Summary: Scientists have resolved the first three-dimensional crystal structure of an umami taste receptor ortholog from pufferfish, revealing a distinctive molecular latch that enables the receptor to recognize both savory L-amino acids and sweet D-amino acids. This structural discovery shows how sensory receptors can evolve internal stabilizing interactions to expand taste recognition, with potential applications … Read more

Summary: Researchers have identified a specific neural circuit and molecular mechanism that explain the strong food cravings many people experience during pregnancy. The study shows that pregnancy increases activity of the SK3 potassium channel in serotonin-producing neurons of the dorsal raphe nucleus (DRN), suppressing their firing and shifting reward signaling in a way that promotes … Read more

Summary: Researchers at the University of Fukui found that deleting the membrane-fusion protein NSF (N-ethylmaleimide-sensitive factor) specifically from dopamine D2 receptor (D2R)-expressing neurons in mice produces striatal atrophy, severe reduction in striatal dopamine, and pronounced ADHD-like behaviors including hyperactivity and impulsivity. Standard treatment with the stimulant methylphenidate did not correct these behaviors on its own, … Read more

Summary: Challenging long-held assumptions about brain development, researchers have shown that the vertebrate brain does not arise from a single ancestral progenitor. Instead, it develops from two distinct, mutually exclusive lineages that diverged early in evolution. This discovery allowed scientists to grow authentic human hindbrain neurons in the laboratory for the first time, creating a … Read more

Summary: Researchers at the Allen Institute have overturned a long-standing idea about how the brainstem nucleus called the locus coeruleus (LC) operates. Rather than acting as a broad, indiscriminate broadcast that floods the brain with norepinephrine, the LC appears to route highly specific norepinephrine signals to distinct anatomical targets—more like a targeted postal network than … Read more

Summary: Neuroscientists have created a genetic approach that produces mice missing the majority of their cerebral cortex, opening a large physical niche for transplanted human brain organoids to expand, integrate, and mature. The engrafted human tissue developed into diverse neuronal and glial populations—including cell types that are difficult or impossible to obtain in standard laboratory … Read more

Summary: A large-scale analysis of over 1,000 mouse prefrontal cortex transcriptomes across 17 genetically engineered lines reveals that more than 1,200 autism risk genes funnel into two opposing molecular states. These two conserved profiles show inverse patterns of synaptic gene expression and gene-regulatory activity, differ by sex, age, and brain region, and respond differently to … Read more

Summary: Neuroscientists have overturned the long-standing idea that growing axons make all navigational decisions only at their tips. New research shows that a coordinated genetic program in the neuron’s cell body (soma) acts as a central switch to guide axons at crucial intermediate checkpoints. By profiling the transcriptional states of more than 12,000 developing neurons … Read more

Summary: A large clinical MRI study of 2,826 patients shows that living in socioeconomically disadvantaged neighborhoods is linked to measurable signs of accelerated brain aging, lower overall brain volume, and increased markers of vascular injury in the white matter. The findings demonstrate that structural inequities leave biological imprints on brain structure and vascular health detectable … Read more

Summary: Using direct recordings from electrodes implanted in the human orbitofrontal cortex, researchers have identified two neighboring neural circuits that engage in a millisecond-by-millisecond “tug-of-war” between approach and avoidance. Distinct electrical patterns predict whether a person will take a risk or play it safe roughly half a second before the action, suggesting precise neural targets … Read more