{"title":"Interoceptive modulation of emotions","authors":"Leo Zsembik , Poppy Oldroyd , Ritchie Chen","doi":"10.1016/j.conb.2025.103049","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.conb.2025.103049","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The metaphorical use of the heart to represent emotions has been documented since our earliest known writings, which reflects a historical recognition of the deep connection between bodily sensations and emotions. However, it remains an active topic of investigation to determine the degree to which bodily physiology modulates emotion states. Recent advances in the neuroscience of interoception—the process by which we sense, interpret, and integrate internal bodily signals and physiology—are uncovering neurobiological mechanisms by which visceral signals can influence emotions. Here we review interoceptive pathways that relay visceral signals to the brain and discuss how these signals influence emotion states as well as challenges and opportunities to better understand interoceptive modulation of emotions.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":10999,"journal":{"name":"Current Opinion in Neurobiology","volume":"92 ","pages":"Article 103049"},"PeriodicalIF":4.8,"publicationDate":"2025-05-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143947551","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":"Developmental roles of astrocytes in circuit wiring","authors":"Kavya Raghunathan , Cagla Eroglu","doi":"10.1016/j.conb.2025.103042","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.conb.2025.103042","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Astrocytes, the perisynaptic glial cells of the brain, play fundamental roles in sculpting synaptic circuits and instructing their remodeling and maturation during development. Astrocytes do so through a plethora of cell adhesion and secretory signaling to neurons. This rich communication between astrocytes and neurons is critical for balancing inhibitory and excitatory synaptic connectivity. Additionally, astrocytes refine neural circuits via synaptic engulfment and elimination. Here, we will review recent findings highlighting the diversity and significance of astrocyte-to-neuron communication during developmental circuit wiring. Moreover, we will point out emerging mechanisms of how neurons instruct astrocytes’ maturation and synaptic functions to spotlight the essential bidirectional communication between these two cell types in shaping synaptic circuits during neurodevelopment.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":10999,"journal":{"name":"Current Opinion in Neurobiology","volume":"92 ","pages":"Article 103042"},"PeriodicalIF":4.8,"publicationDate":"2025-05-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143937549","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":"Advancements in autism spectrum disorder research --from mechanisms to interventions","authors":"Zilong Qiu","doi":"10.1016/j.conb.2025.103048","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.conb.2025.103048","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This review summarizes recent advancements in the research of autism spectrum disorders (ASD), emphasizing genetic underpinnings and their implications for neurodevelopment and cognitive functions. It explores both syndromic and nonsyndromic ASD, highlighting the discovery of critical ASD-related genes and their mechanistic roles as revealed by studies using genetically engineered mouse and non-human primate models. While these models have shed light on the potential of synaptic dysfunction to disrupt brain development, they also underscore the challenges of replicating complex cognitive dysfunctions observed in ASD. Recent successes in gene therapy, particularly through innovative approaches like gene replacement and base editing, offer promising pathways for addressing genetic anomalies in ASD. These therapeutic strategies, underscored by clinical trials and cutting-edge genetic manipulation techniques, pave the way for potential interventions that could profoundly impact ASD management and treatment.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":10999,"journal":{"name":"Current Opinion in Neurobiology","volume":"93 ","pages":"Article 103048"},"PeriodicalIF":4.8,"publicationDate":"2025-05-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143936959","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}
Tyler M. Cook, Maigen M. Bethea, Darleen A. Sandoval
{"title":"The role of the gut-brain axis in bariatric surgery","authors":"Tyler M. Cook, Maigen M. Bethea, Darleen A. Sandoval","doi":"10.1016/j.conb.2025.103041","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.conb.2025.103041","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Bariatric surgery is the gold standard for sustained weight loss. Despite common misconceptions, bariatric surgery remodels gut-brain physiology in more complex ways than simply reducing stomach size or causing nutrient malabsorption. Bariatric surgery induces weight loss primarily by reductions in food intake and alterations in feeding patterns, macronutrient preference, and the rewarding aspects of food. Bariatric surgery also enhances nutrient-induced brain activation, alters nutrient processing, enhances gut hormone secretion, and increases bile acids. However, which of these signals directly link to improved satiety and altered reward pathways remains unclear. While state-of-the-art tools are now available to manipulate specific subpopulations of peripheral sensory neurons, work is needed to apply these tools to obesity and bariatric surgery. This will be critical for advancing the understanding of the role of the gut-brain axis in the success of surgery and allowing for the continued expansion of therapeutic options for obesity.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":10999,"journal":{"name":"Current Opinion in Neurobiology","volume":"92 ","pages":"Article 103041"},"PeriodicalIF":4.8,"publicationDate":"2025-05-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143927646","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 diverse roles of complex glycans in synapse development and function","authors":"Hong Lu , Lexia Bao , Peng Zhang","doi":"10.1016/j.conb.2025.103038","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.conb.2025.103038","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Protein glycosylation is a critical post-translational modification that mediates a myriad of biological functions, including neuronal development in the brain. Stages of neuronal development include neurogenesis, neuronal migration, axonal guidance, synapse formation, and activity-dependent synaptic remodeling and plasticity. Among these, synapse formation and plasticity are essential to establish and maintain neuronal circuits for proper brain function. Yet, the physiological role of glycans at synapses remains poorly understood. This is especially true for complex glycans, known for decades to be present on the cell surface or extracellular matrix, including the microenvironment around synapses. In this review, we highlight recent examples of complex glycans to illustrate their roles in synapse formation and function. Based on these advances, we propose three principal models to categorize all examples in our discussion. We hope this will be beneficial for the field to begin a discussion on the conceptual framework underlying the role of glycans at synapses.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":10999,"journal":{"name":"Current Opinion in Neurobiology","volume":"93 ","pages":"Article 103038"},"PeriodicalIF":4.8,"publicationDate":"2025-05-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143931487","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":"Nutrient detection pathways for food reinforcement and satiation","authors":"Aaron D. McKnight , Amber L. Alhadeff","doi":"10.1016/j.conb.2025.103040","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.conb.2025.103040","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Ingested food is broken down into macronutrient components that are detected by gut-brain signaling pathways that play a vital role in feeding behavior. These specialized mechanisms both promote food intake (via appetition and food reinforcement pathways) and terminate food intake (via satiation pathways). Despite recent significant advances in our understanding of gut-brain signaling and behavior, questions remain about the distinct mechanisms mediating food reinforcement and satiation. Here, we review the receptors/transporters and gut-brain pathways that contribute to nutrient sensing and feeding behavior, and highlight key knowledge gaps that will guide future research on the complex gut-brain systems that influence food intake.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":10999,"journal":{"name":"Current Opinion in Neurobiology","volume":"92 ","pages":"Article 103040"},"PeriodicalIF":4.8,"publicationDate":"2025-05-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143932227","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":"Every cell every gene all at once: Systems genetic approaches toward corticogenesis","authors":"Boli Wu , Jiwen Li , Xin Jin","doi":"10.1016/j.conb.2025.103034","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.conb.2025.103034","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The development of the cerebral cortex is a stepwise process that involves numerous cell types and signaling pathways to achieve the functional assembly of neural circuits. Our understanding of this process is primarily rooted in findings from studying transgenic knockout models, which reveal coordinated molecular actions, particularly transcription factor cascades critical for cell type acquisition and maintenance in a context-dependent manner. Further resolving their cell type specificity necessitates the use of high-throughput, high-content methodologies. Over the past decade, the emerging single-cell genomics and <em>in vivo</em> CRISPR tools have provided new approaches to study neurodevelopment with elevated scale and resolution. In this review, we discussed efforts to study mouse cortical cell fate determination using single-cell genomics methods. Additionally, we explored recent studies combining programmable gene editing with single-cell phenotypic assays to investigate the function of transcription factors in perinatal cortical development, delineating cell-type specific, functional cytoarchitecture of the developing brain.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":10999,"journal":{"name":"Current Opinion in Neurobiology","volume":"92 ","pages":"Article 103034"},"PeriodicalIF":4.8,"publicationDate":"2025-05-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143911574","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}
Yuting Liu , Mingli Li , Ashlea Segal , Menglei Zhang , Nenad Sestan
{"title":"Decoding human brain evolution: Insights from genomics","authors":"Yuting Liu , Mingli Li , Ashlea Segal , Menglei Zhang , Nenad Sestan","doi":"10.1016/j.conb.2025.103033","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.conb.2025.103033","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The human brain has undergone remarkable structural and functional specializations compared to that of nonhuman primates (NHPs), underlying the advanced cognitive abilities unique to humans. However, the cellular and genetic basis driving these specializations remains largely unknown. Comparing humans to our closest living relatives, chimpanzee and other great apes, is essential for identifying truly human-specific features. Recent comparative studies with closely related NHPs at the single-cell resolution using multimodal genomic profiling, assisted with high-throughput functional screening have provided unprecedented insights into human-specific brain features and their genetic underpinnings. In this review, we synthesize the current knowledge of human brain evolution at cellular and molecular levels, emphasizing how genetic changes have shaped these adaptations. We also discuss the emerging opportunities presented by new technologies and comprehensive atlases for advancing our understanding of human brain evolution.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":10999,"journal":{"name":"Current Opinion in Neurobiology","volume":"92 ","pages":"Article 103033"},"PeriodicalIF":4.8,"publicationDate":"2025-05-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143911962","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}
Vasileios Glykos, Maria Vazquez Pavon, Yukiko Goda
{"title":"Cell biology of astrocytic adhesive interactions and signaling pathways in regulating neuronal circuits","authors":"Vasileios Glykos, Maria Vazquez Pavon, Yukiko Goda","doi":"10.1016/j.conb.2025.103037","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.conb.2025.103037","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Astrocytes have attracted attention for their crucial roles in various brain functions. Yet a gap remains in our understanding. The cellular and molecular basis by which astrocytes interact with neuronal circuits are not clear, and how astrocytes leverage their hallmark morphology dominated by intricate processes in implementing their functions require consideration. This review highlights insights into these outstanding questions gained from recent studies featuring mediators and regulators of cell–cell interactions between astrocytes and neurons, focusing on cell adhesion proteins such as cadherins and neuroligins, among others, as well as cell-extracellular matrix interactions, including astrocytic interactions with the perineuronal network.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":10999,"journal":{"name":"Current Opinion in Neurobiology","volume":"93 ","pages":"Article 103037"},"PeriodicalIF":4.8,"publicationDate":"2025-05-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143906811","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":"Toward a probabilistic definition of neural cell types","authors":"Maheva Andriatsilavo, Bassem A. Hassan","doi":"10.1016/j.conb.2025.103035","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.conb.2025.103035","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>A classical view of cell type relies on a definite set of stable properties that are critical for brain functions. Single-cell technologies led to an extensive multimodal characterization of nervous systems and perhaps achieved one of Santiago Ramón y Cajal's dreams: to unveil a comprehensive view of the brain composition. While global analyses of brain structures highlight a degree of mesoscale stereotypy, a finer-scale resolution of brain composition shows significant variance in essential neural cellular phenotypes, including morphology, gene expression, electrophysiology, and connectivity. This highlights the need for novel conceptualization of the definition of a neural “cell type.” The challenge of modern neural classification is thus to integrate various distinct cellular properties into a unifying descriptor.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":10999,"journal":{"name":"Current Opinion in Neurobiology","volume":"92 ","pages":"Article 103035"},"PeriodicalIF":4.8,"publicationDate":"2025-05-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143907890","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}