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neuronal excitability

MedicalJune 17, 2026

HCN1 Triggered Neuronal Pacemaker Depolarization Faster Than HCN2 or HCN4

TL;DR: A 2026 Nature Communications study found that HCN1, an ion channel that helps neurons start rhythmic electrical firing, was fast enough to act as the trigger for neuronal pacemaker depolarization, while HCN2 and HCN4 mainly appeared too slow to drive ea…

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NeuroscienceApril 7, 2026

How Cocaine Rewires the Brain’s Reward Circuit

How Cocaine Rewires the Brain’s Reward Circuit TL;DR: Cocaine hijacks a transcription factor called FosB in a brain circuit connecting the hippocampus to the nucleus accumbens, suppressing neural excitability and driving compulsive drug-seeking behavior—a mech…

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HCN1 Triggered Neuronal Pacemaker Depolarization Faster Than HCN2 or HCN4

How Cocaine Rewires the Brain’s Reward Circuit

The findings. The context. The caveats.