Nature Neuroscience

Kleinfeld, David

doi: 10.1038/nn.4410pmid: 27669983

Yang, X William

doi: 10.1038/nn.4396pmid: 27669984

Neurons require lifelong maintenance of their transcriptional program, which includes stable expression of cell-type-specific identity genes. A study now shows that PRC2-mediated chromatin repression in adulthood is critical for the maintenance of neuronal identity gene expression and neuronal survival.

Li, Bo

doi: 10.1038/nn.4381pmid: 27626910

Sound information travels from auditory cortex to lateral amygdala, but a newly identified pathway runs in the opposite direction. It undergoes plasticity and is required for memory recall during auditory fear conditioning.

Happ, Michael; Halassa, Michael M

doi: 10.1038/nn.4383pmid: 27669985

While the relationship between motivation and sleep is intuitive, its behavioral and neural features are poorly understood. A new study tackles both issues, showing that dopaminergic neurons in the ventral tegmental area mediate this relationship.

Axmacher, Nikolai

doi: 10.1038/nn.4391pmid: 27669986

A neural code for sequences needs to allow the recruitment of plasticity mechanisms that link successive items. New results suggest that this is achieved by coupling gamma band activity to specific phases of theta oscillations.

Ebitz, R Becket; Hayden, Benjamin Yost

doi: 10.1038/nn.4387pmid: 27669987

The dorsal anterior cingulate cortex is one of the most beguiling regions of the brain. Understanding its essential function has become a holy grail for many cognitive neuroscientists. With this scrutiny has come contention. In this issue, two teams of neuroscientists with different views argue for their favored interpretation of neural activity in this region. Here, we provide some background and context for this debate.

Kolling, Nils; Wittmann, Marco K; Behrens, Tim E J; Boorman, Erie D; Mars, Rogier B; Rushworth, Matthew F S

doi: 10.1038/nn.4382pmid: 27669988

A number of higher cognitive processes are linked to dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (dACC), yet its overall functions remain elusive. The authors discuss convergent findings suggesting it is part of a mechanism for tracking and evaluating reward environments in order to implement learning, search and goal-driven persistence.

Shenhav, Amitai; Cohen, Jonathan D; Botvinick, Matthew M

doi: 10.1038/nn.4384pmid: 27669989

The authors propose that dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (dACC) performs a cost/benefit analysis to specify how best to allocate cognitive control. They describe why this theory accounts well for dACC’s role in decision-making, motivation and cognitive control, including its observed role in foraging choice settings.

Nainar, Sarah; Marshall, Paul R; Tyler, Christina R; Spitale, Robert C; Bredy, Timothy W

doi: 10.1038/nn.4378pmid: 27669990

The study of the mechanisms controlling RNA metabolism in neurons represents a new frontier in the understanding of gene–environment interactions and how they regulate brain function. In this Perspective, the authors describe the recent surge in newly identified epitranscriptomic processes and highlight their potential importance in coordinating the molecular underpinnings of cognition and memory.

Piochon, Claire; Kano, Masanobu; Hansel, Christian

doi: 10.1038/nn.4389pmid: 27669991

Deficits in developmental synaptic pruning are frequently observed in autism. Here the authors demonstrate molecular pathways shared by pruning and long-term depression (LTD), a synaptic memory mechanism in adult brains that is dysregulated in autism. Thus, autism-related pruning deficits may result from the inability to weaken or disconnect inefficient synapses.