Individual granule cells within the cerebellum-the region of the brain that coordinates movement and supports the learning of new motor skills-receive both sensory and motor input streams: an arrangement that may help the brain to use feedback to fine-tune movement.

Imaging experiments reveal that some brain regions do not distinguish between actions performed using tools and those performed using the hands, while others represent these two types of action separately.

In individuals with a missing hand, the area of the brain that would otherwise control that hand is recruited by either the remaining hand or the residual limb, depending on the usage preference of the individual.

Non-invasive MEG recordings reveal that patterns of spontaneous activity in the resting brain are shorter lived than previously thought.

An area of visual-motor cortex called the lateral intraparietal area encodes eye position signals that support visually-guided behaviors and image stabilization.

Male and female mice respond differently to the same pheromone signals, and the representation of these sensory stimuli by neurons in the medial amygdala correlates precisely with the differences in behavior.

Three-dimensional mapping of the neural circuitry that controls movement of a marine worm in response to light provides insights into the evolution of complex visual systems.

A subset of retinal ganglion cells respond specifically to small moving objects and project to a visual area that plays a key role in prey capture behavior.

By demonstrating song learning-related synaptic strengthening and pruning in the vocal control circuits of songbirds, and showing how such changes can reduce the sensitivity of the circuit to ‘noisy’ inputs, a simple neural circuit mechanism for regulating motor variability during motor skill learning is identified.

Large-scale changes in the brain's functional circuitry can be brought about by simple changes in gene expression in neural stem cells during development.