Neuron Online

Current Issue

Volume 58 Issue 3: May 8, 2008 (Next Issue: May 22)

On the Cover:
	A Neuronal Perspective on Motor Behavior Do neurons in primary motor cortex encode individual muscle activities or high-level movement properties? Employing an isometric movement task, Ajemian et al. map the parameters of biomechanical force generation in primary motor cortex neurons and propose that motor cortex neurons encode the kinetics of motor behaviors.
Featured Article:
	Induced Gamma Band and Microsaccades FREE Gamma oscillations are considered a basic mechanism for higher brain function and increases in gamma band power recorded by scalp electrodes are considered a signature of cognitive function. Yuval-Greenberg et al. demonstrate that the scalp-recorded response is instead a consequence of involuntary microsaccades. Preview by Fries.
	Trends in Cognitive Sciences seeks Editor

In this Issue

	Synaptic Computations Decode Fly Olfaction Kazama and Wilson report the first functional characterization of a synapse in the Drosophila brain, between olfactory receptor neurons (ORNs) and antennal lobe projection neurons (PNs), and show that the unique physiological properties of this synapse help to explain how olfactory signals are transformed in the antennal lobe.
	Genetic Code for GABA Synaptic Transmission GABA synapses play a critical role in many aspects of circuit development and function, and have been implicated in various disease processes. Vashlishan et al. describe an RNAi screen in C. elegans for genes regulating GABAergic transmission that identifies genes in signaling pathways regulating excitatory:inhibitory balance.
	Yeast Insight into TRPV1 Channel Pore Helix TRP cation channels play important roles as detectors of environmental and endogenous stimuli. Using a novel yeast genetic screen approach, Myers et al. uncover a critical role for the pore helix domain of TRPV1, the receptor for capsaicin and noxious heat, in channel gating by chemical or thermal stimuli.
	REVIEW: Reorienting System of Human Brain Humans constantly update their current course of action to respond to advantageous or threatening stimuli. This “reorienting” response involves a coordination of ventral and dorsal fronto-parietal networks that interrupt and reset ongoing activity. Corbetta et al. discuss this brain system and its more general implications for social cognition.

NEURON Comments

Neuron now publishes online readers’ comments on published Neuron articles. The goal of the format is to provide readers a forum to voice their opinions on work that is published in Neuron. The comments can relate to the specific experiments, techniques, and conclusions of the paper or may address broader issues and debates in the field. Online comments can be made for any published article in Neuron, including the online back archive. To submit a comment see Guidelines for submitting to NEURON Comments.

Article:
Reduced Spike-Timing Reliability Correlates with the Emergence of Fast Ripples in the Rat Epileptic Hippocampus
Neuron, 20 September 2007 55: 930-941.
Guglielmo Foffani, Yoryani G. Uzcategui, Beatriz Gal, and Liset Menendez de la Prida
[Summary] [Full Text] [PDF] [Supplemental Data] [Comments]

Comment:
Pathological high frequency oscillations reflect hypersynchronization of action potentials.
Anatol Bragin, Istvan Mody, Jerome Engel. Jr, Dept. Neurology, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, CA USA
15 January 2008
Transient high frequency oscillations (HFOs) reflect short-term synchronization of neuronal activity and they appear to play an important role in normal and pathological brain function. The purpose of this commentary is to clarify...[read full comment].

Comment:

Ripples and fast ripples: do we really understand what are they made of?
Liset Menendez de la Prida, Guglielmo Foffani, Yoryani G. Uzcategui, Beatriz Gal, Instituto Cajal - CSIC, Madrid, Spain
8 February 2008
We are glad our recent paper on fast ripples has generated a debate in this forum. In their comment, Bragin et al. (1) express some concerns on the interpretation of our data (2). Their major point is that they maintain that fast ripples reflect hypersynchronization of action potentials in the epileptogenic areas in contrast to our data suggesting decreased synchronization at all frequency bands and not exclusively at the fast ripple range, as erroneously quoted in their comment...[read full comment].

Featured Topic

Brain and Neural Development
The dynamics effects of specific molecules on brain and neural development, whether axon guidance, neurogenesis, or neuron specification, can be tracked and studied with increasing resolution with recent methodologies. This month, we present a selection of recent reviews and articles on the topic of Brain and Neural Development from Neuron, Cell Press, and Trends. Review articles are free to our online readership.

Neuron Articles
	Oscillations in Notch Signaling Regulate Maintenance of Neural Progenitors Hiromi Shimojo, Toshiyuki Ohtsuka, and Ryoichiro Kageyama
	Rapid Activity-Dependent Modifications in Synaptic Structure and Function Require Bidirectional Wnt Signaling Bulent Ataman, James Ashley, Michael Gorczyca, Preethi Ramachandran, Wernher Fouquet, Stephan J. Sigrist, and Vivian Budnik
	Stem Cell Factor Functions as an Outgrowth-Promoting Factor to Enable Axon Exit from the Midline Intermediate Target Bryan B. Gore, Karen G. Wong, and Marc Tessier-Lavigne
	Selective Disruption of One Cartesian Axis of Cortical Maps and Receptive Fields by Deficiency in Ephrin-As and Structured Activity Jianhua Cang, Cristopher M. Niell, Xiaorong Liu, Cory Pfeiffenberger, David A. Feldheim, and Michael P. Stryker
	SOX5 Controls the Sequential Generation of Distinct Corticofugal Neuron Subtypes Tina Lai, Denis Jabaudon, Bradley J. Molyneaux, Eiman Azim, Paola Arlotta, Joao R.L. Menezes, and Jeffrey D. Macklis

Neuron Mini-Reviews
	Pyramidal Neurons Grow Up and Change Their Mind FREE Gord Fishell and Carina Hanashima
	Synapses and Growth Cones on Two Sides of a Highwire FREE Tudor A. Fulga and David Van Vactor

Trends in Neurosciences Review
	Gap junctions: multifaceted regulators of embryonic cortical development FREE Elias LA, Kriegstein AR.

Trends in Cognitive Sciences Review
	Developmental neuroimaging of the human ventral visual cortex FREE Grill-Spector K, Golarai G, Gabrieli J.

NEURON in the News

Links have been provided to Media Coverage of recent Neuron articles in the popular press.

Annotated Table of Contents

View the Annotated Version of the Table of Contents with contextual explanations of the articles in the issue.

Announcements

Neuron would like to congratulate editorial board members Thomas D. Albright, Michael E. Greenberg, and J. Anthony Movshon for their induction into the National Academy of Sciences.

Cell Press announces new partnership with the
Biophysical Society

Manuscript Submission

Online Submission Wellcome Trust Authors

Information for Authors NIH Posting Policy

Information for Reviewers Data Processing Policy

HHMI Posting Policy

Journal Information

Information for Advertisers Contact Neuron

Individual Subscribers Institutional Subscribers

Permissions Cell Press Job Opportunities

Featured Job

Postdoctoral Position

A postdoctoral position is available in the laboratory of Dr. Vittorio Gallo at the Center for Neuroscience Research (CNR) of Children’s National Medical Center in Washington D.C. The Gallo lab studies neural progenitor cell development and cell repair after injury. For this project, we are seeking to define the electrophysiological properties of different neural progenitor subtypes during development and during cell repair after injury. Ph.D. or M.D. required Click here for more information.

Additional Announcements

EMBO Workshop on Semaphorins
May 8-11, 2008
Abbaye des Vaulx de Cernay, France

Registration Deadline: February 1, 2008