Decades of neurobiological research have disclosed the diverse manners in which the
response properties of neurons are dynamically modulated to support adaptive cognitive …

Acetylcholine in the brain alters neuronal excitability, influences synaptic transmission,
induces synaptic plasticity, and coordinates firing of groups of neurons. As a result, it …

Humans and many other animals have an enormous capacity to learn about sensory stimuli
and to master new skills. However, many of the mechanisms that enable us to learn remain …

The classical studies of nicotine by Langley at the turn of the 20th century introduced the
concept of a “receptive substance,” from which the idea of a “receptor” came to light …

Axons are generally considered as reliable transmission cables in which stable propagation
occurs once an action potential is generated. Axon dysfunction occupies a central position in …

The past decades have seen a revolution in our understanding of brain diseases and in
particular of drug addiction. This has been largely due to the identification of …

More than 70% of adolescents report to have smoked a cigarette at least once. At the
adolescent stage the brain has not completed its maturation. The prefrontal cortex (PFC), the …

Physical features of sensory stimuli are fixed, but sensory perception is context dependent.
The precise mechanisms that govern contextual modulation remain unknown. Here, we …

Although systems that are involved in attentional selection have been studied extensively,
much less is known about nonselective systems. To study these preparatory mechanisms …

The addiction‐relevant molecular, cellular, and behavioral actions of nicotine are derived
from its stimulatory effects on neuronal nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) in the …