Pub Date : 2025-08-01Epub Date: 2025-05-06DOI: 10.1016/j.conb.2025.103037
Vasileios Glykos, Maria Vazquez Pavon, Yukiko Goda
Astrocytes have attracted attention for their crucial roles in various brain functions. Yet a gap remains in our understanding. The cellular and molecular basis by which astrocytes interact with neuronal circuits are not clear, and how astrocytes leverage their hallmark morphology dominated by intricate processes in implementing their functions require consideration. This review highlights insights into these outstanding questions gained from recent studies featuring mediators and regulators of cell–cell interactions between astrocytes and neurons, focusing on cell adhesion proteins such as cadherins and neuroligins, among others, as well as cell-extracellular matrix interactions, including astrocytic interactions with the perineuronal network.
{"title":"Cell biology of astrocytic adhesive interactions and signaling pathways in regulating neuronal circuits","authors":"Vasileios Glykos, Maria Vazquez Pavon, Yukiko Goda","doi":"10.1016/j.conb.2025.103037","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.conb.2025.103037","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Astrocytes have attracted attention for their crucial roles in various brain functions. Yet a gap remains in our understanding. The cellular and molecular basis by which astrocytes interact with neuronal circuits are not clear, and how astrocytes leverage their hallmark morphology dominated by intricate processes in implementing their functions require consideration. This review highlights insights into these outstanding questions gained from recent studies featuring mediators and regulators of cell–cell interactions between astrocytes and neurons, focusing on cell adhesion proteins such as cadherins and neuroligins, among others, as well as cell-extracellular matrix interactions, including astrocytic interactions with the perineuronal network.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":10999,"journal":{"name":"Current Opinion in Neurobiology","volume":"93 ","pages":"Article 103037"},"PeriodicalIF":4.8,"publicationDate":"2025-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143906811","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-08-01Epub Date: 2025-06-26DOI: 10.1016/j.conb.2025.103066
Nicholas S. Bourdon , Sarah Y. Dickinson , Joseph F. Bergan
Steroid hormone signaling drives sex-differentiated brain development and function, with the social behavior network (SBN) as a primary site of these differences. Aromatase, densely expressed in the SBN, is essential for estrogen production in the brain, shaping brain organization during development and dynamically regulating neural function and behavior throughout life. This review explores how aromatase-dependent mechanisms establish sex differences at multiple anatomical levels, from gene expression and cellular morphology to brain-wide differences in the connectivity of neural circuits. These structural differences, in cooperation with dynamic estrogen signaling, are thought to mediate sex-differences in social behavior. Advancing our understanding of how aromatase-dependent sex differences shape brain function will require grounding both new and existing findings within the heterogeneous and interconnected circuitry of the SBN.
{"title":"Aromatase and its role in shaping sex-differentiated brain networks","authors":"Nicholas S. Bourdon , Sarah Y. Dickinson , Joseph F. Bergan","doi":"10.1016/j.conb.2025.103066","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.conb.2025.103066","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Steroid hormone signaling drives sex-differentiated brain development and function, with the social behavior network (SBN) as a primary site of these differences. Aromatase, densely expressed in the SBN, is essential for estrogen production in the brain, shaping brain organization during development and dynamically regulating neural function and behavior throughout life. This review explores how aromatase-dependent mechanisms establish sex differences at multiple anatomical levels, from gene expression and cellular morphology to brain-wide differences in the connectivity of neural circuits. These structural differences, in cooperation with dynamic estrogen signaling, are thought to mediate sex-differences in social behavior. Advancing our understanding of how aromatase-dependent sex differences shape brain function will require grounding both new and existing findings within the heterogeneous and interconnected circuitry of the SBN.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":10999,"journal":{"name":"Current Opinion in Neurobiology","volume":"93 ","pages":"Article 103066"},"PeriodicalIF":4.8,"publicationDate":"2025-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144491632","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-08-01Epub Date: 2025-06-25DOI: 10.1016/j.conb.2025.103068
Yoko Brigitte Wang , Sandy E. Saunders , John N. Campbell , Carie R. Boychuk
Since their discovery five decades ago, cardiac vagal motor neurons (CVNs) have been studied for their roles in autonomic control of cardiac function. However, it is only within the past decade that our understanding of CVNs has rapidly progressed. Driven by technological advances in neuroscience, novel findings are revealing genetic markers of CVN’s subpopulation in the nucleus ambiguus (CVNNA), resolving controversial roles of CVN in the dorsal motor nucleus of the vagus (CVNDMV), and dissecting the complexity of CVN-related neural circuitry. The roles of CVNs have also expanded in the mechanisms of disease pathophysiology beyond the typical autonomic disorders, highlighting the therapeutic potential of targeting CVNs. In this review, we discuss recent advances in CVNs subtypes, neural circuits, and roles in cardiometabolic disease and mental health-related disorders pathophysiology. We also present current challenges and a prospective outlook on the field.
{"title":"Cardiac vagal motor neurons","authors":"Yoko Brigitte Wang , Sandy E. Saunders , John N. Campbell , Carie R. Boychuk","doi":"10.1016/j.conb.2025.103068","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.conb.2025.103068","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Since their discovery five decades ago, cardiac vagal motor neurons (CVNs) have been studied for their roles in autonomic control of cardiac function. However, it is only within the past decade that our understanding of CVNs has rapidly progressed. Driven by technological advances in neuroscience, novel findings are revealing genetic markers of CVN’s subpopulation in the nucleus ambiguus (CVN<sup>NA</sup>), resolving controversial roles of CVN in the dorsal motor nucleus of the vagus (CVN<sup>DMV</sup>), and dissecting the complexity of CVN-related neural circuitry. The roles of CVNs have also expanded in the mechanisms of disease pathophysiology beyond the typical autonomic disorders, highlighting the therapeutic potential of targeting CVNs. In this review, we discuss recent advances in CVNs subtypes, neural circuits, and roles in cardiometabolic disease and mental health-related disorders pathophysiology. We also present current challenges and a prospective outlook on the field.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":10999,"journal":{"name":"Current Opinion in Neurobiology","volume":"93 ","pages":"Article 103068"},"PeriodicalIF":4.8,"publicationDate":"2025-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144470339","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-08-01Epub Date: 2025-06-10DOI: 10.1016/j.conb.2025.103062
Clarissa Catale , Sonia Garel
Microglia, brain-resident macrophages, are increasingly recognized for their roles in early brain development, particularly during the prenatal and early postnatal periods. These cells enter the brain during embryogenesis, long before other glial populations fully emerge, and actively shape neural circuits while responding to environmental cues. During this critical window, microglia exhibit a remarkable diversity of states, some resembling those seen in neurodegeneration, suggesting that microglia use shared pathways across life stages. Here, we review emerging insights into how microglial states regulate early neurodevelopment and how their functional diversity influences brain physiology under both normal and immune-challenged conditions. Understanding these state–function relationships not only advances our knowledge of neurodevelopment but also informs potential therapeutic strategies for neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative disorders.
{"title":"Microglia in early brain development: A window of opportunity","authors":"Clarissa Catale , Sonia Garel","doi":"10.1016/j.conb.2025.103062","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.conb.2025.103062","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Microglia, brain-resident macrophages, are increasingly recognized for their roles in early brain development, particularly during the prenatal and early postnatal periods. These cells enter the brain during embryogenesis, long before other glial populations fully emerge, and actively shape neural circuits while responding to environmental cues. During this critical window, microglia exhibit a remarkable diversity of states, some resembling those seen in neurodegeneration, suggesting that microglia use shared pathways across life stages. Here, we review emerging insights into how microglial states regulate early neurodevelopment and how their functional diversity influences brain physiology under both normal and immune-challenged conditions. Understanding these state–function relationships not only advances our knowledge of neurodevelopment but also informs potential therapeutic strategies for neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative disorders.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":10999,"journal":{"name":"Current Opinion in Neurobiology","volume":"93 ","pages":"Article 103062"},"PeriodicalIF":4.8,"publicationDate":"2025-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144241830","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-08-01Epub Date: 2025-06-09DOI: 10.1016/j.conb.2025.103060
Zeynep Okur, Peter Scheiffele
Parvalbumin-positive (PV) interneurons, a class of fast-spiking GABAergic interneurons, govern gain-control and the timing of neuronal signal propagation in neuronal circuits. With remarkable temporal precision, PV-interneurons rapidly transform an excitatory input signal into a strong inhibitory output. In cortical circuits, this provides critical feedforward and feedback inhibition. Given their important roles and unique functional features in instructing neuronal circuit function, PV-interneurons have served as an excellent model system for uncovering molecular mechanisms underlying the specification of neuronal synapse properties. Moreover, studies on PV-interneurons led to the discovery of novel mechanisms of neuronal plasticity as PV-networks rapidly adapt their connectivity in response to changes in sensory experience and during learning processes. In this review, we will integrate recent work on the distinct synaptic protein complexes that instruct glutamatergic synapse formation onto PV-interneurons and discuss transcriptional programs that dynamically adjust PV-interneuron function.
{"title":"Molecular programs specifying properties and plasticity of parvalbumin interneuron innervation","authors":"Zeynep Okur, Peter Scheiffele","doi":"10.1016/j.conb.2025.103060","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.conb.2025.103060","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Parvalbumin-positive (PV) interneurons, a class of fast-spiking GABAergic interneurons, govern gain-control and the timing of neuronal signal propagation in neuronal circuits. With remarkable temporal precision, PV-interneurons rapidly transform an excitatory input signal into a strong inhibitory output. In cortical circuits, this provides critical feedforward and feedback inhibition. Given their important roles and unique functional features in instructing neuronal circuit function, PV-interneurons have served as an excellent model system for uncovering molecular mechanisms underlying the specification of neuronal synapse properties. Moreover, studies on PV-interneurons led to the discovery of novel mechanisms of neuronal plasticity as PV-networks rapidly adapt their connectivity in response to changes in sensory experience and during learning processes. In this review, we will integrate recent work on the distinct synaptic protein complexes that instruct glutamatergic synapse formation onto PV-interneurons and discuss transcriptional programs that dynamically adjust PV-interneuron function.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":10999,"journal":{"name":"Current Opinion in Neurobiology","volume":"93 ","pages":"Article 103060"},"PeriodicalIF":4.8,"publicationDate":"2025-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144241832","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-08-01Epub Date: 2025-07-12DOI: 10.1016/j.conb.2025.103088
Alison L. Barth, Joseph A. Christian, Ajit Ray
Causal inference during association learning is a cardinal feature of complex nervous systems. In reinforcement learning, a stimulus or context becomes linked to a negative or positive outcome to inform future behavior. Although prefrontal cortex and striatal circuits have been implicated in reinforcement learning, sensory cortex also undergoes marked short-term and long-lasting changes. Here we review studies demonstrating anatomical, synaptic, and task-dependent response plasticity in sensory cortex during learning. A contrast between plasticity induced by sensory association learning, where stimuli predict reinforcement outcomes, and pseudotraining, where sensory inputs are uncoupled, is consistent with sensory cortex's role in prediction evaluation and reinforcement signaling. We propose that plasticity in sensory cortex–a site for collision of internally-generated expectations and incoming sensory input–reflects the relative accuracy of expected versus actual sensory signals as they develop during learning. Sensory learning may thus be a useful tool to probe the function of neocortical circuits.
{"title":"Learning, prediction accuracy, and neural plasticity in sensory cortex","authors":"Alison L. Barth, Joseph A. Christian, Ajit Ray","doi":"10.1016/j.conb.2025.103088","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.conb.2025.103088","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Causal inference during association learning is a cardinal feature of complex nervous systems. In reinforcement learning, a stimulus or context becomes linked to a negative or positive outcome to inform future behavior. Although prefrontal cortex and striatal circuits have been implicated in reinforcement learning, sensory cortex also undergoes marked short-term and long-lasting changes. Here we review studies demonstrating anatomical, synaptic, and task-dependent response plasticity in sensory cortex during learning. A contrast between plasticity induced by sensory association learning, where stimuli predict reinforcement outcomes, and pseudotraining, where sensory inputs are uncoupled, is consistent with sensory cortex's role in prediction evaluation and reinforcement signaling. We propose that plasticity in sensory cortex–a site for collision of internally-generated expectations and incoming sensory input–reflects the relative accuracy of expected versus actual sensory signals as they develop during learning. Sensory learning may thus be a useful tool to probe the function of neocortical circuits.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":10999,"journal":{"name":"Current Opinion in Neurobiology","volume":"93 ","pages":"Article 103088"},"PeriodicalIF":4.8,"publicationDate":"2025-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144604448","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-08-01Epub Date: 2025-06-11DOI: 10.1016/j.conb.2025.103064
Madhav Subramanian , Christoph A. Thaiss
Interoceptive pathways communicate between the body and the brain to coordinate behavioral responses to changes in the internal milieu. An important contributor to the internal milieu of the body is the gastrointestinal microbiome. Here, we conceptualize the role of the microbiome and microbiome-derived metabolites in interoceptive processes that enable homeostasis maintenance. We highlight four key features that make the microbiome a valuable sensory source for interoceptive processes: its capacity to engage canonical sensory pathways, dynamic responsiveness to environmental perturbations, diurnal oscillations aligned with host circadian rhythms, and the selective gating of sensory information through the intestinal barrier. We further explore how microbiome-derived sensory information contributes to homeostasis, imparts valence to events and cues, and serves as a substrate for memory. Collectively, we present a framework for understanding interoceptive dysfunction through the lens of microbiome–host interactions.
{"title":"Microbial regulation of interoception","authors":"Madhav Subramanian , Christoph A. Thaiss","doi":"10.1016/j.conb.2025.103064","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.conb.2025.103064","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Interoceptive pathways communicate between the body and the brain to coordinate behavioral responses to changes in the internal milieu. An important contributor to the internal milieu of the body is the gastrointestinal microbiome. Here, we conceptualize the role of the microbiome and microbiome-derived metabolites in interoceptive processes that enable homeostasis maintenance. We highlight four key features that make the microbiome a valuable sensory source for interoceptive processes: its capacity to engage canonical sensory pathways, dynamic responsiveness to environmental perturbations, diurnal oscillations aligned with host circadian rhythms, and the selective gating of sensory information through the intestinal barrier. We further explore how microbiome-derived sensory information contributes to homeostasis, imparts valence to events and cues, and serves as a substrate for memory. Collectively, we present a framework for understanding interoceptive dysfunction through the lens of microbiome–host interactions.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":10999,"journal":{"name":"Current Opinion in Neurobiology","volume":"93 ","pages":"Article 103064"},"PeriodicalIF":4.8,"publicationDate":"2025-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144255408","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-08-01Epub Date: 2025-06-23DOI: 10.1016/j.conb.2025.103073
Isabel Pérez-Ferrer, Eloísa Herrera
The growth cone (GC), a highly specialized and dynamic structure located at the tip of neuronal axons, plays a pivotal role in directing axon elongation and guidance during the formation of neural circuits. The GC's extraordinary ability to navigate toward target cells in a constantly changing environment relies on intricate mechanisms that operate at multiple levels, including cytoskeletal dynamics, activation of membrane proteins, transcriptional regulation, and local protein translation. These processes are finely coordinated, enabling neurons to respond rapidly to external cues, reach their intended targets, and establish functional connections. Dysregulation of these mechanisms can lead to errors in neuronal wiring, potentially contributing to nervous system disorders. This review highlights recent advances in understanding the regulatory mechanisms that orchestrate GC remodeling during axon pathfinding, with a focus on cytoskeletal components, membrane proteins sensing external cues, transcription factors influencing axonal decisions, and local protein synthesis within the GC.
{"title":"Novel insights into the mechanisms of growth cone dynamics during axon pathfinding","authors":"Isabel Pérez-Ferrer, Eloísa Herrera","doi":"10.1016/j.conb.2025.103073","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.conb.2025.103073","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The growth cone (GC), a highly specialized and dynamic structure located at the tip of neuronal axons, plays a pivotal role in directing axon elongation and guidance during the formation of neural circuits. The GC's extraordinary ability to navigate toward target cells in a constantly changing environment relies on intricate mechanisms that operate at multiple levels, including cytoskeletal dynamics, activation of membrane proteins, transcriptional regulation, and local protein translation. These processes are finely coordinated, enabling neurons to respond rapidly to external cues, reach their intended targets, and establish functional connections. Dysregulation of these mechanisms can lead to errors in neuronal wiring, potentially contributing to nervous system disorders. This review highlights recent advances in understanding the regulatory mechanisms that orchestrate GC remodeling during axon pathfinding, with a focus on cytoskeletal components, membrane proteins sensing external cues, transcription factors influencing axonal decisions, and local protein synthesis within the GC.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":10999,"journal":{"name":"Current Opinion in Neurobiology","volume":"93 ","pages":"Article 103073"},"PeriodicalIF":4.8,"publicationDate":"2025-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144364797","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-08-01Epub Date: 2025-06-06DOI: 10.1016/j.conb.2025.103061
Asif Bakshi , Khaled Ben El Kadhi , Claude Desplan
Generating neuronal diversity from a limited number of neural stem cells is fundamental for the proper functioning of the brain. However, the mechanisms that govern neural fate determination have long been elusive due to the intricate interplay of multiple independent factors that influence a cell's commitment to specific fates. While classical genetics and labeling tools have laid the groundwork for identifying cell types and understanding neural complexity, recent breakthroughs in single-cell transcriptomics and whole-brain connectomics represent a significant advancement in enabling a comprehensive characterization of brain cell types and the underlying mechanisms that encode these neuronal identities. This review focuses on recent developments in our understanding of neural cell fate determination in Drosophila, emphasizing three key mechanisms: spatial patterning, temporal patterning, and neuron-type specific terminal selector transcription factors.
{"title":"Decoding neuronal diversity: Mechanisms governing neural cell fate in Drosophila","authors":"Asif Bakshi , Khaled Ben El Kadhi , Claude Desplan","doi":"10.1016/j.conb.2025.103061","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.conb.2025.103061","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Generating neuronal diversity from a limited number of neural stem cells is fundamental for the proper functioning of the brain. However, the mechanisms that govern neural fate determination have long been elusive due to the intricate interplay of multiple independent factors that influence a cell's commitment to specific fates. While classical genetics and labeling tools have laid the groundwork for identifying cell types and understanding neural complexity, recent breakthroughs in single-cell transcriptomics and whole-brain connectomics represent a significant advancement in enabling a comprehensive characterization of brain cell types and the underlying mechanisms that encode these neuronal identities. This review focuses on recent developments in our understanding of neural cell fate determination in <em>Drosophila</em>, emphasizing three key mechanisms: spatial patterning, temporal patterning, and neuron-type specific terminal selector transcription factors.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":10999,"journal":{"name":"Current Opinion in Neurobiology","volume":"93 ","pages":"Article 103061"},"PeriodicalIF":4.8,"publicationDate":"2025-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144230956","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-08-01Epub Date: 2025-06-28DOI: 10.1016/j.conb.2025.103072
Aviel Sulem , Merav Ahissar
We perceive key aspects of familiar environments almost immediately, while perception in unfamiliar environments is slower. In this review, we examine the distinct roles of recent versus accumulative long-term exposure in enabling this efficiency. Accumulative statistics underlie the formation of stable categories (e.g. syllables in our native language), whereas recent events bias our online predictions toward the current context. Typically developing individuals place greater weight on recent events than single earlier events, but also weight accumulative statistics. However, individuals with developmental atypicalities show atypical patterns of statistical learning: individuals with dyslexia tend to assign less weight to long-term statistics, which affects their long-term categories. By contrast, autistics utilize long-term statistics like neurotypicals, but are slower in updating their priors and motor plans by recent events, which reduces their flexibility. These observations suggest that the dynamics of statistical learning impact the strengths and weaknesses of people's social and cognitive skill acquisition.
{"title":"The different roles of learning recent and accumulative statistics","authors":"Aviel Sulem , Merav Ahissar","doi":"10.1016/j.conb.2025.103072","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.conb.2025.103072","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>We perceive key aspects of familiar environments almost immediately, while perception in unfamiliar environments is slower. In this review, we examine the distinct roles of recent versus accumulative long-term exposure in enabling this efficiency. Accumulative statistics underlie the formation of stable categories (e.g. syllables in our native language), whereas recent events bias our online predictions toward the current context. Typically developing individuals place greater weight on recent events than single earlier events, but also weight accumulative statistics. However, individuals with developmental atypicalities show atypical patterns of statistical learning: individuals with dyslexia tend to assign less weight to long-term statistics, which affects their long-term categories. By contrast, autistics utilize long-term statistics like neurotypicals, but are slower in updating their priors and motor plans by recent events, which reduces their flexibility. These observations suggest that the dynamics of statistical learning impact the strengths and weaknesses of people's social and cognitive skill acquisition.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":10999,"journal":{"name":"Current Opinion in Neurobiology","volume":"93 ","pages":"Article 103072"},"PeriodicalIF":4.8,"publicationDate":"2025-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144501645","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
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