
Brief sensory deprivation triggers cell type-specific structural and functional plasticity in olfactory bulb neurons
A new study by Elisa Galliano and colleagues in the Grubb lab at King’s College London was recently published in the Journal of Neuroscience. The authors investigated how a short-lived loss of smell (akin to a mild cold) induces functional and structural plasticity in a specific sub-population of dopaminergic interneurons in the mouse olfactory bulb.

Developmental clock and mechanism of de novo polarization of the mouse embryo
Study by the Zernicka-Goetz lab highlights the role of zygotic genome activation in regulating the timing of cell polarization

Amanda Sferruzzi-Perri awarded the Hans Sigrist Prize
Dr Sferruzzi-Perri will be awarded the prize in recognition for her work in maternal-fetal communication during pregnancy

Single brain region linked to depression and anxiety, heart disease and response to treatment
Marmoset study published in Nature Communications finds single brain region linking depression and anxiety, heart disease, and people’s sensitivity to treatment

How exercise can help fight cancer
Exercise reduces the growth of tumors and increases the effectivity of immune cells that fight cancer in mice, according to new study by the Johnson lab published in eLife

‘Happy ending effect’ can bias future decisions, say scientists
Study by Martin Vestergaard published in The Journal of Neuroscience reveals brain mechanisms underlying irrational decision-making

Prof Magdalena Zernicka-Goetz receives NIH award
Magdalena Zernicka-Goetz, Bren Professor of Biology and Biological Engineering at Caltech and Professor at the University of Cambridge, is a recipient of an NIH Director's Pioneer Award this year. The NIH Director's Pioneer Award,

Prof Angela Roberts awarded Goldman-Rakic Prize in Cognitive Neuroscience
Professor Angela Roberts has been awarded this years Goldman-Rakic Prize in Cognitive Neuroscience, jointly with Professor Robert Desimone, Director of the McGovern Institute at MIT, Boston, USA

Splitting to differentiate: abscission couples cell division to embryonic stem cell fate
New paper by the Paluch lab published in Developmental Cell outlines how cell division during development can remodel itself to facilitate transitions between stem cell fate

Ventromedial prefrontal area 14 provides opposing regulation of threat and reward-elicited responses in the common marmoset
New study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences this week shows how overactivity of an area in the frontal lobes, called area 14, that shows altered activity in depression, can flatten anticipatory excitement in marmoset monkeys and cause an acute state of anxiety-like behaviour.

Insight into development of cells in the nose that can promote nerve repair
Study by the Baker lab identifies novel markers for developing olfactory ensheathing cells and unexpected parallels with oligodendrocytes

Prevention of heart disease can start before birth
Mitochondrial therapy in complicated pregnancies lowers the chance of cardiovascular problems in the offspring

Developmental potential of aneuploid human embryos cultured beyond implantation
The first detailed analysis of post-implantation development of aneuploid human embryos have been published in Nature Communications by the Zernicka-Goetz lab

Origin and function of the yolk sac in primate embryogenesis
Why do human embryos need a yolk sac and how does it form? This Perspective on Nature Communications by Thorsten Boroviak and Connor Ross explores the development and function of the yolk sac in primate embryogenesis

Kristian Franze receives Senior Academic Promotion to Professor
Kristian to become Professor of Neuronal Mechanics
DDIEM: drug database for inborn errors of metabolism
A new paper published in the rare disease Orphanet Journal by the Schofield group announces the release of a new database for metabolic diseases
Autophagy-mediated apoptosis eliminates chromosomally abnormal cells from the mouse epiblast
New paper in Nature Communications by the Zernicka-Goetz group shows that apoptosis and autophagy ensure aneuploid cells in early stage embryos do not proceed through post-implantation development of the fetus

High doses of ketamine can temporarily switch off the brain
The Morton lab has identified two brain phenomena that may explain some of the side-effects of ketamine. Measurements of the brain waves of sheep sedated by the drug may explain the out-of-body experience and state of complete oblivion it can cause

Chicken embryo studies hatch clue on improving life-saving therapy for preterm babies
Research by the Giussani Lab published in The FASEB Journal suggests that combining currently used glucocorticoids with antioxidant could improve clinical treatment in pregnancies at risk of preterm birth

Neutrophils self-organise during the initiation of inflammatory responses
New study by the Sarris lab in Current Biology describes how close communication of neutrophils inside clusters organises their migration to sites of tissue damage and contributes to local defence

Living cells adapt their stiffness to that of their surroundings, or not?
New study by the Franze lab published in Nature Materials could have disproven a central dogma of mechanobiology: that living cells adapt their stiffness to the stiffness of their microenvironment.

Trait anxiety mediated by amygdala serotonin transporter in the common marmoset
New research by the Angela Robert's lab was published in the Journal of Neuroscience

Basement membrane remodelling regulates development
New study by Zernicka-Goetz lab published on Nature on the mechanism of membrane perforation during the development of the mouse embryo

Double-label immunohistochemistry to assess labyrinth structure of the mouse placenta with stereology
The study was published by the Sferruzzi-Perri lab on the journal Placenta

Cancerous cells hijack their microenvironment through long-range Notch activation
The Bray lab investigates how cancerous epithelial cells sustain tumor growth in their latest paper published on Current Biology, showing that epithelial cytonemes provide Delta to co-opt the normal mesenchyme through long-range Notch activation
Parental exposure to pathogens can result in increased response in their offspring
Nick Burton has just published a new studio on Nature Communications about how the response in parents to environmental stress, such as infections, can prime their offspring to better react to the same type of stress.

Fat fetuses: thyroid hormone deficiency before birth modifies adipose tissue development
New study by PDN and collaborators demonstrates that thyroid hormone deficiency before birth causes overgrowth of white adipose tissue

Study reveals novel aspects of the human metabolic response to hypoxia
In a report published in the New England Journal of Medicine, Dr Andrew Murray and Dr Katie O’Brien of PDN, along with an international team of collaborators, describe new aspects of the human metabolic response to low oxygen levels