Neuroscience

Sequential Deactivation Across the Hippocampus‐Thalamus‐mPFC Pathway During Loss of Consciousness

1. Xiaoai Chen
2. Samuel R. Cramer
3. Dennis C.Y. Chan
4. Xu Han
5. Nanyin Zhang

Reviewed by PREreview

Upregulated expression of ubiquitin ligase TRIM21 promotes PKM2 nuclear translocation and astrocyte activation in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis

1. Luting Yang
2. Chunqing Hu
3. Xiaowen Chen
4. Jie Zhang
5. Zhe Feng
6. Yanxin Xiao
7. Weitai He
8. Tingting Cui
9. Xin Zhang
10. Yang Yang
11. Yaling Zhang
12. Yaping Yan

• Curated by eLife

  eLife assessment

  This important work describes the activation of astrocytes via the nuclear translocation of PKM2 in an animal model of multiple sclerosis. This study provides convincing evidence of the interaction between TRIM21 and PKM2 as the crucial molecular event leading to the translocation of PKM2 and a metabolic shift towards glycolysis dominance, fostering proliferation in stimulated astrocytes. This finding is significant as it underscores the potential of targeting glycolytic metabolism to mitigate neurological diseases mediated by astrocytes, offering a strong rationale for potential therapeutic interventions.

Reviewed by eLife

Laminar specificity and coverage of viral-mediated gene expression restricted to GABAergic interneurons and their parvalbumin subclass in marmoset primary visual cortex

1. Frederick Federer
2. Justin Balsor
3. Alexander Ingold
4. David P Babcock
5. Jordane Dimidschstein
6. Alessandra Angelucci

• Curated by eLife

  eLife assessment

  Unlocking the potential of molecular genetic tools (optogenetics, chemogenetics, sensors, etc.) for the study of systems neuroscience in nonhuman primates requires the development of effective regulatory elements for cell-type specific expression to facilitate circuit dissection. This study provides a valuable building block, by carefully characterizing the laminar expression profile of two optogenetic enhancers, one designed for general GABA+ergic neurons (h56D) and the second (S5E2) for parvalbumin+ cell-type selective expression in the marmoset primary visual cortex. This study contributes solid evidence to our understanding of these tools but is limited by the understandably small number of animals used.

Reviewed by eLife

Altered firing output of VIP interneurons and early dysfunctions in CA1 hippocampal circuits in the 3xTg mouse model of Alzheimer’s disease

1. Felix Michaud
2. Ruggiero Francavilla
3. Dimitry Topolnik
4. Parisa Iloun
5. Suhel Tamboli
6. Frederic Calon
7. Lisa Topolnik

• Curated by eLife

  eLife assessment

  This study describes fundamental findings related to early disruptions in disinhibitory modulation exerted by VIP+ interneurons, in CA1 in a transgenic model of Alzheimer's disease pathology. The authors provide a compelling analysis at the cellular, synaptic, network, and behavioral levels on how these changes correlate and might be related to behavioral impairments during these early stages of AD pathology.

Reviewed by eLife

Associative plasticity of granule cell inputs to cerebellar Purkinje cells

1. Rossella Conti
2. Céline Auger

• Curated by eLife

  eLife assessment

  This study presents valuable findings on an unresolved question of cerebellar physiology: Do synapses between Purkinje cells and granule cells, made by the ascending part of the granule cells' axon, have different properties than those made by parallel fibers? The authors conducted patch-clamp recordings on rat cerebellar slices and found a new type of plasticity in the synapses of the ascending part of granule cell axons. The experiments are well-designed with appropriate controls, and the study provides solid evidence for the new form of cerebellar synaptic plasticity.

Reviewed by eLife

Distinct catecholaminergic pathways projecting to hippocampal CA1 transmit contrasting signals during navigation in familiar and novel environments

1. Chad Heer
2. Mark Sheffield

• Curated by eLife

  eLife assessment

  This study presents important findings on the differential activity of noradrenergic and dopaminergic input to dorsal hippocampus CA1 in head-fixed mice traversing a runway in a virtual environment that is familiar or novel. The data are rigorously analysed, and the observed divergence in the dynamics of activity in the dopaminergic and noradrenergic axons is solid. Future studies, using specific manipulations of the two distinct midbrain inputs combined with behavioral testing, are required to strengthen the claim that distinct signals to the hippocampus cause distinct behavioral effects.

Reviewed by eLife

Microprism-based two-photon imaging of the mouse inferior colliculus reveals novel organizational principles of the auditory midbrain

1. Baher A Ibrahim
2. Yoshitaka Shinagawa
3. Austin Douglas
4. Gang Xiao
5. Alexander R Asilador
6. Daniel A Llano

• Curated by eLife

  eLife assessment

  This study provides valuable new insights into how multisensory information is processed in the lateral cortex of the inferior colliculus, a poorly understood part of the auditory midbrain. By developing new imaging techniques that provide the first optical access to the lateral cortex in a living animal, the authors provide convincing in vivo evidence that this region contains separate subregions that can be distinguished by their sensory inputs and neurochemical profiles, as suggested by previous anatomical and in vitro studies. This work provides a foundation for future research exploring how this part of the auditory midbrain contributes to multisensory-based behavior.

Reviewed by eLife

The function of juvenile–adult transition axis in female sexual receptivity of Drosophila melanogaster

1. Jing Li
2. Chao Ning
3. Yaohua Liu
4. Bowen Deng
5. Bingcai Wang
6. Kai Shi
7. Rencong Wang
8. Ruixin Fang
9. Chuan Zhou

• Curated by eLife

  eLife assessment

  The aim of this valuable study is to uncover developmental roles of the neuropeptide prothoracicotropic hormone (PTTH) and ecdysone, which later regulate female receptivity of Drosophila melanogaster. The work combines spatially and temporally restricted genetic manipulation with behavior quantification to explore these molecular pathways and the neuronal substrates participating in the control of female sexual receptivity. At present, the implication of both signaling pathways in this process is convincing but the strength of the evidence is incomplete to support the main claim that PTTH pathway controls female sexual receptivity through the function of ecdysone in pC1 neurons.

Reviewed by eLife

Omissions of threat trigger subjective relief and prediction error-like signaling in the human reward and salience systems

1. Anne L Willems
2. Lukas Van Oudenhove
3. Bram Vervliet

• Curated by eLife

  eLife assessment

  This study presents valuable findings on the relationship between prediction errors and brain activation in response to unexpected omissions of painful electric shocks. The strengths are the research question posed, as it has remained unresolved if prediction errors in the context of biologically aversive outcomes resemble reward-based prediction errors. The evidence is solid but there are weaknesses in the experimental design, where verbal instructions do not align with experienced outcome probabilities. It is further unclear how to interpret neural prediction error signaling in the assumed absence of learning. The work will be of interest to cognitive neuroscientists and psychologists studying appetitive and aversive learning.

Reviewed by eLife

Impaired 26S proteasome causes learning and memory deficiency and induces neuroinflammation mediated by NF-κB in mice

1. Christa C. Huber
2. Eduardo Callegari
3. Maria Paez
4. Xiaoping Li
5. Abena Dwamena
6. Hongmin Wang

Reviewed by preLights