Appeals to representation are widespread, despite neuroscientists’ uncertainty about what kind of findings count as evidence for such claims. In this Perspective, Pohl and colleagues develop a unified framework that distinguishes four conceptual dimensions relevant to representation, illustrating them in information-theoretic terms to explicitly characterize representation in neuroscience.

In this Journal Club, Sora Shin discusses a 2025 paper that shows that the lateral parabrachial nucleus has a key role in regulating persistent pain in a need-state-dependent manner.

Rising environmental temperatures challenge nervous systems. We examine how neural systems enable acclimation to prolonged heat exposure, the limits of such adaptation, and the behavioural and social strategies that shape heat resilience. Understanding the neural mechanisms of adaptation to heat may inform strategies to cope with a warming world.

Mitochondria make essential contributions to neural development. Zhao and colleagues provide an overview of the mechanisms that regulate mitochondrial biogenesis, degradation, remodelling and transport, the importance of these processes for neural development and the proposed links between altered mitochondrial dynamics and neurodevelopmental disorders.

Single-nucleus sequencing reveals age- and disease-related changes in the molecular regulation of neurogenesis associated with cognitive decline and resilience.

A new study in mice reveals a neuron–epithelial cell circuit in the intestine that promotes type 2 immunity.

In this Journal Club, Sora Shin discusses a 2025 paper that shows that the lateral parabrachial nucleus has a key role in regulating persistent pain in a need-state-dependent manner.

Rising environmental temperatures challenge nervous systems. We examine how neural systems enable acclimation to prolonged heat exposure, the limits of such adaptation, and the behavioural and social strategies that shape heat resilience. Understanding the neural mechanisms of adaptation to heat may inform strategies to cope with a warming world.

Dorsal medial prefrontal cortex simultaneously yet independently encodes interconnected attributes of environmental cues to motivate appetitive and aversive behaviour in mice via multifaceted representations.