Updated June 8, 2021
SfN Journals: In Conversation
Join SfN Journal authors and editors as they discuss recent original research published in JNeurosci and eNeuro in a new monthly webinar series, “SfN Journals: In Conversation”. This series offers a more direct opportunity for discussion around papers noted as significant during peer review. Attendees are invited to bring their own questions to engage in the conversation. Registration is complimentary and exclusive for SfN members.
June 22: Input-Independent Homeostasis of Developing Thalamocortical Activity
Speaker: Matthew T. Colonnese
Time: 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm Eastern Time
Join this interactive session as Matthew T. Colonnese discusses his recent eNeuro paper, "Input-Independent Homeostasis of Developing Thalamocortical Activity." After the talk, eNeuro Editor-in-Chief Christophe Bernard will moderate a conversation. You can submit questions through the registration and will have the opportunity to pose questions during the webinar through a Q&A box.
Learn more & register for this event here.
Research Spotlight
Neuron Replating, a Powerful and Versatile Approach to Study Early Aspects of Neuron Differentiation
Isolated hippocampal neurons from mice are a widely used cellular system to study neuron differentiation, which is an important aspect of network formation and brain development. Schneider, Duong & Rust combined reporter gene expression and gene inactivation prior to initial seeding with a replating step after two days in culture. The authors demonstrate that replated neurons differentiate similar to non-replated neurons. They conclude that a combination of gene manipulation and replating allows a thorough characterization of neuron differentiation.
Input-Independent Homeostasis of Developing Thalamocortical Activity
The brain undergoes dramatic and tightly coordinated changes in activity over development. Riyahi et al. use the visual system to show that the major input (the eye) actually plays little role in the development of neural firing rates or gross activity patterns. Rather, powerful central homeostatic mechanisms preserve the timeline of activity development in the very young brain..
Ketamine-Induced Alteration of Working Memory Utility during Oculomotor Foraging Task in Monkeys
Impairments of working memory are commonly observed in a variety of disorders, but their quantitative assessment is often difficult. Sawagashira and Tanaka have developed a method for evaluating multiple components of working memory using a simple visual search task and a “foraging model”. They show that low doses of ketamine significantly reduced working memory utility in monkeys while memory capacity was only slightly affected. This behavioral paradigm and computational model may be applicable to clinical cases in future studies.
This study shows that male sign-tracker and goal-tracker rats – characterized according to their response to reward-associated stimuli - do not differ in behavioral or peripheral corticosterone response to stress-related paradigms. Differences in glucocorticoid receptor mRNA, a central marker of stress responsivity, were specific to the ventral hippocampus. Together, these data demonstrate a potential role for molecular and hormonal indices of “stress-reactivity” in reward-related behaviors and appetitive motivation.
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