Nature Neuroscience Contents: July 2012 Volume 15 Number 7, pp 927 - 1053

Advertisement Handbook of QEEG & EEG Biofeedback Now Available New eBook allows readers to jump from simple to complex topics with a few clicks. Download the free Demo qEEG software and follow step by step tutorials to learn QEEG methods and learn to assess patients with epilepsy, traumatic brain injury and other disorders. Case studies prepare for Certification in QEEG and EEG. TABLE OF CONTENTS July 2012 Volume 15, Issue 7 Editorial News and Views Perspective Review Brief Communications Articles Technical Report Subscribe   Facebook   RSS   Recommend to library   Twitter   Advertisement Scientific Reports publishes 457 open access papers in its first year Publishing technically sound research articles, Scientific Reports is Nature Publishing Group’s fastest growing journal. Given the speed and visibility offered, no wonder 93% of our authors said that they are “likely” or “very likely” to submit again. Keep your research moving. Submit to Scientific Reports   Editorial Top Watching las ruedas fall off   p927 doi:10.1038/nn.3157 Indiscriminate budget cuts threaten the future of science in Spain. News and Views Top In the zone: presynaptic function at high res   pp928 - 929 Felix E Schweizer, Katherine M Myers and Anna Caputo doi:10.1038/nn.3149 Despite years of research, what regulates neurotransmitter release at synapses is still not fully understood. Physiological and ultrastructural approaches now reveal critical structural parameters of the presynaptic active zone correlating with release probability: the size of the active zone and the number of calcium channels. See also: Article by Holderith et al. | Article by Sheng et al. Another blue neuron in the retina   pp930 - 931 Richard H Masland doi:10.1038/nn.3146 The diverse population of retinal cell types has now been shown to include one that does a neat trick: an interneuron inverts the sign of the retina's response to blue light, creating the blue-Off output signal to the brain. See also: Brief Communication by Sher & DeVries | Brief Communication by Chen & Li A hot new channel   pp931 - 933 Michael Bandell and Ardem Patapoutian doi:10.1038/nn.3148 How do we feel temperature? A study now finds that a recently discovered anion channel is a temperature sensor that, like previously identified cation channels, mediates the perception of noxious hot temperatures. See also: Article by Cho et al. Change is in the eye of the beholder   pp933 - 935 Angela J Yu doi:10.1038/nn.3150 Changes in pupil diameter may reflect the dynamic processes in the brain that allow us to detect and rapidly adapt to hidden changes in the world. What's more, unrelated manipulations of pupil size may in turn influence these processes. See also: Article by Nassar et al. Getting to the root of basal dendrite formation   p935 Hannah Bayer doi:10.1038/nn0712-935 See also: Article by Calderon de Anda et al. Neuroscience JOBS of the week PhD scholarship in cognitive neuroscience Université catholique de Louvain (UCL) Research Fellow in Behavioral Neuroscience / Depression Research McLean Hospital Postdoctoral Research Associate - Neuroscience Scripps Florida Postdoctoral Neuroscience Research Position in Stroke University of Saskatchewan (U of S) Professor in Neuroscience University of Luxembourg, Faculty of Science, Technology and Information More Science jobs from Neuroscience EVENT Champalimaud Neuroscience Symposium 30.09.-03.10.12 Lisbon, Portugal More science events from Perspective Top Prion propagation, toxicity and degradation   pp936 - 939 Adriano Aguzzi and Jeppe Falsig doi:10.1038/nn.3120 In this perspective, the authors review new developments that suggest that many diseases share features with prion infections. They also highlight some of the critical open questions in prion biology, including how prions damage their hosts and how hosts attempt to neutralize invading prions. Review Top The neuroscience of race   pp940 - 948 Jennifer T Kubota, Mahzarin R Banaji and Elizabeth A Phelps doi:10.1038/nn.3136 The authors review recent research examining how social categories of race and ethnicity are processed, evaluated and incorporated in decision-making. They also speculate about the potential of future work to inform how we recognize and respond to variations in race and its influence on unintended race-based attitudes and decisions. Brief Communications Top Pattern and not magnitude of neural activity determines dendritic spine stability in awake mice   pp949 - 951 Ryan M Wyatt, Elaine Tring and Joshua T Trachtenberg doi:10.1038/nn.3134 Using patterned optogenetic stimulation and chronic in vivo imaging of dendritic spines, this study shows that the precise pattern of neural spiking—rather than total number of spikes—is the major determinant of dendritic spine stability in cortical pyramidal neurons. A non-canonical pathway for mammalian blue-green color vision   pp952 - 953 Alexander Sher and Steven H DeVries doi:10.1038/nn.3127 The authors demonstrate that the short wavelength-Off (S-Off) responses in the mammalian retina are mediated not by a distinct S-Off bipolar cell, but by an inhibitory amacrine cell that resides in the circuit between the S-On bipolar cell and the S-Off ganglion cell. See also: News and Views by Masland A color-coding amacrine cell may provide a blue-Off signal in a mammalian retina   pp954 - 956 Shan Chen and Wei Li doi:10.1038/nn.3128 In this study, the authors show that, in the mammalian retina, an inhibitory amacrine cell exists in the circuit between the short wavelength-On responsive (S-On) bipolar cells and the S-Off retinal ganglion cells to mediate transmission of the S-Off signal. See also: News and Views by Masland Electrocorticography links human temporoparietal junction to visual perception   pp957 - 959 Michael S Beauchamp, Ping Sun, Sarah H Baum, Andreas S Tolias and Daniel Yoshor doi:10.1038/nn.3131 The authors found that subdural electrical stimulation of visual cortex only produced a visual percept if high-frequency gamma oscillations were evoked in the temporoparietal junction (TPJ). Furthermore, electrical stimulation of the TPJ modified the detectability of visual stimuli. These results link the TPJ to visual perception. A mechanism for value-guided choice based on the excitation-inhibition balance in prefrontal cortex   pp960 - 961 Gerhard Jocham, Laurence T Hunt, Jamie Near and Timothy E J Behrens doi:10.1038/nn.3140 Here the authors show that ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) levels of GABA and glutamate in human volunteers are predictive of both behavioral performance and the dynamics of a neural value comparison signal in a manner as predicted by models of decision-making, thus providing evidence for neural competition in vmPFC supporting value-guided choice. Advertisement Triangle BioSystems is here to provide the neuroscience community with wireless and tethered neural recording and stimulation solutions. We boast high channel counts and sampling rates as well as headstage biosensor options. Don't forget to ask us about our custom hardware and software development!   Articles Top Drosha regulates neurogenesis by controlling Neurogenin 2 expression independent of microRNAs   pp962 - 969 Philip Knuckles, Miriam A Vogt, Sebastian Lugert, Marta Milo, Mark M W Chong, Guillaume M Hautbergue, Stuart A Wilson, Dan R Littman and Verdon Taylor doi:10.1038/nn.3139 Temporal regulation of embryonic neurogenesis is controlled by hypostable transcription factors. Here the authors show that the RNase III Drosha and DGCR8/Pasha, key components of the microRNA (miRNA) microprocessor, have important functions in mouse neurogenesis. Their results suggest direct and miRNA-independent destabilization of proneural mRNAs by the microprocessor. Structure and functional interaction of the extracellular domain of human GABAB receptor GBR2   pp970 - 978 Yong Geng, Dazhi Xiong, Lidia Mosyak, David L Malito, Julie Kniazeff, Yan Chen, Svetlana Burmakina, Matthias Quick, Martin Bush, Jonathan A Javitch, Jean-Philippe Pin and Qing R Fan doi:10.1038/nn.3133 This paper demonstrates, using structural and functional analysis of the GBR2 ectodomain, that this GABAB receptor subunit potentiates ligand binding by selectively stabilizing the agonist-bound conformation of the GBR1 subunit. Distinct molecular pathways mediate glial activation and engulfment of axonal debris after axotomy   pp979 - 987 Jennifer S Ziegenfuss, Johnna Doherty and Marc R Freeman doi:10.1038/nn.3135 During Wallerian degeneration of Drosophila axons, Draper and Crk/Mbc/dCed-12 signaling non-redundantly promote clearance of axonal debris. Draper signaling is required early to activate glial responses to axonal injury, whereas Crk/Mbc/dCed-12 are dispensable for glial activation, but are essential at the phagocytic step for internalization and degradation of axonal debris. Release probability of hippocampal glutamatergic terminals scales with the size of the active zone   pp988 - 997 Noemi Holderith, Andrea Lorincz, Gergely Katona, Balázs Rózsa, Akos Kulik, Masahiko Watanabe and Zoltan Nusser doi:10.1038/nn.3137 Using functional and morphological analysis, this study demonstrates that in CA3 pyramidal cell recurrent axon terminals, the release probability and the number of voltage-gated calcium channels are linearly correlated with the size of the active zone. See also: News and Views by Schweizer et al. Calcium-channel number critically influences synaptic strength and plasticity at the active zone   pp998 - 1006 Jiansong Sheng, Liming He, Hongwei Zheng, Lei Xue, Fujun Luo, Wonchul Shin, Tao Sun, Thomas Kuner, David T Yue and Ling-Gang Wu doi:10.1038/nn.3129 This study uses single-channel current measurements, synaptic vesicle fusion-induced capacitance changes and structural modeling of the calyx of Held terminals to show that voltage-dependent calcium channel density at the active zone is a major determinant for the properties of neurotransmitter release and short-term synaptic plasticity. See also: News and Views by Schweizer et al. State and location dependence of action potential metabolic cost in cortical pyramidal neurons   pp1007 - 1014 Stefan Hallermann, Christiaan P J de Kock, Greg J Stuart and Maarten H P Kole doi:10.1038/nn.3132 Examining ionic fluxes during action potentials in rat neocortical pyramidal neurons, the authors show that the energy efficiency of action potentials depends on the level of subthreshold depolarization and that energy demands are spatially heterogeneous where the cost per membrane area is highest in the axon initial segment and lowest in the dendrites. The calcium-activated chloride channel anoctamin 1 acts as a heat sensor in nociceptive neurons   pp1015 - 1021 Hawon Cho, Young Duk Yang, Jesun Lee, Byeongjoon Lee, Tahnbee Kim, Yongwoo Jang, Seung Keun Back, Heung Sik Na, Brian D Harfe, Fan Wang, Ramin Raouf, John N Wood and Uhtaek Oh doi:10.1038/nn.3111 This study reports that the Ca2+-activated chloride channel anoctamin 1 (ANO1) is activated by heat and is expressed in mouse dorsal root ganglion neurons. Ano1 deletion leads to a deficit in thermal nociception, suggesting that this channel acts as a new heat sensor in pain pathways. See also: News and Views by Bandell & Patapoutian Autism spectrum disorder susceptibility gene TAOK2 affects basal dendrite formation in the neocortex   pp1022 - 1031 Froylan Calderon de Anda, Ana Lucia Rosario, Omer Durak, Tracy Tran, Johannes Gräff, Konstantinos Meletis, Damien Rei, Takahiro Soda, Ram Madabhushi, David D Ginty, Alex L Kolodkin and Li-Huei Tsai doi:10.1038/nn.3141 The TAOK2 locus has been shown to be associated with autism spectrum disorder. In this study, the authors show that downregulation of TAOK2 impairs axonal elongation and the formation of basal, but not apical, dendrites through an interaction with the Sema3A/Neuropilin 1/JNK signaling pathway. See also: News and Views by Bayer Segmentation of spatial experience by hippocampal theta sequences   pp1032 - 1039 Anoopum S Gupta, Matthijs A A van der Meer, David S Touretzky and A David Redish doi:10.1038/nn.3138 This paper reports that hippocampal theta sequences and their corresponding spatial paths stretch forward or backward as a function of an animal's behavior and that these firing sequences map the environment in segments of variable lengths or 'chunks'. Rational regulation of learning dynamics by pupil-linked arousal systems   pp1040 - 1046 Matthew R Nassar, Katherine M Rumsey, Robert C Wilson, Kinjan Parikh, Benjamin Heasly and Joshua I Gold doi:10.1038/nn.3130 The ability to make inferences about the current state of a dynamic process requires ongoing assessments of the stability and reliability of data generated by that process. Here the authors report that these assessments were reflected in pupil diameter changes, suggesting that pupil-linked arousal systems can help regulate the influence of incoming data on existing beliefs. See also: News and Views by Yu Technical Report Top pHTomato, a red, genetically encoded indicator that enables multiplex interrogation of synaptic activity   pp1047 - 1053 Yulong Li and Richard W Tsien doi:10.1038/nn.3126 The authors generated a red, pH-sensitive fluorescent protein, pHTomato, which can be used to monitor neuronal activity alongside green reporters. When fused with the vesicular membrane protein synaptophysin, it can be used in parallel with the GFP-based GCaMP3 to image presynaptic transmitter release and Ca2+ transients simultaneously in the same neurons. Top Advertisement Nurture your career with the new-look Naturejobs As the world's largest dedicated jobs boards for the scientific community, Naturejobs is the ideal resource to build your career. Our new and improved functionality enables you to search, save and apply for jobs quickly and easily. Search over 10,000 vacancies to find exactly the right job for you at: www.nature.com/   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. For event advertising opportunities across the Nature Publishing Group portfolio please contact natureevents@nature.com More Nature Events

You have been sent this Table of Contents Alert because you have opted in to receive it. You can change or discontinue your e-mail alerts at any time, by modifying your preferences on your nature.com account at: www.nature.com/myaccount (You will need to log in to be recognised as a nature.com registrant) For further technical assistance, please contact our registration department For print subscription enquiries, please contact our subscription department For other enquiries, please contact our customer feedback department Nature Publishing Group | 75 Varick Street, 9th Floor | New York | NY 10013-1917 | USA Nature Publishing Group's worldwide offices: London - Paris - Munich - New Delhi - Tokyo - Melbourne San Diego - San Francisco - Washington - New York - Boston Macmillan Publishers Limited is a company incorporated in England and Wales under company number 785998 and whose registered office is located at Brunel Road, Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire RG21 6XS. © 2012 Nature Publishing Group, a division of Macmillan Publishers Limited. All Rights Reserved.