Coexpressed Auxiliary Subunits Exhibit Distinct Modulatory Profiles on AMPA Receptor Function Gating properties and surface trafficking of AMPA receptors are modulated by auxiliary subunits. The authors studied the function of coexpressed auxiliary subunits belonging to two different classes. They focused on TARP γ-8 and CKAMP44 in dentate gyrus granule cells, since both subunits are highly expressed in this cell type. [Neuron] Abstract | Video Abstract | Press Release Endostatin Is a Trans-Synaptic Signal for Homeostatic Synaptic Plasticity In a forward genetic screen for homeostatic plasticity genes, the authors identified multiplexin. Multiplexin is the Drosophila homolog of collagen XV/XVIII, a matrix protein that can be proteolytically cleaved to release endostatin, an antiangiogenesis signaling factor. They demonstrate that multiplexin is required for normal calcium channel abundance, presynaptic calcium influx, and neurotransmitter release. [Neuron] Abstract | Press Release Gap Junction Proteins in the Blood-Brain Barrier Control Nutrient-Dependent Reactivation of Drosophila Neural Stem Cells Scientists show that gap junctions in the blood-brain barrier glia mediate the influence of metabolic changes on stem cell behavior, enabling glia to respond to nutritional signals and reactivate quiescent stem cells. [Dev Cell] Abstract | Graphical Abstract Spatial Regionalization and Heterochrony in the Formation of Adult Pallial Neural Stem Cells Researchers report that the germinal zone of the adult pallium originates from two distinct subtypes of embryonic progenitors and integrates two modes of adult neural stem cell formation. [Dev Cell] Abstract | Graphical Abstract Astrocytes Contribute to Gamma Oscillations and Recognition Memory The authors show that astrocytes contribute to the fast dynamics of neural circuits that underlie normal cognitive behaviors. In particular, they found that the selective expression of tetanus neurotoxin in astrocytes significantly reduced the duration of carbachol-induced gamma oscillations in hippocampal slices. [Proc Natl Acad Sci USA] Abstract | Press Release Major Transcriptome Re-Organization and Abrupt Changes in Signaling, Cell Cycle and Chromatin Regulation at Neural Differentiation In Vivo Investigators exploited the spatial separation of temporal events of neural differentiation in the elongating chick body axis to provide the first analysis of transcriptome change in progressively more differentiated neural cell populations in vivo. [Development] Abstract | Full Article The Neuroprotective Effect of Klotho Is Mediated via Regulation of Members of the Redox System Investigators examined the mechanism by which the anti-aging protein Klotho exerts neuroprotective effects against neuronal damage associated with neurodegeneration and oxidative stress. [J Biol Chem] Abstract | Full Article | Press Release Rfx Transcription Factors Control Musashi1 Transcription in Mouse Neural Stem/Progenitor Cells Researchers generated reporter transgenic mice for the 6th intronic Musashi1 (Msi1) enhancer, which show the reporter expression corresponding with endogenous Msi1-positive cells in developing and adult neural stem/progenitor cells. [Stem Cells Dev] Abstract Isoflurane Reversibly Destabilizes Hippocampal Dendritic Spines by an Actin-Dependent Mechanism Researchers investigated effects of the widely used volatile anesthetic isoflurane on the structural stability of hippocampal dendritic spines, a postsynaptic structure critical to excitatory synaptic transmission in learning and memory. [PLoS One] Full Article | Press Release Peripheral Administration of the Selective Inhibitor of Soluble Tumor Necrosis Factor (TNF) XPro1595 Attenuates Nigral Cell Loss and Glial Activation in 6-OHDA Hemiparkinsonian Rats Investigators aimed to determine the extent to which peripherally administered dominant negative TNF inhibitor XPro1595 could cross the blood-brain-barrier in therapeutically relevant concentrations, attenuate neuroinflammation (microglia and astrocyte), and mitigate loss of SNpc dopamine neurons in rats receiving a unilateral 6-hydroxydopamine striatal lesion. [J Parkinsons Dis] Abstract | Press Release |