Nature Reviews Neuroscience

Linking the exposome to the brain–behaviour phenotype

Sarah Genon — 2026-05-14

Nature Reviews Neuroscience, Published online: 14 May 2026; doi:10.1038/s41583-026-01049-x

Many physical, social, lifestyle and systemic body factors — collectively termed the ‘exposome’ — can influence brain and behavioural phenotypes across the lifespan. In this Perspective, Sarah Genon and colleagues examine how we can gain a better understanding of the exposome’s neurocognitive effects.

Neural basis of social hierarchy across species

Rongzhen Yan — 2026-05-14

Nature Reviews Neuroscience, Published online: 14 May 2026; doi:10.1038/s41583-026-01047-z

Structured social hierarchies, in which individuals differ in their access to resources and influence over other group members, are a characteristic of many social species. Rongzhen Yan and Dayu Lin describe the diverse routes through which social hierarchies arise in different species and outline our current understanding of the underlying neural mechanisms.

Mapping the molecular effects of Down syndrome in the developing brain

Katherine Whalley — 2026-05-12

Nature Reviews Neuroscience, Published online: 12 May 2026; doi:10.1038/s41583-026-01050-4

Two studies use single-nucleus multiomic sequencing to profile molecular and cellular dysfunction in the prenatal and early postnatal cortex in Down syndrome.

Rethinking hierarchy: the auditory system as an integrated cortical–subcortical network

Michael Lohse — 2026-05-11

Nature Reviews Neuroscience, Published online: 11 May 2026; doi:10.1038/s41583-026-01045-1

The auditory system differs from other senses in the complexity of its subcortical pathways. King and colleagues examine how subcortical structures transform sound representations and integrate sensory and behavioural context, highlighting their fundamental role in shaping cortical activity and in active listening.

Large-scale electrophysiology at single-spike resolution

Joshua H. Siegle — 2026-05-01

Nature Reviews Neuroscience, Published online: 01 May 2026; doi:10.1038/s41583-026-01042-4

Recent advances in large-scale electrophysiology now enable researchers to record from thousands of neurons distributed across the brain. Siegle and Steinmetz describe the principles underlying this technology and outline the key considerations, challenges and opportunities associated with collecting, analysing and sharing large electrophysiological datasets.

Wired for immunity: neuroimmune control of the lung by sensory neurons

Anna M. Ehlers — 2026-04-30

Nature Reviews Neuroscience, Published online: 30 April 2026; doi:10.1038/s41583-026-01046-0

Lung diseases drive substantial hospitalization, but available therapies remain limited. In this Review, Talbot and colleagues highlight pulmonary neuroimmunology — the bidirectional crosstalk between lung-innervating neurons and immune cells — and discuss how this axis may open new avenues for disease-modifying therapies.

A social readout of circuit imbalance

Baolin Guo — 2026-04-27

Nature Reviews Neuroscience, Published online: 27 April 2026; doi:10.1038/s41583-026-01048-y

In this Journal Club, Baolin Guo highlights a 2011 study that linked altered excitation–inhibition balance in prefrontal circuits to social dysfunction in mice.

Making the primate cortex ‘see’ with mesoscale optogenetics

Hao Li — 2026-04-15

Nature Reviews Neuroscience, Published online: 15 April 2026; doi:10.1038/s41583-026-01044-2

In this Tools of the Trade article, Hao Li describes the development of a mesoscale optogenetics platform for targeted and precise stimulation of the primate cortex.