Neuroscience

eLife assessment

This study represents a valuable finding on the neuron-glia communication and glial responses to traumatic brain injury (TBI). The data supporting the authors' conclusions on TBI analysis, RNA-seq on FACS sorted astrocytes, genetic analyses on Pvr-JNK/MMP1 are solid. However, cellular aspects of the response to TBI, statistical analysis, and molecular links between Pvr-AP1 are incomplete, which could be further strengthened in the future by more rigorous analyses.

eLife assessment

This valuable study investigates the role of mechanosensory feedback during swallowing in adult Drosophila. The authors provide convincing evidence that three mechanotransduction channel genes are required for ingestion rhythms and localize the role of these genes to a specific subpopulation of pharyngeal mechanosensory neurons. However, there is incomplete evidence to support the conclusions that these sensory neurons are necessary for swallowing, respond to stretch during swallowing, and connect to the motor neurons that control swallowing. This work may be of interest to neuroscientists interested in motor control of feeding behavior.

eLife assessment

This work identifies cnidarian neuropeptides and pairs them to their GPCR, then shows that neuropeptide signaling systems have evolved and diversified independently in cnidarians and bilaterians. Neuropeptide-receptor partners were experimentally identified using established and widely used methodologies including single cell mapping, providing compelling evidence for the conclusions of the paper. This impressive accomplishment provides fundamental new insights into the evolution of neuropeptide signaling systems and will be of broad interest to neurobiologists and evolution of development researchers.

eLife assessment

The valuable findings in this study show that subpopulations of peripheral sensory neurons display different capacities for regeneration after a similar injury. Nociceptor neurons have greater regeneration over mechanoreceptor, proprioceptors and motor neurons. This differential responsiveness of neuronal subtypes was traced to activation of different transcriptional programs, which were carefully analyzed and quantitated, resulting in solid evidence for the conclusions.

eLife assessment

This paper expands the genetic toolset that was previously developed by the Rao lab to introduce the conditional downregulation of neurotransmission components in Drosophila. As a proof of principle, the authors tested their new collection and provide evidence of the contribution of CNMamide (a neuropeptide) to the temporal control of locomotor activity patterns. These are overall important findings supported by compelling evidence.

eLife assessment

This fundamental study provides an unprecedented understanding of the roles of different combinations of NaV channel isoforms in nociceptors' excitability, with relevance for the design of better strategies targeting NaV channels to treat pain. Although the experimental combination of electrophysiological, modeling, imaging, molecular biology, and behavioral data is convincing and supports the major claims of the work, some results remain inconclusive and need to be strengthened by further evidence. The work may be of broad interest to scientists working on pain, drug development, neuronal excitability, and ion channels.

eLife assessment

This valuable study by Bartas and colleagues examined how patterns of monosynaptic input to specific cell types in the ventral tegmental area are altered by drugs of abuse. The authors applied a dimensionality reduction approach (principal component analysis) and showed that various drugs of abuse, and somewhat surprisingly the anesthesia alone (ketamine/xylasin), caused changes in the distribution of inputs labeled by the transsynaptic rabies virus. While there are some issues to be addressed, the evidence supporting the conclusions is overall solid, and provides information that is of value to the field, as well as a cautionary note on the interpretation of rabies virus-based tracing experiments.

eLife assessment

This valuable study uses convincing state-of-the-art neuroimaging analyses to characterise whole-brain networks during reward-based motor learning. This work motivates future research to dissociate why the observed changes in neural connectivity occur and how they support reward-based motor learning. The study is highly relevant for researchers at the intersection of decision-making and sensorimotor learning.

eLife assessment

The reprocessing and reanalysis of archived samples can yield further insights from past experiments. Here, a useful procedure to perform tissue clearing and immunolabeling on large-scale formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded brain specimens is convincingly evaluated on a set of archival pathology specimens, and its applicability to further such samples is analyzed. This method will be of interest to both neuroscientists and pathologists.

eLife assessment

This important manuscript investigates the role of a subpopulation of glutamatergic neurons in the suprammamillary nucleus that projects to the pre-optic hypothalamus area in active coping but not locomotor activity. They provide solid evidence from experiments using fibre photometry or photostimulation during threatening tasks that these neurons allow animals to produce flexible behaviours in response to stress. This work will be of interest to behavioural and systems neuroscientists.