Neuroscience

eLife Assessment

This valuable study reveals surprising morphological diversity of Drosophila sensory neurons. Using serial block-face electron microscopy, the authors created detailed 3D reconstructions of large neuronal populations, convincingly finding significant structural variation both within and across distinct classes. These results form the basis for testable hypotheses on how neuronal arborization is optimized for particular sensory functions. This research will be highly relevant to biologists in the fields of physiology, insect chemosensation, and neuroscience.

eLife Assessment

This study provides valuable evidence indicating that SynGap1 regulates the synaptic drive and membrane excitability of parvalbumin- and somatostatin-positive interneurons in the auditory cortex. Since haplo-insufficiency of SynGap1 has been linked to intellectual disabilities without a well-defined underlying cause, the central question of this study is timely. The experimental data is solid, as in their revisions the authors successfully addressed questions related to changes in thalamocortical presynaptic excitability, the contradiction between spontaneous and mini EPSCs data, and the anatomical analysis of excitatory synapses.

eLife Assessment

This study provides compelling evidence that action potential (AP) broadening is not a universal feature of homeostatic plasticity in response to chronic activity deprivation. By leveraging state-of-the-art methods across multiple brain regions and laboratories, the authors demonstrate that AP half-width remains largely stable, challenging previous assumptions in the field. These important findings help resolve longstanding inconsistencies in the literature and significantly advance our understanding of neuronal network homeostasis.

eLife Assessment

This important study reveals that Excitatory Amino Acid Transporters play a role in chromatic information processing in the retina. The combination of (double) mutants, behavioral assays, immunohistochemistry, and electroretinograms provides solid evidence supporting the appropriately conservative conclusions. The work will be of interest to neurobiologists working on color vision or retinal processing.

eLife Assessment

This study proposes a useful assay to identify relative social ranks in mice incorporating the competitive drive for two basic resources - food and living space. Using this new protocol, the authors provide solid evidence of stable ranking among male and female pairs, while reporting more fluctuant hierarchies among triads of males. The evidence is, however, limited by the lack of ethologically based validation, assessment of the influence of competitor recognition, and proof of concept of application to neuroscience. This manuscript may be of interest to those interested in social behavior and related neuroscience.

eLife Assessment

Peukes et al. report compelling ultrastructures of excitatory synapses in the mouse forebrain that will serve as a reference for future work in the field. Their important findings using correlated fluorescence and cryo-electron tomography challenge the textbook view of synaptic structure that emerged from chemically fixed and metal-stained tissues. Instead of a post-synaptic density, these authors reveal the architecture of the cytoskeletal, neurotransmitter receptor clusters, and organelles in the 'synaptoplasm'.

eLife Assessment

This important study presents a new method for longitudinally tracking cells in two-photon imaging data that addresses the specific challenges of imaging neurons in the developing cortex. It provides compelling evidence demonstrating reliable longitudinal identification of neurons across the second postnatal week in mice. The study should be of interest to development neuroscientists engaged in population-level recordings using two-photon imaging.

eLife Assessment

This study dissects the function of 3 outputs of a specific population of modulatory neurons, dorsal raphe dopamine neurons, in social and affective behavior. It provides valuable information that both confirms prior results and provides new insights. The strength of the evidence is convincing, based on cutting-edge approaches and analysis. This study will be of interest to behavioral and systems neuroscientists, especially those interested in social and emotional behavior.

eLife Assessment

This paper reports on an important study that aims to move beyond current experimental approaches in speech production by (1) investigating speech in the context of a fully interactive task and (2) employing advanced methodology to record intracranial brain activity. Together these allow for examination of the unfolding temporal dynamics of brain-behaviour relationships during interactive speech. This approach and the analyses presented in support of the authors' claims pose convincing evidence.

eLife Assessment

This valuable study addresses a gap in our understanding of how the size of the attentional field is represented within the visual cortex. The evidence supporting the role of visual cortical activity is convincing, based on a novel modeling analysis of fMRI data. The results will be of interest to psychologists and cognitive neuroscientists.