Author name: Kristen Hartman

Wang Y, Tan B, Wang Y, Chen Z (2021) Cholinergic signaling, neural excitability, and epilepsy. Molecules 26(8):2258. doi: 10.3390/molecules26082258 Summary: In this review, the authors briefly describe the distribution of cholinergic neurons, muscarinic, and nicotinic receptors in the central nervous system and their relationship with neural excitability and epilepsy. intraventricular administration of 192-IgG-SAP, which inhibits

Liu X, Wang Y, Tao T, Zeng L, Wang D, Wen Y, Li Y, Zhao Z, Tao A (2021) GRPR/extracellular signal-regulated kinase and NPRA/extracellular signal-regulated kinase signaling pathways play a critical role in spinal transmission of chronic itch. J Invest Dermatol 141(4):863-873. doi: 10.1016/j.jid.2020.09.008 Summary: This study investigates whether there are certain key signaling molecules

Ashkenazi SL, Polis B, David O, Morris G (2021) Striatal cholinergic interneurons exert inhibition on competing default behaviours controlled by the nucleus accumbens and dorsolateral striatum. Eur J Neurosci 53(7):2078-2089. doi: 10.1111/ejn.14873 Objective: To determine whether cholinergic interneurons contribute to the competition between both ventral and dorsolateral control systems. Summary: Findings indicate a central role

Xu Q, Wang DR, Dong H, Chen L, Lu J, Lazarus M, Cherasse Y, Chen GH, Qu WM, Huang ZL (2021) Medial parabrachial nucleus is essential in controlling wakefulness in rats. Front Neurosci 15:645877. doi: 10.3389/fnins.2021.645877 Summary: Lesions of the LC with 192-IgG-SAP have no significant effect on wakefulness in rats (Blanco-Centurion et al.). Only

Dinh HT, Nishimaru H, Le QV, Matsumoto J, Setogawa T, Maior RS, Tomaz C, Ono T, Nishijo H (2021) Preferential neuronal responses to snakes in the monkey medial prefrontal cortex support an evolutionary origin for ophidiophobia. Front Behav Neurosci 15:653250. doi: 10.3389/fnbeh.2021.653250 Summary: Ophidiophobia (snake phobia) is one of the most common specific phobias. Noninvasive

Li T, Zhao J, Xie W, Yuan W, Guo J, Pang S, Gan WB, Gómez-Nicola D, Zhang S (2021) Specific depletion of resident microglia in the early stage of stroke reduces cerebral ischemic damage. J Neuroinflammation 18(1):81. doi: 10.1186/s12974-021-02127-w Summary: The role of activated microglia during the development of ischemia remains controversial. The authors investigate

Sun S, Ding Z, Yang X, Zhao X, Zhao M, Gao L, Chen Q, Xie S, Liu A, Yin S, Xu Z, Lu X (2021) Nanobody: a small antibody with big implications for tumor therapeutic strategy. Int J Nanomedicine 16:2337-2356. doi: 10.2147/IJN.S297631 Summary: This Journal Club commentary focuses on the publication by Kalinchuk et al.