Neuroscience

Evaluation Summary:

This manuscript addresses the cellular and dendritic physiology of cholinergic interneurons in the striatum. The authors use a creative integration of electrophysiology and optical methods to investigate this distinctive cell type, which is critically important at the intersection of motivated behavior and disease. They uncover a mechanism through which two separate active conductances - the hyperpolarization-activated h-current (HCN) and the persistent sodium current (NaP) - act in concert to selectively boost synaptic input from the thalamus onto proximal dendrites of cholinergic interneurons.

(This preprint has been reviewed by eLife. We include the public reviews from the reviewers here; the authors also receive private feedback with suggested changes to the manuscript. Reviewer #1 agreed to share their name with the authors.)

Evaluation Summary:

The authors demonstrate that patients carrying a gain-of-function S218L mutation in CACNA1A exhibit a gene-dosage-dependent increase in the susceptibility to cortical spreading depression (CSD), seizure activity and brain edema formation following TBI compared with wild-type (WT) mice or mice carrying the milder R192Q mutation. This paper will be of considerable interest to familial hemiplegic migraine (FHM) sufferers who experience traumatic brain injury (and their physicians), as well researchers with an interest in the spectrum and phenotypic consequences of mutations in the voltage-gated, P/Q-type Ca2+ channel, CACNA1A.

(This preprint has been reviewed by eLife. We include the public reviews from the reviewers here; the authors also receive private feedback with suggested changes to the manuscript. The reviewers remained anonymous to the authors.)

Evaluation Summary:

The phenomena of inter brain synchrony is fascinating and has been observed in a variety of situations across different mammalian species. It has also been proposed to play a critical role in certain social behaviors. Here, the authors report that brain activity across two interacting bats display not only similarities but also important differences.

(This preprint has been reviewed by eLife. We include the public reviews from the reviewers here; the authors also receive private feedback with suggested changes to the manuscript. The reviewers remained anonymous to the authors.)

Evaluation Summary:

The authors investigated Atmospheric Particulate Matter (PM) , a mimetic of current air pollution and how it affects myelination in the central nervous system (CNS) using an animal model of demyelination. They showed that the PM caused changes in myelination that associated with microglial activation and markers of inflammation. In vitro modeling indicates PM can activate microglial via the TLR4/NFkB signaling pathway.

(This preprint has been reviewed by eLife. We include the public reviews from the reviewers here; the authors also receive private feedback with suggested changes to the manuscript. The reviewers remained anonymous to the authors.)

Evaluation Summary:

The authors make a compelling case for a special type of potassium channel (Kv3.3) in the control of the presynaptic AP spike waveforms. Importantly, mice that lack Kv3.3 showed auditory response deficits, including increases in pre-synaptic AP halfwidth, AP latency, AP jitter and spontaneous activity. The in vivo recordings are impressive. The study contains an extensive data set and makes a compelling argument for the uniquely important role for Kv3.3 in synaptic transmission. Overall, the findings will significantly advance our understanding of the calyx of Held and the neural circuit of sound processing, as well as the functions of Kv3 channels.

(This preprint has been reviewed by eLife. We include the public reviews from the reviewers here; the authors also receive private feedback with suggested changes to the manuscript. Reviewer #1 and Reviewer #2 agreed to share their name with the authors.)

Evaluation Summary:

This manuscript is of interest to cognitive neuroscientists working in the field of (fMRI or EEG) resting-state fluctuations. The role of these fluctuations is compellingly demonstrated in solving an existing mystery about brain variability and ageing; namely, that older adults exhibit increased behavioural variability but reduced neural variability. The work should be of interest to cognitive neuroscientists using fMRI and EEG to study neural noise and inter-individual and inter-group differences, particularly in the realm of aging and age-related disorders.

(This preprint has been reviewed by eLife. We include the public reviews from the reviewers here; the authors also receive private feedback with suggested changes to the manuscript. Reviewer #1 and Reviewer #3 agreed to share their name with the authors.)

Evaluation Summary:

Liu et al present fascinating findings that significantly extend the understanding of molecular and cellular pathways of mechanical nociception in Drosophila larvae. This work is of very high interest to neuroscientists studying sensory function and its molecular underpinnings with implications for our understanding of acute sensation of painful stimuli. The approach and data are of very high quality and provide unprecedented insight into mechanosensory functions in an intact tissue environment.

(This preprint has been reviewed by eLife. We include the public reviews from the reviewers here; the authors also receive private feedback with suggested changes to the manuscript. Reviewer #3 agreed to share their name with the authors.)

Evaluation Summary:

The paper demonstrates the adaptation of speech after a single trial of perturbing the fundamental frequency of an utterance. The findings confirm existing theories of speech adaptation, but constitute an important missing piece of evidence in the current literature.

(This preprint has been reviewed by eLife. We include the public reviews from the reviewers here; the authors also receive private feedback with suggested changes to the manuscript. Reviewer #1 agreed to share their name with the authors.)

Evaluation Summary:

Spacek et al. study the corticothalamic feedback of different visual stimuli on visual thalamus. With optogenetic suppression of visual cortex feedback and simultaneous multi-channel recordings in visual thalamus, the authors succeeded to acquire important data about this essential feedback loop in awake, behaving animals. The authors impressively show that the cortical feedback acts as a gain factor in thalamus for the transmission of signals from retina to cortex, specifically for natural scenes. These careful measurements performed in a well-defined circuit also advance our understanding of the role of feedback more generally in the brain.

(This preprint has been reviewed by eLife. We include the public reviews from the reviewers here; the authors also receive private feedback with suggested changes to the manuscript. The reviewers remained anonymous to the authors.)

Evaluation Summary:

This Tools and Resources article presents an innovative method for simultaneously stimulating and imaging two cortical layers in tandem while causing minimal damage to brain tissue. The method substantially builds on existing methods in several ways, while still pinpointing the limitations of existing methods that are overcome in this new approach. Three well-described sets of experiments demonstrate the method's reliability and versatility, and highlight its promise in tackling big questions about cortical microcircuit functions.

(This preprint has been reviewed by eLife. We include the public reviews from the reviewers here; the authors also receive private feedback with suggested changes to the manuscript. The reviewers remained anonymous to the authors.)