Neuroscience

A Kv2 inhibitor combination reveals native neuronal conductances consistent with Kv2/KvS heteromers

1. Robert G Stewart
2. Matthew James Marquis
3. Sooyeon Jo
4. Brandon J Harris
5. Aman S Aberra
6. Verity Cook
7. Zachary Whiddon
8. Vladimir Yarov-Yarovoy
9. Michael Ferns
10. Jon T Sack

• Curated by eLife

  eLife Assessment

  Some delayed rectifier currents in neurons are formed by the combination of Kv2 and silent subunits, KvS. However, we lack the tools to identify these heteromeric channels in vivo. In this important study by the Sack group, the authors identify a pharmacological tool that can reveal the presence of KvS subunits as components of the delayed rectifier potassium currents in selected neurons. The experimental evidence presented in the manuscript is compelling and represents a significant advance that should be of interest to a wide community of neuroscientists and channel physiologists.

Reviewed by eLife

POMC neurons control fertility through differential signaling of MC4R in Kisspeptin neurons

1. Rajae Talbi
2. Todd L Stincic
3. Kaitlin Ferrari
4. Choi Ji Hae
5. Karol Walec
6. Elizabeth Medve
7. Achi Gerutshang
8. Silvia León
9. Elizabeth A McCarthy
10. Oline K Rønnekleiv
11. Martin J Kelly
12. Víctor M Navarro

• Curated by eLife

  eLife Assessment

  The study presents compelling evidence that the melanocortin system originating in the arcuate nucleus of the hypothalamus plays a crucial role in puberty onset, representing a significant advance in our understanding of reproductive biology. The research employs innovative approaches and benefits from the combined expertise of two respected laboratories, enhancing the robustness of the findings. Given the potential impact on human health and the strength of the evidence presented, this fundamental work will likely influence the field substantially and may inform future clinical applications.

Reviewed by eLife

Unravelling the neurocognitive mechanisms underlying counterconditioning in humans

1. Lisa Wirz
2. Maxime C Houtekamer
3. Jette de Vos
4. Joseph E Dunsmoor
5. Judith R Homberg
6. Marloes JAG Henckens
7. Erno J Hermans

• Curated by eLife

  eLife Assessment

  This important work combines self-report, neural and physiology data to examine the efficacy and mechanisms of counter conditioning versus extinction in reducing re-emergence of conditioned threat responses and show that this appears to rely on the nucleus accumbens rather than the ventromedial prefrontal cortex. These findings are supported by convincing evidence, though some areas could benefit from a few targeted refinements. The findings will be of interest to researchers across multiple subfields, including neuroscientists, cognitive theory researchers, and clinicians, particularly those with an interest in clinical applications in trauma therapies.

Reviewed by eLife

Mapping vascular network architecture in primate brain using ferumoxytol-weighted laminar MRI

1. Joonas A Autio
2. Ikko Kimura
3. Takayuki Ose
4. Yuki Matsumoto
5. Masahiro Ohno
6. Yuta Urushibata
7. Takuro Ikeda
8. Matthew F Glasser
9. David C van Essen
10. Takuya Hayashi

• Curated by eLife

  eLife Assessment

  This study presents valuable findings on the relative cerebral blood volume of non-human primates that move us closer to uncovering the functional and architectonic principles that govern the interplay between neuronal and vascular networks. The evidence of areal variations and of vessel counting and laminar analysis is solid. The lack of a direct comparison of their approach against better-established MRI-based methods for measuring hemodynamics and vascular structure somewhat weakens the evidence provided in the current paper version, but the current work is an significant step forward. The work will be of interest to NHP imaging scientists.

Reviewed by eLife

Heterozygosity for neurodevelopmental disorder-associated TRIO variants yields distinct deficits in behavior, neuronal development, and synaptic transmission in mice

1. Yevheniia Ishchenko
2. Amanda T Jeng
3. Shufang Feng
4. Timothy Nottoli
5. Cindy Manriquez-Rodriguez
6. Khanh K Nguyen
7. Melissa G Carrizales
8. Matthew J Vitarelli
9. Ellen E Corcoran
10. Charles A Greer
11. Samuel A Myers
12. Anthony J Koleske

• Curated by eLife

  eLife Assessment

  This study explores how heterozygosity for specific neurodevelopmental disorder-associated TRIO variants affects brain function in mice. The authors conducted thorough analyses on mouse lines harboring TRIO-variants associated with autism spectrum disorder, schizophrenia, and bipolar disorder, and the results provide compelling evidence demonstrating unique alterations of each variant in synaptic functions and behavior. These findings highlight a fundamental aspect of TRIO variants contributing to brain functions and neuropsychiatric disorders.

Reviewed by eLife

Evidence for systematic - yet task- and motor-contingent - rhythmicity of auditory perceptual judgements

1. Cécile Fabio
2. Christoph Kayser

• Curated by eLife

  eLife Assessment

  This high-N, multi-task study offers a comprehensive examination of rhythmicity in behavioral performance during listening. It presents a valuable set of findings that reveal task- and ear-specific effects, challenging the notion of a universal rhythmicity in auditory perception. While the evidence is solid, the study would benefit from a stronger conceptual framework to contextualize and explain the observed patterns. Nonetheless, the work is likely to be of significant interest to behavioral and cognitive scientists focused on perception and neural oscillations.

Reviewed by eLife

Sparse innervation and local heterogeneity in the vibrissal corticostriatal projection

1. Kenza Amroune
2. Lorenzo Fontolan
3. Agnès Baude
4. David Robbe
5. Ingrid Bureau

• Curated by eLife

  eLife Assessment

  This work provides fundamental findings on how the mouse barrel cortex connects to the dorsolateral striatum, uncovering that inputs from discrete whisker cortical columns are convergent and SPN-specific, but topographically organized at the population level. The evidence supporting this claim is compelling, demonstrating that SPNs uniquely integrate sparse input from variable stretches across the barrel cortex. The study would be of interest to basal ganglia and sensory-motor integration researchers.

Reviewed by eLife

Heritability of movie-evoked brain activity and connectivity

1. David C Gruskin
2. Daniel J Vieira
3. Jessica K Lee
4. Gaurav H Patel

• Curated by eLife

  eLife Assessment

  This paper addresses a valuable research question on the heritability of the brain's response to movie watching, given various parameters such as regional spatial hyperalignment and BOLD frequency bands. The topic of this paper would be of interest to fMRI methodological experts, and potentially to a broader cognitive neuroscience audience, and those with an interest in understanding the heritable sources of individual differences in brain function. However, the current findings provide incomplete support for the conclusions, since several key methodological concerns need to be addressed to ensure the validity of the analyses and results.

Reviewed by eLife

Synapses drive local mitochondrial ATP synthesis to fuel plasticity

1. Ilika Ghosh
2. Ruolin Fan
3. Monil Shah
4. Ojasee Bapat
5. Vidhya Rangaraju

Reviewed by preLights

A low-cost FPGA-based approach for pile-up corrected high-speed in vivo FLIM imaging

1. Felipe Velasquez Moros
2. Dorian Amiet
3. Rachel M. Meister
4. Alexandra von Faber-Castell
5. Matthias Wyss
6. Aiman S. Saab
7. Paul Zbinden
8. Bruno Weber
9. Luca Ravotto

Reviewed by Arcadia Science