{"title":"Evolving perspectives on the molecular and neural foundations of mammalian circadian rhythms.","authors":"Yanqin Liu, Ran Huo, Eric E Zhang","doi":"10.1016/j.tins.2025.09.009","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tins.2025.09.009","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Circadian regulation is multilayered and hierarchical, enabling organisms to anticipate and adapt to daily environmental changes driven by the Earth's rotation. The classical transcriptional-translational feedback loop (TTFL) remains a foundational model, although recent studies have refined its mechanisms and exposed limitations. The discovery of RUVBL2 - an ancient core clock component conserved across eukaryotes - emphasizes the potential universality of fundamental timekeeping processes. In mammals, intercellular coupling enables the generation of precise and robust circadian rhythms in both metabolic and electrical activity within the central pacemaker, the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN). The SCN receives external cues and coordinates systemic physiology to adjust to daily environmental changes. This review provides an updated perspective on mechanisms underlying the generation of mammalian circadian rhythms from molecular to neural and circuit levels.</p>","PeriodicalId":23325,"journal":{"name":"Trends in Neurosciences","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":15.1,"publicationDate":"2025-10-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145275976","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Interacting corticobasal ganglia-thalamocortical loops shape behavioral control through cognitive maps and shortcuts.","authors":"Fred H Hamker, Javier Baladron, Lieneke K Janssen","doi":"10.1016/j.tins.2025.09.006","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tins.2025.09.006","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Control of behavior is often explained in terms of a dichotomy, with distinct neural circuits underlying goal-directed and habitual control, yet accumulating evidence suggests these processes are deeply intertwined. We propose a novel anatomically informed cognitive framework, motivated by interacting corticobasal ganglia-thalamocortical loops as observed in different mammals. The framework shifts the perspective from a strict dichotomy toward a continuous, integrated network where behavior emerges dynamically from interacting circuits. Decisions within each loop contribute contextual information, which is integrated with goal-related signals in the basal ganglia input, building a network of dependencies. Loop-bypassing shortcuts facilitate habit formation. Striatal integration hubs may function analogously to attention mechanisms in Transformer neural networks, a parallel we explore to clarify how a variety of behaviors can emerge from an integrated network.</p>","PeriodicalId":23325,"journal":{"name":"Trends in Neurosciences","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":15.1,"publicationDate":"2025-10-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145275950","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Lien Van Hoecke, Cristiano Lucci, Roosmarijn E Vandenbroucke
{"title":"Mesenchymal stromal cell extracellular vesicles as immune modulators and drug carriers in neurodegenerative disorders.","authors":"Lien Van Hoecke, Cristiano Lucci, Roosmarijn E Vandenbroucke","doi":"10.1016/j.tins.2025.09.008","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tins.2025.09.008","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) hold significant therapeutic potential, but their clinical application is often hindered by limitations such as donor variability. MSC-derived extracellular vesicles (EVs) present a promising alternative, offering comparable or superior therapeutic effects while overcoming some of these challenges. MSC-EVs exhibit strong anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory properties, which could be leveraged in neurodegenerative diseases given the central role of neuroinflammation in these conditions. Additionally, MSC-EVs can be engineered for targeted drug delivery, enhancing their clinical utility. In this review we highlight the dual role of MSC-EVs as immunomodulators and drug carriers in neurodegenerative disorders. We discuss the current challenges, and outline strategies for clinical translation. Future advances in understanding MSC-EVs and their mechanisms of action could support their development into effective therapies for neurodegenerative diseases.</p>","PeriodicalId":23325,"journal":{"name":"Trends in Neurosciences","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":15.1,"publicationDate":"2025-10-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145259223","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Adrian J Duszkiewicz, Desdemona Fricker, Andrea Burgalossi, Adrien Peyrache
{"title":"The postsubiculum as a head-direction cortex.","authors":"Adrian J Duszkiewicz, Desdemona Fricker, Andrea Burgalossi, Adrien Peyrache","doi":"10.1016/j.tins.2025.09.004","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tins.2025.09.004","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The organisation of thalamocortical networks follows a conserved structure. Traditionally, these are divided into primary sensory systems that receive subcortical sensory signals, and higher-order systems that are driven predominantly by cortical activity. The rodent head-direction system - the neural 'compass' and a key input to the hippocampal formation - encodes orientation in the horizontal plane through a thalamocortical loop that links the anterodorsal thalamic nucleus and the postsubiculum. We argue that this circuit shares several hallmark features with canonical primary sensory systems, including a driver thalamic input, specific laminar targeting, and receptive field transformations. Drawing on recent anatomical and physiological studies in rodents, we propose that the postsubiculum functions as a primary cortex for the head-direction signal.</p>","PeriodicalId":23325,"journal":{"name":"Trends in Neurosciences","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":15.1,"publicationDate":"2025-10-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145259232","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Modulation of viral neuroinflammation by astrocytic RIPK3 and serine protease inhibitors.","authors":"Ebba Rosendal, Anna K Överby","doi":"10.1016/j.tins.2025.09.012","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tins.2025.09.012","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>A recent study by Lindman and colleagues highlights a cell type-specific function of receptor-interacting kinase 3 (RIPK3) in astrocytes during neurotropic flavivirus infection. Despite a proinflammatory transcriptional profile, RIPK3 in astrocytes can attenuate neuroinflammation and reduce leucocyte infiltration through upregulation of Serpin clade A member 3N (SerpinA3N), protecting mice from excessive neuroinflammation and increasing overall survival.</p>","PeriodicalId":23325,"journal":{"name":"Trends in Neurosciences","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":15.1,"publicationDate":"2025-10-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145252874","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Laura L Grima, Hannah Haberkern, Rishika Mohanta, Mai M Morimoto, Adithya E Rajagopalan, Emma V Scholey
{"title":"Foraging as an ethological framework for neuroscience.","authors":"Laura L Grima, Hannah Haberkern, Rishika Mohanta, Mai M Morimoto, Adithya E Rajagopalan, Emma V Scholey","doi":"10.1016/j.tins.2025.08.006","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tins.2025.08.006","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The study of foraging is central to a renewed interest in naturalistic behavior in neuroscience. Applying a foraging framework grounded in behavioral ecology has enabled probing of the mechanisms underlying cognitive processes such as decision-making within a more ecological context. Yet, foraging also involves myriad other aspects, including navigation of complex environments, sensory processing, and social interactions. Here, we first provide a brief overview of the neuroscience of foraging decisions, and then combine insights from behavioral ecology and neuroscience to review the role of these additional dimensions of foraging. We conclude by highlighting four opportunities for the continued development of foraging as an ethological framework for neuroscience: integrating normative and implementation-level models, developing new tools, enabling cross-species comparisons, and fostering interdisciplinary collaboration.</p>","PeriodicalId":23325,"journal":{"name":"Trends in Neurosciences","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":15.1,"publicationDate":"2025-10-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145245425","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pablo Barttfeld, Nicolás Comay, Iair Embon, Guillermo Solovey
{"title":"Pre- and post-decision signals of certainty in changing minds.","authors":"Pablo Barttfeld, Nicolás Comay, Iair Embon, Guillermo Solovey","doi":"10.1016/j.tins.2025.09.010","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tins.2025.09.010","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>In a recent study, Goueytes and colleagues combined computational modeling with intracranial recordings to dissect the neural basis of confidence and changes of mind. They reveal a temporally organized, spatially distributed hierarchy of evidence accumulation, with pre-decisional signals in the pre-supplementary motor area (preSMA) and post-decisional signals in the insula. This reframes metacognition as a distributed and dynamic process.</p>","PeriodicalId":23325,"journal":{"name":"Trends in Neurosciences","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":15.1,"publicationDate":"2025-10-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145239773","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Isabelle Groves, Stephanie L Grella, Carolyn W Harley, Oliver Hardt, Lynn Nadel
{"title":"How prediction error drives memory updating: role of locus coeruleus-hippocampal interactions.","authors":"Isabelle Groves, Stephanie L Grella, Carolyn W Harley, Oliver Hardt, Lynn Nadel","doi":"10.1016/j.tins.2025.09.003","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tins.2025.09.003","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The brain constantly generates predictions based on one's knowledge of the world, as captured in memory. When these predictions are in error, our knowledge base must be revised to remain relevant. Here, we propose that this error-driven updating of memory depends largely on the interplay between the hippocampus and locus coeruleus (LC), during which the former conveys information about surprise to the latter, signaling the magnitude of prediction error. Small prediction errors promote editing of existing memories, whereas large prediction errors lead to the formation of new episodic memories. We suggest that this memory curation process is central to adaptive behavior, extending classical views on the contributions of the LC to cognition.</p>","PeriodicalId":23325,"journal":{"name":"Trends in Neurosciences","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":15.1,"publicationDate":"2025-10-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145233587","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Zhihao Zhang, Yanxia Chen, Qian Yu, Jinming Li, Liye Zou, Myrto F Mavilidi, C Shawn Green, Neville Owen, Mats Hallgren, David Raichlen, Shuo Lu, Gene E Alexander, Fred Paas, Fabian Herold
{"title":"A neurobiological taxonomy of sedentary behavior for brain health.","authors":"Zhihao Zhang, Yanxia Chen, Qian Yu, Jinming Li, Liye Zou, Myrto F Mavilidi, C Shawn Green, Neville Owen, Mats Hallgren, David Raichlen, Shuo Lu, Gene E Alexander, Fred Paas, Fabian Herold","doi":"10.1016/j.tins.2025.09.002","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tins.2025.09.002","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Growing evidence documents that the influence of sedentary behaviors on brain health is not universally beneficial or detrimental but rather context-dependent and nuanced. More specifically, recent findings suggest that mentally active sedentary behavior, such as video gaming, may benefit brain health, whereas mentally passive sedentary behavior, such as television viewing, may not convey such benefits. However, traditional classification approaches do not fully recognize the importance of content relevance. In this opinion article, we propose a neurobiological, dual-axis framework combining mental activation and content relevance to distinguish effects of specific sedentary behavior types on brain health-related outcomes. This refined sedentary behavior taxonomy may open novel perspectives to clarify mechanisms and the roles of key moderators (e.g., age and life context) in future brain health research for enhanced public health strategies and more personalized lifestyle recommendations.</p>","PeriodicalId":23325,"journal":{"name":"Trends in Neurosciences","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":15.1,"publicationDate":"2025-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145213939","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Harnessing neuronal plasticity for sustained symptom relief with DBS.","authors":"Doris D Wang, Coralie de Hemptinne","doi":"10.1016/j.tins.2025.09.007","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tins.2025.09.007","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>In a recent study, Spencer and colleagues demonstrated that high-frequency microsimulation of the globus pallidus internus (GPi) in individuals with Parkinson's disease induces long-term potentiation (LTP)-like effects in the inhibitory pathways, leading to transient improvements in bradykinesia that can persist beyond stimulation cessation. Their results highlight the potential of leveraging synaptic plasticity mechanisms in deep brain stimulation (DBS) to optimize therapy.</p>","PeriodicalId":23325,"journal":{"name":"Trends in Neurosciences","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":15.1,"publicationDate":"2025-09-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145207634","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}