New experiences trigger rapid changes in gene activity and DNA accessibility in the brain’s memory-center, the hippocampus. Lisa Traunmüller and Erin Duffy describe new research from the Greenberg lab that uses advanced sequencing to map how different hippocampal regions respond at the molecular level to a novel environment — revealing how experiences shape brain circuits that underlie learning and memory.

Rémy Furrer and Amanda Merner share the results of a survey of 1,052 U.S. adults, which found that neurotechnologies targeting motor symptoms were viewed as more acceptable and beneficial than those for mood or memory symptoms. Non-surgical options like transcranial magnetic stimulation were generally preferred over invasive ones such as deep brain stimulation.

The fight against addiction is a fight against memory. Junghyup (Jung) Suh shares findings that the relapse circuit in alcohol addiction consists of two separate “wires” or outputs coming out of the basolateral amygdala, a key brain region for emotional memories. One wire is responsible for forming the addiction memory, and the other for triggering alcohol-seeking behavior. This precise mapping opens the door for potentially more targeted treatment approaches to relapse in the future.