Neural computational accounts of reward-learning have been dominated by the hypothesis that dopamine neurons behave like a reward-prediction error and thus facilitate reinforcement-learning in striatal target neurons. While this framework is consistent with a lot of behavioral and neural evidence, this theory fails to account for a number of behavioral and neurobiological observations. In …
Category Archive: Special Issues
Special Issue: Molecular Mechanisms of Neuronal Differentiation
What are the precise molecular and cellular mechanisms that the human brain exploits to encode consciousness, identity and thought? This remains undoubtedly one of the greatest scientific challenges facing mankind. This Special Issue addresses with eminent precision the rules that dictate the structural and functional diversity of neurons as well as the molecular principles that …
Towards a Comparative Understanding of Adult Neurogenesis
Guest Editors: L. Bonfanti and G Zupanc Despite the considerable enthusiasm for research on adult neurogenesis, there are a strikingly low number of comparative studies in this field. However knowledge from comparative studies may provide clues about the biological function of adult neurogenesis, which remains largely elusive in the intact mammalian brain. This Special Issue …
Special Issue: Saccade, Search and Orient: The Neural Control of Saccadic Eye Movements
One of the most important functions of the brain is to guide our behavior through an ever-changing environment. Circuitries executing and modulating saccadic eye movements represent an elegant model system for investigating how sensory information and goal-related information interact to control and coordinate behavior.
Special Issue: Adult Neurogenesis
The (re-)discovery that new neurons are generated in the adult mammalian brain has opened new perspectives on the regenerative capacity of the central nervous system, fueling hopes of rapid development of neuronal replacement therapies. This Special Issue of EJN encompasses a wide spectrum of views and opinions by leaders in the field, allowing any interested …
Special Issue: Plasticity of Neuroendocrine System
Guest Editors: Vincent Prévot This Special Issue presents current views on the mechanisms of neuronal, glial, and hormonal plasticity in the vertebrate hypothalamus and pituitary, focusing on ontogenic development and reversible changes during circadian, reproductive, and seasonal rhythms. These reviews outline fundamental principles of brain adaptation to constraints of the environment and of the “milieu …
Special Issue: Deep Brain Stimulation
Guest Editor:Didier Pinault This Special Feature of EJN presents ten reviews by world experts conducting basic and clinical research on Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) to address the mechanisms of action of DBS underlying its effects on the brain and its therapeutic potential for chronic neurological and psychiatric diseases. Read more…