Mutations in SH3 and multiple ankyrin repeat domains protein 3 (SHANK3) are associated with several neurodevelopmental disorders, but it is not known whether correcting SHANK3 levels in the mature CNS would alleviate synaptic impairments in rodents carrying Shank3 mutations. Mei et al. generated a mouse, lacking constitutive expression of Shank3,… Download references

Projections from the paraventricular thalamus to the nucleus accumbens mediate the somatic response and aversion to opiate withdrawal in mice.

RNA-binding motif protein 3, a cold-shock protein, promotes synaptic regeneration and is neuroprotective in mouse models of Alzheimer disease and prion infection.

The reelin signalling pathway modulates synaptic plasticity, but it is not known whether it does so by regulating a specific pattern of transcription in neurons. Telese et al. now characterize enhancer regions of the mouse genome that are activated by reelin signalling, and show that proteolytic cleavage of the reelin receptor by γ-secre… Download references

Cognitive development occurs as a linked cascade of emerging skills, but how the visual abilities of infants contribute to cognitive function later in childhood has yet not been investigated. Here, Stjerna et al. studied the link between visual fixation performance in newborns and later cognitive function. Children that had good… Download references

Diabetes, dopamine and depressionType 2 diabetes, characterized by insulin resistance, has been linked to mood disorders, but the underlying mechanisms are not well understood.Kleinridders et al. now show that mice lacking the insulin receptor in the brain display increased depression-and anxiety-like behaviours.Decreased dopamine release in the striatum was also observed in these mice, and anti-depressant drugs that increase dopamine levels attenuated depression-like behaviours.These findings suggest that mood disorders in diabetes are caused by insulin resistance in the CNS and involve disruption of dopaminergic pathways.