August 2008

• Neurodegenerative diseases: Clearing up Aβ

  Standfirst

  Accumulation of amyloid β (Aβ) peptides in the brain is thought to be one of the main causes of Alzheimer's disease. Two recent studies now show how modulation of Aβ levels can lead to enhanced degradation and clearance of Aβ from the brain.

  Charlotte Harrison
  Nature Reviews Drug Discovery 7, 644 - 645
  doi:10.1038/nrd2644

• Astrocytes: More than meets the eye

  Standfirst

  Astrocytes in the primary visual cortex have been shown to respond to visual stimuli and to be key intermediaries in coupling neural activation to changes in blood flow.

  Leonie Welberg
  Nature Reviews Neuroscience 9, 586
  (16 July 2008); doi:10.1038/nrn2458