TWiN explains the finding that in the mouse visual cortex, astrocytes are key elements in the experience-dependent wiring of brain circuits.
TWiN reveals how oligodendrocytes enhance axonal energy metabolism by transcellular delivery of a protein, SIRT2, that deacetylates mitochondrial proteins.
TWiN discusses the finding that rewiring retinal projections to the auditory thalamus in ferrets leads to visually responsive cells that are typical of cells in the visual cortex.
TWiN reviews evidence in mice that brain neurons encode and retrieve specific immune responses.
TWiN answers listener questions on sex in neuroscience studies, rotating memories in the brain, odorant receptors in the brain, and neutrophils that promote neuron survival.
Ioana and Robert join TWiN to discuss their work demonstrating that rodents acquire maternal behavior by social transmission from an experienced mother to a virgin female how to care for a litter via endogenous oxytocin.
Bruce Carter joins TWiN to discuss the peripheral nervous system: the development of nerves that convey sensory information like touch from the tips of your toes to the brain, and Schwann cells, which are necessary for ensuring that those sensory signals are sustained as they travel long distances to the brain.
TWiN explains how anti-DNA antibodies present in lupus patients bind to GluN2A-containing NMDA receptors, act as positive allosteric modulators, and impair spatial memory.
TWiN explores a study of hallucination-like perception in mice which supports the idea that hallucinations arise as faulty perceptual inferences due to elevated dopamine in the striatum.
While perceptual constancy requires the brain to maintain a stable representation of sensory input, TWiN explores a study showing that odor-evoked responses in the olfactory cortex drift over periods of days to weeks.