Neuroscience

In mammals, histone 3 lysine 4 methylation (H3K4me) is mediated by six different lysine methyltransferases. Among these enzymes, SETD1B (SET domain containing 1b) has been linked to syndromic intellectual disability in human subjects, but its role in the mammalian postnatal brain has not been studied yet. Here, we employ mice deficient for Setd1b in excitatory neurons of the postnatal forebrain, and combine neuron-specific ChIP-seq and RNA-seq approaches to elucidate its role in neuronal gene expression.

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Neurocognitive impairment is present in 50% of HIV-infected individuals and is often associated with Alzheimer's Disease (AD)-like brain pathologies, including increased amyloid-beta (Aβ) and Tau hyperphosphorylation. Here, we aimed to determine whether HIV-1 infection causes AD-like pathologies in an HIV/AIDS humanized mouse model, and whether the CCR5 antagonist maraviroc alters HIV-induced pathologies.NOD/scid-IL-2Rγcnull mice engrafted with human blood leukocytes were infected with HIV-1, left untreated or treated with maraviroc (120 mg/kg twice/day).

Septal-hypothalamic neuronal activity centrally mediates aggressive behavior and dopamine system hyperactivity is associated with elevated aggression. However, the causal role of dopamine in aggression and its target circuit mechanisms are largely unknown. To address this knowledge gap, we studied the modulatory role of the population- and projection-specific dopamine function in a murine model of aggressive behavior.

In 2021, three encephalitis cases due to the Borna disease virus 1 (BoDV-1) were diagnosed in the north and east of Germany. The patients were from the states of Thuringia, Saxony-Anhalt, and Lower Saxony. All were residents of known endemic areas for animal Borna disease but without prior diagnosed human cases. Except for one recently detected case in the state of Brandenburg, all >30 notified cases had occurred in, or were linked to, the southern state of Bavaria.

The state of somatic energy stores in metazoans is communicated to the brain, which regulates key aspects of behaviour, growth, nutrient partitioning and development1. The central melanocortin system acts through melanocortin 4 receptor (MC4R) to control appetite, food intake and energy expenditure2. Here we present evidence that MC3R regulates the timing of sexual maturation, the rate of linear growth and the accrual of lean mass, which are all energy-sensitive processes.

The brain is the seat of body weight homeostasis. However, our inability to control the increasing prevalence of obesity highlights a need to look beyond canonical feeding pathways to broaden our understanding of body weight control1-3. Here we used a reverse-translational approach to identify and anatomically, molecularly and functionally characterize a neural ensemble that promotes satiation. Unbiased, task-based functional magnetic resonance imaging revealed marked differences in cerebellar responses to food in people with a genetic disorder characterized by insatiable appetite.

Biological processes are largely governed by the RNA molecules and resulting peptides that are encoded by an organism’s DNA. For decades, our understanding of biology has been vastly enhanced through study of the distribution and abundance of RNA molecules. Studies of the inner ear are no exception, and approaches like qPCR, RNA-seq, and in situ hybridization (ISH) have contributed greatly to our understanding of inner ear development and function. While qPCR and RNA-seq provide sensitive and broad measures of RNA quantity, they can be limited in their ability to resolve RNA localization.

Background A key challenge in the understanding and treatment of depression is identifying cell types and molecular mechanisms that mediate behavioral responses to antidepressant drugs. As treatment responses in clinical depression are heterogeneous, it is crucial to examine treatment responders and nonresponders in preclinical studies.