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The increased tissue stiffness that results from the presence of Aβ aggregates activates microglial mechanosensitive PIEZO1 channels and drives Aβ engulfment, reducing plaque burden, synapse loss and spatial memory impairment in mice.
Human and animal studies reveal a neurobiological pathway that connects polygenic risks and behavioural changes that are shared between schizophrenia and bipolar mood disorder.
The molecular organization of the synapse is both highly organized and dynamic. Triller and colleagues outline advances in single-particle tracking technologies that have enabled us to gain quantitative insights into the mechanisms that regulate postsynaptic receptor dynamics.
There is increasing evidence that neurons are not the only cells affected by and contributing to neurodegenerative disorders. In this Review, Brandebura and colleagues discuss the role astrocytes play in neurodegenerative disorders as initiators of and contributors to disease progression.
Bogdan and colleagues consider how the findings of recent genome-wide association studies of substance use and addiction risk can be integrated with our current understanding of the neurobiological contributions to substance use disorders, and propose a new genetically informed model of addiction.
