Methodological shortcomings have constrained studies describing the complex dynamics of interpersonal coordination, which is essential to human sociality. In this Perspective, Chidichimo et al. advance the case for the formal introduction of information-theoretic quantities and methods to overcome existing limitations in studies of naturalistic human interactions.

In this Review, Saef Izzy and colleagues examine the therapeutic potential of stem cells in stroke, with a focus on neural and mesenchymal stem cells. They explore how these stem cells interact with brain immune cells to modulate the inflammatory microenvironment, restore blood–brain barrier integrity and promote tissue repair following a stroke.

Programmed axon degeneration (PAxD) is activated by axotomy to execute the self-destruction of a severed distal axon. It may also be activated by some non-axotomy insults, suggesting it has a role in some neurodegenerative diseases. Here, Loreto and Neukomm review the molecular mechanisms of PAxD, its involvement in disease and its potential as a therapeutic target.

Understanding how the brain represents experienced time and how representations of space and time are integrated to form episodic memories has been a goal of much neuroscientific research. In this Perspective, Buzsáki discusses classical and contemporary ideas about time perception and proposes that a hierarchy of brain–body rhythms contributes to our subjective experience of time.

Across the animal kingdom, those who are sick self isolate. Here, this behaviour is shown — in mice — to be driven by systemic IL-1β release and mediated by an IL-1R1-expressing subpopulation of neurons in the dorsal raphe nucleus.

In this Journal Club, Erfan Nozari discusses work detailing a simple, transparent algorithm for iEEG mapping of seizure onset zones and the emergent property of neural fragility at its core.

In this Journal Club, N. Alex Cayco-Gajic discusses a study published in 2004 that modelled the pyloric network of the lobster stomatogastric ganglion.

In this Tools of the Trade article, Li Ji-An describes tiny recurrent neural networks, an interpretable and flexible modelling framework for discovering cognitive algorithms that govern biological decision-making.