{"title":"Planning in the Brain: It's Not What You Think It Is.","authors":"Marcelo G Mattar, Nathaniel D Daw","doi":"10.1146/annurev-neuro-102124-015847","DOIUrl":"10.1146/annurev-neuro-102124-015847","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The neuroscience of planning has long been analogized to search algorithms in artificial intelligence (AI), which simulate future actions to guide immediate choices. We argue that advances in both neuroscience and AI suggest that planning is better understood to encompass a broader class of computations where mental simulation supports learning, often well before a decision is needed. We review three neurocomputational mechanisms that illustrate this shift. First, hippocampal replay resembles search but also often occurs prospectively or offline, likely training downstream circuits rather than directly guiding choice. Second, temporally abstract representations, such as grid cells, can enable planning without iterative search. Third, metalearning may shape how prefrontal dynamics implement task-specific planning strategies, echoing how AI systems learn to adapt across contexts. This view recasts the brain's planning machinery as a family of learning processes that leverage simulations to build representations and strategies, with forward search as one special case.</p>","PeriodicalId":8008,"journal":{"name":"Annual review of neuroscience","volume":" ","pages":"435-450"},"PeriodicalIF":13.8,"publicationDate":"2026-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13224046/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147697215","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}
{"title":"The Cellular and Circuit Basis of Temperature Sensation in <i>Drosophila</i>.","authors":"Marco Gallio","doi":"10.1146/annurev-neuro-102124-032621","DOIUrl":"10.1146/annurev-neuro-102124-032621","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The thermosensory system enables animals to detect and respond to changes in external temperature and is therefore essential for survival, yet remains significantly understudied. This review summarizes current knowledge of its organization in adult <i>Drosophila melanogaster</i>: from peripheral cellular receptors and molecular detection mechanisms to the brain circuits that process thermal information, beginning with second-order thermosensory projection neurons and their targets. The powerful tools available in <i>Drosophila</i> have driven significant advances, revealing the organization of this system at the periphery, the reach of thermosensory pathways within the brain, and the range of behaviors directly influenced by external temperature. These findings also open new avenues to examine how the thermosensory system has been reshaped under changing thermal conditions as <i>Drosophila</i> species evolved to colonize diverse thermal environments.</p>","PeriodicalId":8008,"journal":{"name":"Annual review of neuroscience","volume":" ","pages":"393-409"},"PeriodicalIF":13.8,"publicationDate":"2026-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13359671/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147653660","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}
{"title":"Rethinking Predictive Processing.","authors":"Shohei Furutachi, Sonja B Hofer","doi":"10.1146/annurev-neuro-102124-031410","DOIUrl":"10.1146/annurev-neuro-102124-031410","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Predictive coding proposes that the brain constructs internal models of the world to continuously predict sensory input and uses resulting errors to refine these models. Over the past several decades, neurophysiological studies have reported activity patterns consistent with this view. However, varied definitions and inconsistent empirical evidence have raised questions about its validity and explanatory scope. In this review, we provide a historical overview of the predictive processing framework and evaluate its empirical support, particularly focusing on sensory prediction error signals. We argue that clarifying what information these signals represent is crucial, as they may appear similar in their responses yet reflect fundamentally different underlying computations. We then revisit predictive coding, highlighting alternative accounts of how sensory prediction error signals encode information. Finally, we outline key directions for future work, aiming to provide a constructive roadmap for the next phase of predictive processing research and to advance our understanding of the neuronal algorithms underlying perception and cognition.</p>","PeriodicalId":8008,"journal":{"name":"Annual review of neuroscience","volume":" ","pages":"471-494"},"PeriodicalIF":13.8,"publicationDate":"2026-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147697354","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}
Manjari M-G Anant, Dylan Z Faltine-Gonzalez, Salvatore Andrea Lacava, Justus M Kebschull
{"title":"Principles of Brain Region Evolution: Insights from the Cerebellar Nuclei.","authors":"Manjari M-G Anant, Dylan Z Faltine-Gonzalez, Salvatore Andrea Lacava, Justus M Kebschull","doi":"10.1146/annurev-neuro-082625-101819","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-neuro-082625-101819","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>How do new brain regions evolve? The cerebellar nuclei, the output structures of the cerebellum, are an ideal model for studying this question due to their striking diversification across vertebrates: Mammals have three bilaterally symmetric nuclei, birds and reptiles have two, and amphibians and cartilaginous fishes have one. Here, we review comparative, developmental, and transcriptomic data on the evolution of the cerebellar nuclei. We propose that the repeated duplication of a conserved cell type set coupled with excitatory neuron divergence underlies cerebellar nucleus diversification. We also discuss the possible origins of the ancestral cerebellar nucleus, likely through a duplication-and-divergence event of extracerebellar hindbrain structures. Finally, we explore how similar duplication-and-divergence mechanisms operate in other brain regions, underscoring this mechanism as a general principle governing the emergence of new brain structures.</p>","PeriodicalId":8008,"journal":{"name":"Annual review of neuroscience","volume":"49 1","pages":"39-59"},"PeriodicalIF":13.8,"publicationDate":"2026-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148409949","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}
Cristopher M Niell, Michael Beyeler, Michael J Goard, Spencer LaVere Smith
{"title":"Ecological Visual Processing in the Mouse.","authors":"Cristopher M Niell, Michael Beyeler, Michael J Goard, Spencer LaVere Smith","doi":"10.1146/annurev-neuro-112723-040446","DOIUrl":"10.1146/annurev-neuro-112723-040446","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Visual systems evolved to extract behaviorally relevant information while animals move through and interact with their world. Such ecological vision differs fundamentally from standard laboratory paradigms in many key aspects, making this a much harder problem for the brain to solve, and for the neuroscientist to study. However, emerging technologies and experimental approaches have enabled investigation of visual computations under these ecological conditions. These approaches are particularly powerful in the mouse, combining well-developed genetic tools, high-throughput recordings, and quantifiable ethological tasks. Here we review computations that are engaged in ecological contexts, including active sensing, motion processing, scene analysis, distance estimation, and spatial perception. We delineate experimental approaches that engage these computations and synthesize current understanding of their neural implementations based on mouse research. These studies reveal how ecological vision engages distinct processing strategies and novel neural circuitry, while highlighting the vast territory that remains unexplored in understanding real-world visual computation.</p>","PeriodicalId":8008,"journal":{"name":"Annual review of neuroscience","volume":" ","pages":"189-209"},"PeriodicalIF":13.8,"publicationDate":"2026-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13198434/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147490365","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}
Anais Roger, Linda Kaupp, Elisa Preto, Tuany Eichwald, Karen O Dixon, Harald Lund, Sebastien Talbot
{"title":"The Dorsal Root Ganglia: From a Neuronal Relay to a Sensory Organ.","authors":"Anais Roger, Linda Kaupp, Elisa Preto, Tuany Eichwald, Karen O Dixon, Harald Lund, Sebastien Talbot","doi":"10.1146/annurev-neuro-102124-034329","DOIUrl":"10.1146/annurev-neuro-102124-034329","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Somatosensory ganglia are often cast as passive relays, yet growing evidence shows the dorsal root ganglion (DRG) is a specialized sensory-immune organ. In the DRG, perineuronal and perivascular units act as sentinels that detect danger and calibrate immune tone. A permeable, macrophage-guarded blood-DRG barrier admits systemic cues, while neuron-glia microdomains set sensory gain and help restore homeostasis. Throughout the organ, neurons, glia, and vascular-stromal cells share immune receptors, enabling coordinated responses to infection, inflammation, and autoimmunity. In turn, neuronal signals reshape vascular tone and leukocyte trafficking, whereas immune mediators can promote recovery or drive pathology. Single-cell and spatial atlases reveal regenerative programs and zonation that organize these circuits. Together, these insights reframe the DRG as an integrator linking immune state to sensory encoding and pain. Preserving DRG structure-by fortifying barriers, stabilizing glial buffering, and steering macrophages toward resolution-could blunt maladaptive neuroimmune interactions and enable durable pain relief without compromising host defense.</p>","PeriodicalId":8008,"journal":{"name":"Annual review of neuroscience","volume":" ","pages":"211-233"},"PeriodicalIF":13.8,"publicationDate":"2026-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147490495","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}
Pieter M Goltstein, Tobias Bonhoeffer, Mark Hübener
{"title":"Learning and Representation of Categories in the Rodent Brain.","authors":"Pieter M Goltstein, Tobias Bonhoeffer, Mark Hübener","doi":"10.1146/annurev-neuro-082225-083950","DOIUrl":"10.1146/annurev-neuro-082225-083950","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Category learning-the ability to group individual objects, experiences, and concepts into higher-level abstract representations-is fundamental to fast, flexible decision-making and generalization of knowledge to novel situations. While categories and concepts have traditionally been studied in humans and nonhuman primates, this review puts the focus on the lesser-known domain of rodent category learning. Within the context of human and nonhuman primate work, we highlight the behavioral capabilities and limitations of rodents in categorization tasks, and discuss the neural circuits identified so far. Finally, we outline a roadmap for uncovering the systems and synaptic mechanisms that support the representation of learned categories in the mammalian brain.</p>","PeriodicalId":8008,"journal":{"name":"Annual review of neuroscience","volume":" ","pages":"331-353"},"PeriodicalIF":13.8,"publicationDate":"2026-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147643488","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":"The Representation of Affective Internal States in the Hypothalamus: A Neural Manifold View.","authors":"Aditya Nair, Scott Linderman, David J Anderson","doi":"10.1146/annurev-neuro-090225-115629","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-neuro-090225-115629","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Our understanding of hypothalamic circuits that control social and other innate survival behaviors has exploded in recent years, thanks to the application of powerful genetically based tools for marking, mapping, manipulating, and monitoring specific neuronal subpopulations. Yet there remains an important set of unanswered questions that must be addressed to fully understand this complex system, including how the hypothalamus encodes affective internal states underlying these behaviors. In systems neuroscience, neural representations of cognitive variables have been revealed by analyzing the activity and dynamics of neural manifolds hidden within high-dimensional population neural activity. These signals are not detectable in the activity of individual neurons or neuron types. Because the hypothalamus has traditionally been viewed as the least \"cognitive\" part of the brain, the so-called \"population doctrine\" in cognitive neuroscience has not been widely applied to this system. Here, we discuss recent data that suggest that the application of this manifold-level approach may be useful for identifying representations and mechanisms of internal affective state coding in the hypothalamus. In turn, these findings argue that cognition and emotion may share computational mechanisms to a greater degree than previously assumed.</p>","PeriodicalId":8008,"journal":{"name":"Annual review of neuroscience","volume":"49 1","pages":"371-391"},"PeriodicalIF":13.8,"publicationDate":"2026-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148410030","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":"The Emerging Neurobiology of Psychedelics: Critical Periods, Metaplasticity, and Extracellular Matrix Remodeling.","authors":"Gül Dölen, Makenzie L Wilkinson","doi":"10.1146/annurev-neuro-112723-045129","DOIUrl":"10.1146/annurev-neuro-112723-045129","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Psychedelics are a broad category of compounds that induce altered states of consciousness. These drugs have shown remarkable promise for the treatment of debilitating disorders ranging from posttraumatic stress disorder to depression and addiction. Although early studies focused on linking binding targets of psychedelics to their therapeutic effects, these pharmacological and biochemical explanations fail to account for the diversity, durability, and context dependence of psychedelics' clinical and acute subjective effects. More recently, neurobiological explanations offer fresh insights and demonstrate that a unifying property of psychedelics is that these compounds reopen critical periods, induce metaplasticity, and reorganize the extracellular matrix. Here we review this evidence and argue that the neurobiological and therapeutic effects of psychedelics challenge the biochemical imbalance model that has dominated translational neuroscience since the 1950s and favor instead a learning model that better accounts for psychedelics' unique therapeutic profile.</p>","PeriodicalId":8008,"journal":{"name":"Annual review of neuroscience","volume":" ","pages":"495-515"},"PeriodicalIF":13.8,"publicationDate":"2026-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13436805/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147697294","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}
{"title":"Glucocorticoid Receptor-Regulated Gene Networks and Mental Health.","authors":"Michael J Meaney, Elisabeth B Binder","doi":"10.1146/annurev-neuro-102124-031826","DOIUrl":"10.1146/annurev-neuro-102124-031826","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Stressors, including those occurring in early development, predict an increased risk for psychopathology. The challenge is that of defining causal pathways that connect stressful conditions to specific health outcomes and then leveraging this knowledge toward treatments. This review focuses on glucocorticoids (GCs), the end products of stressor-induced hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis activity, and reviews evidence, including recent multiomics analyses, regarding their role in mental health. We outline the challenges in translating this knowledge into effective treatments and recent evidence for the potential of gene network analyses to identify molecular pathways linking stress to psychopathology. A detailed examination of GC activity through the glucocorticoid receptor is presented as an example of the complexities involved in achieving this research objective and paths to novel interventions through gene network analyses.</p>","PeriodicalId":8008,"journal":{"name":"Annual review of neuroscience","volume":" ","pages":"105-123"},"PeriodicalIF":13.8,"publicationDate":"2026-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147490368","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}