Issue Cover (December 2018)

Front cover: In rodents, the visual thalamus is a major recipient of retinal ganglion cells (RGC) axons and is divided into three functionally distinct nuclei: the dorsal lateral geniculate nucleus (dLGN), ventral LGN (vLGN), and intergeniculate leaflet (IGL). Despite being densely innervated by retinal input, each nucleus in rodent visual thalamus possesses diverse molecular profiles which underpin their unique circuitry and cytoarchitecture. We identified several extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins as differentially expressed in these regions, particularly constituent molecules of perineuronal nets (PNNs). At least two molecularly distinct subsets of perineuronal nets exist in the vLGN, each ensheathing distinct subsets of neurons. This study is first to suggest that cell type‐ and molecularly specific supramolecular assemblies of ECM may play important roles in the circuitry associated with the subcortical visual system and in the processing of visual information. Image Content: This image depicts perineuronal nets in the adult vLGN labeled with antibodies against the core of Aggrecan protein (ACAN; shown in blue). One subset of PNNs also labeled with antibodies directed against a distinct glycoform of Aggrecan (shown in green) whereas a second set of ACAN‐rich PNNs was labeled by Wisteria floribunda agglutinin (WFA), an N‐acetylgalactosamine‐specific lectin (shown in red).Read the full article ‘ Distribution and development of molecularly distinct perineuronal nets in visual thalamus’ by U. Sabbagh, A. Monavarfeshani, K. Su, M. Zabet‐Moghadam, J. Cole, E. Carnival, J. Su, M. Mirzaei, V. Gupta, G. Salekdeh, M. A. Fox ( J. Neurochem. 2018, vol. 147 (5), pp. 626–646) on doi: 10.1111/jnc.14614