LAUSR

A new role for the ubiquitous integrated stress response pathway in striatal-dependent learning and memory The brain of the mouse, one of the most commonly used animal models in biomedical research, is composed of about 70 million neurons all working in concert to control behavioral outputs and promote survival. Yet, on page 361 of this issue, Helseth et al. (1) demonstrate that just one signaling pathway in striatal cholinergic interneurons, a cell type that makes up ∼1% of neurons in a brain region of ∼120,000 cells, has a profound regulatory role in shaping habitual learning and memory, a type of learning and memory that allows us to drive to work or get to the cereal aisle at the grocery store without even thinking about it.