May 2008

• Autoimmunity: Type I interferon target revealed

  Standfirst

  Recent findings show that treatment with interferon-β inhibits autoimmune inflammations in the central nervous system through its effect on myeloid cells.

  Sarah Allan
  Nature Reviews Immunology advance online publication, 12 May 2008
  doi:10.1038/nri2339

• Neurodegenerative disease: Taking stock of grafts

  Standfirst

  Three independent groups of researchers have assessed the long-term outcomes of transplanting foetal dopaminergic neurons into the brains of patients with Parkinson's disease.

  Katherine Whalley
  Nature Reviews Neuroscience advance online publication, 9 May 2008
  doi:10.1038/nrn2397

• Human disease: A two-pronged model of polyglutamine disease

  Standfirst

  In spinocerebellar ataxia type 1, polyglutamine expansion of ataxin 1 promotes both gain- and loss-of-function disease mechanisms.

  Magdalena Skipper
  Nature Reviews Genetics 9 322 - 323
  doi:10.1038/nrg2366

• Glia: Space invaders

  Standfirst

  The transient receptor potential ion channel TRPV1 is involved in long-term depression in the hippocampus.

  Katherine Whalley
  Nature Reviews Neuroscience 9 328 - 329
  doi:10.1038/nrn2375

• Synaptic plasticity: A depressing TRP

  Standfirst

  Models of epilepsy induce changes in the organization of astrocytic processes.

  Katherine Whalley
  Nature Reviews Neuroscience 9 324
  doi:10.1038/nrn2376

• Neuroanatomy: A split (mid)brain for dopamine

  Standfirst

  The ventral tegmental area contains two distinct types of dopaminergic neuron.

  Leonie Welberg
  Nature Reviews Neuroscience 9 326
  doi:10.1038/nrn2381