This paper reports a study on the cognitive representation of intracranial self-stimulation (ICSS) of midbrain dopamine neurons. The authors aimed to answer why rats work to obtain ICSS, i.e., how the pulsatile activation of dopamine neurons is represented in the brain. Research Background: The pulsatile activation of dopamine neurons is typically ...

I. Research Background and Purpose The subcommissural organ (SCO) is a glandular structure located at the entrance of the ventricular system, which is present in humans and other vertebrates, but its function has not been fully elucidated. Previous studies have suggested that the SCO may be involved in the regulation of neural development and the m...

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is an age-related chronic neurodegenerative disorder, whose pathological mechanism involves multiple factors, including brain inflammation. Microglia, particularly those expressing the AD risk gene TREM2, are believed to play a crucial role in the development of AD, but their exact contribution has not been fully elucidated...

This is a research report on focal cortical dysplasia (FCD) type II. The authors aim to investigate the cellular senescence phenomenon present in FCD II and whether targeting these senescent cells can alleviate seizures. Background: FCD II is a common cortical malformation causing childhood epilepsy and developmental delay. It is caused by somatic ...

Assessing the Risks of Chemical Exposures for Neurodegenerative Diseases Introduction In recent years, many environmental chemicals, from solvents to pesticides, have been implicated in the development and progression of neurodegenerative diseases. However, a systematic approach akin to genome-wide association studies, which have identified dozens ...

Single-cell sequencing technology reveals unique splicing patterns in developing and adult mouse and human brains In the nervous system, the splicing patterns of messenger RNA (mRNA) play a critical role in establishing cellular identity and regulating cellular functions. However, a comprehensive atlas depicting the mRNA splicing patterns across br...

Linking Healthy Neurodevelopment with Imaging, Transcriptomic, and Genetic Associations in Autism Spectrum Disorder and Schizophrenia: A Study of Cortical Gene Expression Patterns Background: How does the complex anatomy and functional organization of the human brain develop from the expression of more than 20,000 genes? And how does this process g...

This study utilized induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-derived neurons to investigate the critical role of lysosome-related vesicles in axonal mRNA transport and mitochondrial homeostasis maintenance. By knocking out BORC subunits (borcs5 or borcs7) to block the entry of lysosome-related vesicles into axons, researchers found that this led to a s...

This paper was published in the May 2024 issue of Nature Neuroscience, with authors from institutions including the University of Minnesota. The study aimed to address individual differences in brain functional networks by establishing an open-source “Mapping Individual Differences in Brain Networks” (MIDB) resource. Research Background: Although b...

This paper reports an original study on the dynamics of oligodendrocytes in the mouse cortex and white matter using three-photon microscopy. Introduction: Oligodendrocytes are the cells that produce myelin in the central nervous system, which is crucial for neural transmission, cognitive function, and injury repair. Previous studies have shown regi...