Trends in NeurosciencesPub Date : 2026-05-01Epub Date: 2026-03-12DOI: 10.1016/j.tins.2026.02.003
Alex Tchung, Amandine Even, Louis-Éric Trudeau
{"title":"Cell-autonomous and non-cell-autonomous drivers of dopamine neuron vulnerability in Parkinson's disease.","authors":"Alex Tchung, Amandine Even, Louis-Éric Trudeau","doi":"10.1016/j.tins.2026.02.003","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.tins.2026.02.003","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The motor symptoms of Parkinson's disease are linked to age-dependent degeneration of dopamine neurons. Traditionally, the loss of these neurons has been thought to stem mainly from cell-autonomous cellular dysfunctions. However, there is growing evidence suggesting that it could result from complex interactions between cell-autonomous and non-cell-autonomous mechanisms. This review article examines evidence for cell-autonomous mechanisms linked to mitochondrial, lysosomal, or proteasomal perturbations and for non-cell-autonomous processes arising from glial and peripheral immune cells. We discuss how these pathways can converge to create chronic cellular stress and trigger cell death mechanisms. Beyond highlighting apoptosis as a key mode of degeneration, we consider the contribution of other mechanisms, including pyroptosis and ferroptosis. Understanding the relative dominance of these mechanisms across disease stages and patient subgroups could help guide the development of mechanism-based neuroprotective strategies.</p>","PeriodicalId":23325,"journal":{"name":"Trends in Neurosciences","volume":" ","pages":"328-343"},"PeriodicalIF":15.7,"publicationDate":"2026-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147445253","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}
Trends in NeurosciencesPub Date : 2026-05-01Epub Date: 2026-04-11DOI: 10.1016/j.tins.2026.03.008
Hao Li, Mijntje M I Schellekens, Vitória Piai, Roy P C Kessels, Frank-Erik de Leeuw, Anil M Tuladhar
{"title":"Cognitive performance after stroke at a young age from a brain network perspective.","authors":"Hao Li, Mijntje M I Schellekens, Vitória Piai, Roy P C Kessels, Frank-Erik de Leeuw, Anil M Tuladhar","doi":"10.1016/j.tins.2026.03.008","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.tins.2026.03.008","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Cognitive impairment is present in nearly half of young stroke survivors, with about one-quarter suffering from aphasia. Recent studies have explored trajectories of cognitive functioning beyond the acute phase after stroke, the potential mechanisms of post-stroke cognitive impairment, and cognitive rehabilitation strategies informed by these findings. In this review, we describe the temporal course of cognitive performance in young adults after stroke and examine how focal stroke lesions disrupt local and global brain networks, affecting cognitive functions. We further discuss the concept of brain resilience and review evidence on cognitive rehabilitation interventions. We highlight knowledge gaps in age-specific studies, emphasizing that network-informed and individualized approaches are needed to optimize long-term functional outcomes in young stroke patients.</p>","PeriodicalId":23325,"journal":{"name":"Trends in Neurosciences","volume":" ","pages":"403-414"},"PeriodicalIF":15.7,"publicationDate":"2026-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147677048","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}
Trends in NeurosciencesPub Date : 2026-05-01Epub Date: 2026-04-11DOI: 10.1016/j.tins.2026.03.011
Calum K Bonthron, Claire S Durrant
{"title":"A timeline of tau-mediated synaptotoxicity.","authors":"Calum K Bonthron, Claire S Durrant","doi":"10.1016/j.tins.2026.03.011","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.tins.2026.03.011","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Oligomeric tau has been increasingly implicated in synaptic impairments observed in Alzheimer's disease. In a recent study, Pareja-Navarro and colleagues provide insights into the precise timeline of synaptic deficits induced by oligomeric forms of tau. Such knowledge could aid in the design of therapeutic interventions to prevent synaptic loss.</p>","PeriodicalId":23325,"journal":{"name":"Trends in Neurosciences","volume":" ","pages":"321-323"},"PeriodicalIF":15.7,"publicationDate":"2026-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147677030","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}
Trends in NeurosciencesPub Date : 2026-05-01Epub Date: 2026-04-16DOI: 10.1016/j.tins.2026.03.004
Sam J Washer, Marty Frith, Elizabeth Cowan, Emma Dempster, Jonathan Mill, Sophie L Farrow
{"title":"Epigenetic biomarkers in neurodegenerative diseases: from molecular signatures to therapeutic targets.","authors":"Sam J Washer, Marty Frith, Elizabeth Cowan, Emma Dempster, Jonathan Mill, Sophie L Farrow","doi":"10.1016/j.tins.2026.03.004","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.tins.2026.03.004","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Collectively, neurodegenerative diseases impose an escalating global health burden, representing one of the leading causes of death and disability worldwide. Despite their growing prevalence, diagnosis and treatment remain major challenges, partly due to the absence of specific and reliable biomarkers for early detection, disease monitoring, and prognosis. Epigenetic biomarkers are emerging as promising clinical tools, although their potential in the context of neurodegenerative diseases is not yet fully realised. In this review, we provide an overview of advances in the understanding of DNA modifications and chromatin architecture in neurodegeneration, highlighting translational relevance for biomarker discovery and therapeutic development. Finally, building on insights from other diseases where epigenetic biomarkers are already applied, we discuss the key steps required to enable implementation in neurodegenerative diseases.</p>","PeriodicalId":23325,"journal":{"name":"Trends in Neurosciences","volume":" ","pages":"373-389"},"PeriodicalIF":15.7,"publicationDate":"2026-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147718343","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}
Trends in NeurosciencesPub Date : 2026-05-01Epub Date: 2026-04-02DOI: 10.1016/j.tins.2026.03.001
Leanne M Holt, Eric J Nestler, Michelle L Olsen
{"title":"Cellular and molecular mechanisms of astrocyte plasticity in learning and memory.","authors":"Leanne M Holt, Eric J Nestler, Michelle L Olsen","doi":"10.1016/j.tins.2026.03.001","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.tins.2026.03.001","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Learning and memory arise from coordinated activity-dependent plasticity across neural circuits and brain regions. Astrocytes are increasingly recognized as active contributors to learning and memory via their roles in sensing, integrating, and responding to contextual information. Astrocytes modulate synaptic transmission, engage in circuit-specific signaling, and display context-dependent calcium dynamics that influence behavior. In this review, we focus on astrocyte functions across rodent models that display plasticity traditionally ascribed to neurons, including activity-dependent molecular and structural plasticity, circuit-level modulation, ensemble-like networks, and transcriptional, translational, proteomic, and epigenetic plasticity. Together, these findings redefine plasticity as an emergent property of the brain, regardless of cell type, in the context of learning and memory, and highlight the need for integrative, cell type-specific approaches to understanding complex behaviors.</p>","PeriodicalId":23325,"journal":{"name":"Trends in Neurosciences","volume":" ","pages":"344-357"},"PeriodicalIF":15.7,"publicationDate":"2026-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13051973/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147616838","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Trends in NeurosciencesPub Date : 2026-05-01Epub Date: 2026-04-07DOI: 10.1016/j.tins.2026.03.006
Ana S Vallés, Facundo H Prado Spalm, Marié L Cuervo Sánchez
{"title":"From maternal metabolism to offspring brain: how high-fructose diets shape neurodevelopment.","authors":"Ana S Vallés, Facundo H Prado Spalm, Marié L Cuervo Sánchez","doi":"10.1016/j.tins.2026.03.006","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.tins.2026.03.006","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Many women of childbearing age regularly consume fructose-rich processed foods, which can disrupt metabolism and trigger a low-grade systemic inflammatory state often overlooked in prenatal check-ups. In this review, we synthesize evidence from studies in animal models and humans, highlighting the critical role of maternal metabolism in fetal brain development. An adverse intrauterine environment can impair neurodevelopment, affecting cognition, social behavior, and emotional regulation, increasing the risk of conditions such as anxiety and depression. We emphasize the urgent need to implement educational programs and public health policies that raise awareness of these risks and promote dietary changes during preconception to reduce excessive fructose intake and prevent neurodevelopmental disorders.</p>","PeriodicalId":23325,"journal":{"name":"Trends in Neurosciences","volume":" ","pages":"358-372"},"PeriodicalIF":15.7,"publicationDate":"2026-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147640060","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}
Trends in NeurosciencesPub Date : 2026-04-01Epub Date: 2026-03-27DOI: 10.1016/j.tins.2026.03.003
Manyu Zhu, Aaron W James
{"title":"Aging brain, brittle bone.","authors":"Manyu Zhu, Aaron W James","doi":"10.1016/j.tins.2026.03.003","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.tins.2026.03.003","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Accumulating evidence suggests that neurons are key regulators of skeletal tissues. A recent study by Chen et al. demonstrated that aged brain neurons export WD repeat and FYVE domain containing 1 (WDFY1) to bone via extracellular vesicles. After uptake, WDFY1 engages in retromer-dependent endosome-to-Golgi recycling, shifting bone stem cell fate from osteogenesis toward adipogenesis, revealing a novel mechanism whereby brain aging regulates bone aging.</p>","PeriodicalId":23325,"journal":{"name":"Trends in Neurosciences","volume":" ","pages":"254-255"},"PeriodicalIF":15.7,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13035322/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147575561","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Trends in NeurosciencesPub Date : 2026-04-01Epub Date: 2026-03-14DOI: 10.1016/j.tins.2026.02.004
Adrienne I Kinman, Larissa Kraus, Mark S Cembrowski
{"title":"The subiculum: cell-type-specific composition, computation, and function.","authors":"Adrienne I Kinman, Larissa Kraus, Mark S Cembrowski","doi":"10.1016/j.tins.2026.02.004","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.tins.2026.02.004","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The hippocampus is a key brain region for understanding the neurobiological mechanisms of learning, memory, and cognition. The subiculum, which provides the predominant form of hippocampal output via excitatory neurons, offers an advantageous perspective with which to understand these mechanisms. In this review, focusing on recent rodent research, we summarize and integrate results on subiculum excitatory neurons across molecular, cellular, circuit, and functional properties. This collective work converges upon discrete excitatory neuron subtypes coherently represented across modalities, with these subtypes occupying distinct spatial subdomains within the subiculum. This subtype framework helps contextualize existing findings on hippocampal processing, illustrates the possibility of spatially restricted parallel hippocampal outputs, and provides a biological roadmap for future experiments pursuing the mechanisms of hippocampal function.</p>","PeriodicalId":23325,"journal":{"name":"Trends in Neurosciences","volume":" ","pages":"278-291"},"PeriodicalIF":15.7,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147463861","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}
Trends in NeurosciencesPub Date : 2026-04-01Epub Date: 2026-03-18DOI: 10.1016/j.tins.2026.02.006
Xena Serifova, Bart Boets, Laura Luyten
{"title":"Triggered minds: key considerations for symptom provocation research in anxiety-related disorders.","authors":"Xena Serifova, Bart Boets, Laura Luyten","doi":"10.1016/j.tins.2026.02.006","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.tins.2026.02.006","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Anxiety-related disorders are prevalent and can severely impact daily functioning, making the study of their underlying mechanisms a priority. Symptom provocation is an experimental approach enabling researchers to elicit and examine specific symptoms under controlled conditions in people affected by these disorders. This article provides an overview of symptom provocation techniques, their implementation, and their role in advancing research on anxiety-related disorders (including anxiety disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and post-traumatic stress disorder). We outline key considerations for conducting high-quality symptom provocation studies, addressing study design and objectives, ethical considerations, experimenter training, study logistics, data validity, and opportunities for technological integration and collaboration. We provide guiding principles for obtaining more rigorous, reliable, and clinically meaningful findings to advance the current understanding of anxiety-related disorders.</p>","PeriodicalId":23325,"journal":{"name":"Trends in Neurosciences","volume":" ","pages":"256-266"},"PeriodicalIF":15.7,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147487262","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}
Trends in NeurosciencesPub Date : 2026-04-01Epub Date: 2026-03-06DOI: 10.1016/j.tins.2026.02.005
John A Lesku, Hannah Elmes
{"title":"DNA repair as a core function of sleep.","authors":"John A Lesku, Hannah Elmes","doi":"10.1016/j.tins.2026.02.005","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.tins.2026.02.005","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Sleep is widespread across animal species, yet its functions remain enigmatic. In a recent study, Aguillon, Harduf et al. characterize sleep in two of the simplest neuron-bearing animals to reveal that DNA, damaged while awake, is repaired during sleep. In doing so, the authors provide evidence for an evolutionarily ancient sleep function.</p>","PeriodicalId":23325,"journal":{"name":"Trends in Neurosciences","volume":" ","pages":"249-250"},"PeriodicalIF":15.7,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147373226","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}