Transient changes in the firing of midbrain dopamine neurons have been closely tied to the unidimensional value-based prediction error contained in temporal difference reinforcement learning models. However, whereas an abundance of work has now shown how well dopamine responses conform to the predictions of this hypothesis, far fewer studies have challenged its implicit assumption that dopamine is not involved in learning value-neutral features of reward. Here, we review studies in rats and humans that put this assumption to the test, and which suggest that dopamine transients provide a much richer signal that incorporates information that goes beyond integrated value.

The major pathological feature of Parkinson 's disease (PD), the second most common neurodegenerative disease and most common movement disorder, is the predominant degeneration of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra, a part of the midbrain. Despite decades of research, the molecular mechanisms of the origin of the disease remain unknown. While the disease was initially viewed as a purely neuronal disorder, results from single-cell transcriptomics have suggested that oligodendrocytes may play an important role in the early stages of Parkinson's. Although these findings are of high relevance, particularly to the search for effective disease-modifying therapies, the actual functional role of oligodendrocytes in Parkinson's disease remains highly speculative and requires a concerted scientific effort to be better understood. This Unsolved Mystery discusses the limited understanding of oligodendrocytes in PD, highlighting unresolved questions regarding functional changes in oligodendroglia, the role of myelin in nigral dopaminergic neurons, the impact of the toxic environment, and the aggregation of alpha-synuclein within oligodendrocytes.

Understanding how corticostriatal circuits mediate behavioral selection and initiation in a naturalistic setting is critical to understanding behavior choice and execution in unconstrained situations. The central striatum (CS) is well poised to play an important role in these spontaneous processes. Using fiber photometry and optogenetics, we identify a role for CS in grooming initiation. However, CS-evoked movements resemble short grooming fragments, suggesting additional input is required to appropriately sustain behavior once initiated. Consistent with this idea, the anterior lateral motor area (ALM) demonstrates a slow ramp in activity that peaks at grooming termination, supporting a potential role for ALM in encoding grooming bout length. Furthermore, optogenetic stimulation of ALM-CS terminals generates sustained grooming responses. Finally, dual-region photometry indicates that CS activation precedes ALM during grooming. Taken together, these data support a model in which CS is involved in grooming initiation, while ALM may encode grooming bout length.

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Recent advances in the field of Voltage Imaging, with a special focus on new constructs and novel implementations.

Work related to place tuning, spatial navigation, orientation and direction. Mainly includes articles on connectivity in the hippocampus, retrosplenial cortex, and related areas.

We show that neither pure steady state nor pure progress curve analysis yield reliable estimate of enzyme KM values since these methods are valid only at specific timescales and also use different type of datasets. All the currently proposed validity conditions of these methods assume a priori knowledge on KM. Hence, there is no way to check whether the obtained KM from a given dataset is a reliable estimate or not. Here we propose an integrated approach in which the same time course dataset will be analysed both in the progress curve as well as steady state perspectives at different reaction timescales across replications and substrate concentrations. Our theory shows that there exists an optimum reaction time at which the error in the estimation of KM using various progress curve and steady state methods show the least possible value so that the coefficient of variation of the median KM values obtained across various methods attains a minimum. Using detailed stochastic simulations, we confirm that the KM value obtained with minimum coefficient of variation across various methods is actually the reliable estimate that is close to the original KM value. We further show that using multiple nonlinear regression methods, the type of inhibition viz. competitive, uncompetitive and mixed can be accurately classified apart from obtaining the accurate inhibitor constants and IC50 values from Dixon type average velocity steady state datasets.

Thermal stability in lithium-ion batteries is crucial for ensuring safety in energy storage systems and electric vehicles, where thermal runaway poses significant risks due to localized heating and the uncontrolled propagation of exothermic reactions. This study investigates the thermal dynamics in lithium-ion batteries under various critical heating conditions using a three-dimensional finite volume model. The research examines the effects of heating power, heating positions, and cell spacing on thermal runaway propagation patterns, focusing on both single-cell and multi-cell battery pack configurations. Analysis revealed that the direction of heat flow plays a significant role in thermal behavior, with side heating leading to faster runaway and central heating initially delaying initiation before accelerating at specific thresholds. Key findings indicate that lithium iron fluoride cathode materials exhibit superior thermal stability compared to nickel-manganese-cobalt-aluminum oxide types, and increasing cell spacing reduces the severity and timing of thermal runaway. A comparative evaluation of heating scenarios-side, central, and vertical-highlighted vertical 20 mm heating as the safest option. Moreover, the study details the heat release dynamics of different chemical processes: the negative solvent contributed the most significant heat generation (1.78 kW), while the solid electrolyte interphase layer produced the lowest (0.133 kW). Non-linear impacts of heating power were also observed, with a 7 kW/m configuration producing higher peak temperatures than 10 kW/m and resulting in an 18% reduction in thermal initiation time. These results improve the understanding of thermal runaway under varying conditions and provide insights for designing safer lithium-ion battery systems, with implications for thermal management in automotive, aerospace, and energy storage applications.