheyer, Mike Milovanovic, Amber L LaCrosse, Eden Flores-Barrera et al. doi:10.1038/nn.3590 Accumulation of calcium-permeable AMPA receptors at nucleus accumbens synapses underlies the intensified cue-induced cocaine craving observed after prolonged withdrawal, a phenomenon that may contribute to relapse. Here, Loweth and colleagues find that administration of mGluR1 positive allosteric modulators can normalize accumbens AMPAR transmission and curb cocaine craving in rats. Female contact modulates male aggression via a sexually dimorphic GABAergic circuit in Drosophila   pp81 - 88 Quan Yuan, Yuanquan Song, Chung-Hui Yang, Lily Yeh Jan and Yuh Nung Jan doi:10.1038/nn.3581 This study shows that aggressive behavior by male Drosophila melanogaster to another male is attenuated when the aggressor male fly had prior exposure to females. The study also shows that this prior experience-dependent modulation of aggression behavior is mediated by a sexually dimorphic neural circuit and pheromone-based contact chemosensation mechanism. See also: News and Views by Wang Parental olfactory experience influences behavior and neural structure in subsequent generations   pp89 - 96 Brian G Dias and Kerry J Ressler doi:10.1038/nn.3594 This study demonstrates an epigenetic inheritance of a learned behavior that is transmitted across generations via the gametes whereby learning about a specific olfactory stimulus changes brain structure and the behavior of future generations. Specifically, Dias and Ressler show that behavioral response to olfactory fear conditioning in male parents is transmitted to their offspring via DNA methylation changes in the corresponding odorant receptor gene in the sperm, which is accompanied by the changes to the corresponding neuroanatomical structure that mediates olfactory perception. See also: News and Views by Szyf Maternal hematopoietic TNF, via milk chemokines, programs hippocampal development and memory   pp97 - 105 Bingfang Liu, Bojana Zupan, Emma Laird, Shifra Klein, Georgia Gleason et al. doi:10.1038/nn.3596 The authors show, in mice, that maternal tumor necrosis factor-α (TNFα) genotype affects postnatal phenotypes in adult offspring. Lack of either one or two copies of the Tnf gene in dams led to reduced levels of chemokines in their milk, increased levels of adult hippocampal neurogenesis and improved spatial memory in offspring. See also: News and Views by Parylak et al. Prefrontal entrainment of amygdala activity signals safety in learned fear and innate anxiety   pp106 - 113 Ekaterina Likhtik, Joseph M Stujenske, Mihir A Topiwala, Alexander Z Harris and Joshua A Gordon doi:10.1038/nn.3582 This study examines neuronal activity coupling between the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), basolateral amygdala (BLA) and hippocampus during the recall phase of a differential fear conditioning task and during exposure to a novel open field. The authors show that theta frequency power and synchrony between the mPFC and BLA increase with successful discrimination of aversive versus safe cues, and that the mPFC activity leads that in the BLA during safety. The missense of smell: functional variability in the human odorant receptor repertoire   pp114 - 120 Joel D Mainland, Andreas Keller, Yun R Li, Ting Zhou, Casey Trimmer et al. doi:10.1038/nn.3598 In this study, Mainland and colleagues de-orphan 18 human odorant receptors and find that 68% of these receptors exhibit polymorphisms that affect their function in vitro. They also show that the polymorphisms in one these odorant receptors, OR10G4, affect odor intensity and valence perception thus linking the molecular functioning of a single odorant receptor to human olfactory perception. See also: News and Views by Frumin et al. Resources Top Epigenome-wide differences in pathology-free regions of multiple sclerosis-affected brains   pp121 - 130 Jimmy L Huynh, Paras Garg, Tin Htwe Thin, Seungyeul Yoo, Ranjan Dutta et al. doi:10.1038/nn.3588 In this Resource, the authors generate a genome-wide methylation profile of DNA from the normal-appearing white matter of control and multiple sclerosis-affected brains and find subtle, but widely distributed, differences. In particular, they report that hypermethylated genes that regulate oligodendrocyte survival are also transcriptionally downregulated. Identification of a unique TGF-β-dependent molecular and functional signature in microglia   pp131 - 143 Oleg Butovsky, Mark P Jedrychowski, Craig S Moore, Ron Cialic, Amanda J Lanser et al. doi:10.1038/nn.3599 Microglia are resident myeloid cells of the central nervous system integral for neuroprotective and neurodegenerative processes. Here the authors describe a unique TGF-β dependent molecular and functional microglia signature that distinguishes these cells from other immune and glial cells in the periphery and brain. Top Advertisement NatureJournals app for iPad The NatureJournals app for iPad now boasts over 25 Nature-branded titles. Subscribe to any journal in the app for $35.99* and gain access to world class research on the move. www.nature.com/content/app/anytitleoffer *Apple exchange rates apply. Limited time offer available on all journals except Scientific Reports. iPad is a trademark of Apple Inc.   Natureevents is a fully searchable, multi-disciplinary database designed to maximise exposure for events organisers. The contents of the Natureevents Directory are now live. The digital version is available here. Find the latest scientific conferences, courses, meetings and symposia on natureevents.com. 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