{"title":"Interactions between homeostatic plasticity and statistical learning: A role for inhibition","authors":"Elisa Galliano , Tara Keck","doi":"10.1016/j.conb.2025.103065","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.conb.2025.103065","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Statistical learning, sensory-driven unsupervised learning of repeating patterns, must coexist with ongoing homeostatic plasticity that is responsible for the necessary balance of activity in the brain; however, the mechanisms that facilitate these interactions are not clear. While models of both statistical learning, a form of associative plasticity, and homeostatic plasticity have primarily focused on excitatory cells and their synaptic changes, inhibition may play a key role in facilitating the balance between homeostatic plasticity and statistical learning. Here, we review the inhibitory synaptic, cellular, and network mechanisms underlying homeostatic and associative plasticity in rodents and propose a model in which localized inhibition, provided by diverse interneuron types, supports both statistical learning and homeostatic plasticity, as well as the interactions between them.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":10999,"journal":{"name":"Current Opinion in Neurobiology","volume":"93 ","pages":"Article 103065"},"PeriodicalIF":4.8,"publicationDate":"2025-06-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144330145","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Microbial regulation of interoception","authors":"Madhav Subramanian , Christoph A. Thaiss","doi":"10.1016/j.conb.2025.103064","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.conb.2025.103064","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Interoceptive pathways communicate between the body and the brain to coordinate behavioral responses to changes in the internal milieu. An important contributor to the internal milieu of the body is the gastrointestinal microbiome. Here, we conceptualize the role of the microbiome and microbiome-derived metabolites in interoceptive processes that enable homeostasis maintenance. We highlight four key features that make the microbiome a valuable sensory source for interoceptive processes: its capacity to engage canonical sensory pathways, dynamic responsiveness to environmental perturbations, diurnal oscillations aligned with host circadian rhythms, and the selective gating of sensory information through the intestinal barrier. We further explore how microbiome-derived sensory information contributes to homeostasis, imparts valence to events and cues, and serves as a substrate for memory. Collectively, we present a framework for understanding interoceptive dysfunction through the lens of microbiome–host interactions.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":10999,"journal":{"name":"Current Opinion in Neurobiology","volume":"93 ","pages":"Article 103064"},"PeriodicalIF":4.8,"publicationDate":"2025-06-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144255408","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Microglia in early brain development: A window of opportunity","authors":"Clarissa Catale , Sonia Garel","doi":"10.1016/j.conb.2025.103062","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.conb.2025.103062","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Microglia, brain-resident macrophages, are increasingly recognized for their roles in early brain development, particularly during the prenatal and early postnatal periods. These cells enter the brain during embryogenesis, long before other glial populations fully emerge, and actively shape neural circuits while responding to environmental cues. During this critical window, microglia exhibit a remarkable diversity of states, some resembling those seen in neurodegeneration, suggesting that microglia use shared pathways across life stages. Here, we review emerging insights into how microglial states regulate early neurodevelopment and how their functional diversity influences brain physiology under both normal and immune-challenged conditions. Understanding these state–function relationships not only advances our knowledge of neurodevelopment but also informs potential therapeutic strategies for neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative disorders.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":10999,"journal":{"name":"Current Opinion in Neurobiology","volume":"93 ","pages":"Article 103062"},"PeriodicalIF":4.8,"publicationDate":"2025-06-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144241830","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Clare E. Hancock , Binod Aryal , Tianji Ma , Guangyan Wu , Qili Liu
{"title":"Targeted cravings: Unraveling the drivers of nutrient-specific appetite","authors":"Clare E. Hancock , Binod Aryal , Tianji Ma , Guangyan Wu , Qili Liu","doi":"10.1016/j.conb.2025.103063","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.conb.2025.103063","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Feeding behaviors are driven not just by caloric needs but also by nutrient-specific appetites, which guide animals to seek out foods that correct specific nutritional deficiencies and fulfill diverse nutrient requirements. Despite the longstanding behavioral manifestations of nutrient-specific appetites for various nutrients, progress in understanding the underlying mechanisms has been slow. In this review, we summarize the challenges and recent advances in the study of nutrient-specific appetites for macronutrients and micronutrients, focusing on sodium- and protein-specific hunger. We examine central mechanisms that integrate peripheral, interceptive, and internal state signals to drive nutrient-specific preference and ingestion. We also explore conserved features and interactions across different nutrient-specific appetites, and discuss their implications for future research.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":10999,"journal":{"name":"Current Opinion in Neurobiology","volume":"93 ","pages":"Article 103063"},"PeriodicalIF":4.8,"publicationDate":"2025-06-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144241831","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Molecular programs specifying properties and plasticity of parvalbumin interneuron innervation","authors":"Zeynep Okur, Peter Scheiffele","doi":"10.1016/j.conb.2025.103060","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.conb.2025.103060","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Parvalbumin-positive (PV) interneurons, a class of fast-spiking GABAergic interneurons, govern gain-control and the timing of neuronal signal propagation in neuronal circuits. With remarkable temporal precision, PV-interneurons rapidly transform an excitatory input signal into a strong inhibitory output. In cortical circuits, this provides critical feedforward and feedback inhibition. Given their important roles and unique functional features in instructing neuronal circuit function, PV-interneurons have served as an excellent model system for uncovering molecular mechanisms underlying the specification of neuronal synapse properties. Moreover, studies on PV-interneurons led to the discovery of novel mechanisms of neuronal plasticity as PV-networks rapidly adapt their connectivity in response to changes in sensory experience and during learning processes. In this review, we will integrate recent work on the distinct synaptic protein complexes that instruct glutamatergic synapse formation onto PV-interneurons and discuss transcriptional programs that dynamically adjust PV-interneuron function.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":10999,"journal":{"name":"Current Opinion in Neurobiology","volume":"93 ","pages":"Article 103060"},"PeriodicalIF":4.8,"publicationDate":"2025-06-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144241832","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Principles of synaptogenesis: Insights from Caenorhabditis elegans","authors":"Elisa B. Frankel , Peri T. Kurshan","doi":"10.1016/j.conb.2025.103056","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.conb.2025.103056","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Synapses are specialized junctions that facilitate communication between neurons and their target cells, playing pivotal roles in neuronal signaling, circuit wiring, and neural activity. Research using the model organism <em>Caenorhabditis elegans</em> has been instrumental in characterizing nervous system connectivity and uncovering the underlying genetic basis of synapse assembly, refinement, and remodeling <em>in vivo</em>. Recent advancements in <em>C. elegans</em> gene editing, microscopy, single-cell transcriptome profiling, and computational analysis have significantly advanced the field, enabling mechanistic insights into synapse formation and regulation during development and neural activity. In this review, we describe our current understanding of synapse formation, organization, and refinement based on insights gleaned from <em>C. elegans</em>, highlighting recent discoveries and discussing open questions and future directions.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":10999,"journal":{"name":"Current Opinion in Neurobiology","volume":"93 ","pages":"Article 103056"},"PeriodicalIF":4.8,"publicationDate":"2025-06-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144241827","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Asif Bakshi , Khaled Ben El Kadhi , Claude Desplan
{"title":"Decoding neuronal diversity: Mechanisms governing neural cell fate in Drosophila","authors":"Asif Bakshi , Khaled Ben El Kadhi , Claude Desplan","doi":"10.1016/j.conb.2025.103061","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.conb.2025.103061","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Generating neuronal diversity from a limited number of neural stem cells is fundamental for the proper functioning of the brain. However, the mechanisms that govern neural fate determination have long been elusive due to the intricate interplay of multiple independent factors that influence a cell's commitment to specific fates. While classical genetics and labeling tools have laid the groundwork for identifying cell types and understanding neural complexity, recent breakthroughs in single-cell transcriptomics and whole-brain connectomics represent a significant advancement in enabling a comprehensive characterization of brain cell types and the underlying mechanisms that encode these neuronal identities. This review focuses on recent developments in our understanding of neural cell fate determination in <em>Drosophila</em>, emphasizing three key mechanisms: spatial patterning, temporal patterning, and neuron-type specific terminal selector transcription factors.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":10999,"journal":{"name":"Current Opinion in Neurobiology","volume":"93 ","pages":"Article 103061"},"PeriodicalIF":4.8,"publicationDate":"2025-06-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144230956","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Trans-synaptic functions of non-canonical ionotropic glutamate receptors in circuit wiring and plasticity","authors":"Doris Wennagel, Cécile Charrier","doi":"10.1016/j.conb.2025.103053","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.conb.2025.103053","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Ionotropic glutamate receptors (iGluRs) mediate the vast majority of fast excitatory synaptic transmission in the mammalian brain. In addition, non-canonical iGluRs of the kainate (GluKs) and delta (GluDs) families serve as trans-synaptic organizers and mediate non-ionotropic signaling in selective types of excitatory and inhibitory synapses. Here, we review recent insights into the roles and mechanisms of these receptors in circuit wiring and plasticity. We highlight their molecular choreography in the specification of excitatory synaptic connectivity, and their expanding role in inhibitory neuronal circuits driven by unexpected pharmacological properties. We discuss how fundamental research on iGluR non-canonical functions and interaction networks in the synaptic cleft fosters novel therapeutic strategies for synapse recovery in neurological disorders and injuries.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":10999,"journal":{"name":"Current Opinion in Neurobiology","volume":"93 ","pages":"Article 103053"},"PeriodicalIF":4.8,"publicationDate":"2025-06-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144221460","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Experience-dependent control of synaptic remodeling and structural plasticity by glia","authors":"Dominic J. Vita , Austin Ferro , Lucas Cheadle","doi":"10.1016/j.conb.2025.103059","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.conb.2025.103059","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The central nervous system (CNS) integrates intrinsic molecular cues with sensory experience to shape synaptic connectivity between neurons. Once established, these emergent neural circuits remain plastic into adulthood to facilitate behavioral adaptations to changes in the sensory landscape. While sensory experience has been recognized as a major contributor to synaptic wiring since the foundational work of Hubel and Wiesel in the mid-1900s, the field has only recently begun to uncover the roles of nonneuronal cells, or glia, in experience-dependent aspects of synaptic refinement and remodeling. Herein, we review recent work demonstrating that many glial cell types—including invertebrate glia, astrocytes, microglia, and oligodendrocyte-lineage cells—participate in the experience-dependent remodeling of neural circuits across the lifespan.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":10999,"journal":{"name":"Current Opinion in Neurobiology","volume":"93 ","pages":"Article 103059"},"PeriodicalIF":4.8,"publicationDate":"2025-06-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144212080","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Hans-Rudolf Berthoud , Heike Münzberg , Christopher D. Morrison , Winfried L. Neuhuber
{"title":"Gut-brain communication: Functional anatomy of vagal afferents","authors":"Hans-Rudolf Berthoud , Heike Münzberg , Christopher D. Morrison , Winfried L. Neuhuber","doi":"10.1016/j.conb.2025.103058","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.conb.2025.103058","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>There is increasing interest in interoceptive mechanisms as a key player in mental health. The vagus nerve is an important pathway of communication between the body and the brain, and recent advances in neurobiological techniques have enabled the identification of function-specific populations of vagal sensory neurons. Here we briefly review this progress, focusing on vagal innervation of the gut and its involvement in ingestive behavior, metabolic regulation, and immune defense. While we have learned much about the organization of the peripheral interface of the sensory vagal system, dissemination of information within the brain is still poorly understood. Yet, a deeper understanding of the brain's integration of vagal input will be necessary for the informed development of neuromodulation therapies for various diseases linked to interoception.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":10999,"journal":{"name":"Current Opinion in Neurobiology","volume":"93 ","pages":"Article 103058"},"PeriodicalIF":4.8,"publicationDate":"2025-06-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144190106","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}