{"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}
Matthew E. Larsen , Nicole L. Rumian , Nidia Quillinan , K. Ulrich Bayer
{"title":"CaMKII mechanisms that promote pathological LTP impairments","authors":"Matthew E. Larsen , Nicole L. Rumian , Nidia Quillinan , K. Ulrich Bayer","doi":"10.1016/j.conb.2024.102961","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.conb.2024.102961","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The Ca<sup>2+</sup>/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII) is extremely abundant in the brain, where it prominently mediates hippocampal long-term potentiation (LTP), a form of synaptic plasticity thought to be required for learning and memory. However, CaMKII also mediates LTP impairments related to Alzheimer's disease (AD) and global cerebral ischemia (GCI), two conditions that are very distinct but are both associated with impairments in learning and memory. In both cases, CaMKII inhibitors prevented these LTP impairments. Thus, CaMKII actively mediates both physiological LTP and the pathological LTP impairments related to AD and GCI. Notably, these active LTP impairment mechanisms are in stark contrast to other conditions, like normal aging, where milder LTP impairments are caused instead by passive lack of CaMKII function.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":10999,"journal":{"name":"Current Opinion in Neurobiology","volume":"92 ","pages":"Article 102961"},"PeriodicalIF":4.8,"publicationDate":"2025-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143751628","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":"The sympathetic neurons in the gut: Perspectives on metabolic and immune health and diseases","authors":"Yongwen Wan , Chengrui Cao , Wenwen Zeng","doi":"10.1016/j.conb.2025.103051","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.conb.2025.103051","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div><strong>Purpose of review:</strong> The sympathetic nervous system (SNS), a crucial regulator of systemic homeostasis, connects the brain and peripheral organs through complex neural circuits. Often termed the “second brain,” the gut responds to sympathetic innervation to coordinate physiological processes such as digestive motility, nutrient absorption, and immune surveillance, unveiling fundamental and potentially translational significance. Therefore, timely exploration of sympathetic-gut communication is essential. <strong>Recent findings:</strong> Previous studies have revealed that sympathetic signaling inhibits intestinal peristalsis and blood flow while enhancing nutrient assimilation during feeding. Emerging evidence further identifies a neuro-metabolic axis in which sympathetic activity suppresses enteroendocrine hormone secretion, thereby linking systemic energy balance to central nervous system function. Additionally, bidirectional SNS-immune interactions have been uncovered; these pathways govern antimicrobial defense yet paradoxically exacerbate inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), and colorectal cancer (CRC). <strong>Summary:</strong> This review briefly summarizes anatomical insights into sympathetic-gut projections, highlights their dual roles in metabolic homeostasis and immune modulation, and explores therapeutic opportunities targeting sympathetic pathways for gut-related disorders.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":10999,"journal":{"name":"Current Opinion in Neurobiology","volume":"93 ","pages":"Article 103051"},"PeriodicalIF":4.8,"publicationDate":"2025-05-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144168520","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":"Chemogenetic and optogenetic tools revolutionizing the study of astrocytes in memory","authors":"Shay Meron Asher, Inbal Goshen","doi":"10.1016/j.conb.2025.103057","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.conb.2025.103057","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Memory research has been historically centered around neurons, but the understanding that neurons do not work alone is lately gaining traction. Investigation of astrocytes provides evidence of the involvement of these glial cells throughout all memory stages and in many types of memory tests. This field is constantly developing and changing through the adoption of a variety of techniques. In this review, we will focus on recent papers that have used optogenetic and chemogenetic tools, which are time-restricted and cell-type specific, to investigate astrocytic involvement in memory. We will also discuss some new tools that are starting to be implemented in astrocyte research and how they may be used in future exploration of the link between specific astrocytic activity and memory.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":10999,"journal":{"name":"Current Opinion in Neurobiology","volume":"93 ","pages":"Article 103057"},"PeriodicalIF":4.8,"publicationDate":"2025-05-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144147961","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":"Neural-circuit architecture underlying non-image-forming visual functions","authors":"Jiawei Shen , Tian Xue","doi":"10.1016/j.conb.2025.103052","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.conb.2025.103052","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Perceiving and responding to environmental cues underpins survival and cognition. Light, emerging as one of the most ancient and powerful signals, has shaped life on Earth for billions of years. In mammals, light information is primarily detected by retinal photoreceptors: rods, cones, and intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cells. While rods and cones enable image-forming vision, evolution has preserved and extended evolutionarily ancient yet critical non-image-forming visual functions, including circadian photoentrainment, pupillary light reflexes, and light-mediated modulation of metabolism, mood, and neurodevelopment. Although non-image-forming visual functions have been partially characterized in humans and model organisms, our understanding of the neural circuit mechanisms by which light orchestrates diverse behavior remains fragmented. The discovery of ipRGCs, combined with recent advances in systems neuroscience tools, has yielded critical breakthroughs in three domains: (1) light information encoding within photoreceptors, (2) systematic mapping of retinofugal pathways, and (3) central mechanisms of light-regulated physiological functions. These advances have progressively unraveled causal relationships between non-image-forming visual functions and their underlying eye-brain circuitry. This review summarizes groundbreaking progress in the three domains discussed above, highlighting key unresolved questions in the field.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":10999,"journal":{"name":"Current Opinion in Neurobiology","volume":"93 ","pages":"Article 103052"},"PeriodicalIF":4.8,"publicationDate":"2025-05-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144124685","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}