Neuroscience

Linking the evolution of two prefrontal brain regions to social and foraging challenges in primates

1. Sebastien Bouret
2. Emmanuel Paradis
3. Sandrine Prat
4. Laurie Castro
5. Pauline Perez
6. Emmanuel Gilissen
7. Cécile Garcia

• Curated by eLife

  eLife assessment

  This important study correlates the size of various prefrontal brain regions in primate species with socioecological variables like foraging distance and population density. The evidence presented is solid but the approach and conclusions are limited to primates with well-defined gyri.

Reviewed by eLife

A Myelin Map of Trunk Folds in the Elephant Trigeminal Nucleus

1. Noémie Reveyaz
2. Undine Schneeweiß
3. Olivia Heise
4. Ben Gerhardt
5. Andreea M Gui
6. Lena V Kaufmann
7. Jette Alfken
8. Jakob Reichmann
9. Tim Salditt
10. Thomas Hildebrandt
11. Michael Brecht

• Curated by eLife

  eLife assessment

  This valuable study uses neuroanatomical techniques to investigate somatosensory projections from the elephant trunk to the brainstem. Given its unique specializations, understanding how the elephant trunk is represented within the brain is of general interest to evolutionary and comparative neuroscientists. The authors present solid evidence for the existence of a novel isomorphism in which the folds of the trunk are mapped onto the trigeminal nucleus; however, due to their unusual structure, some uncertainty remains about the identification and anatomical organization of nuclei within the elephant brainstem.

Reviewed by eLife

When and why does motor preparation arise in recurrent neural network models of motor control?

1. Marine Schimel
2. Ta-Chu Kao
3. Guillaume Hennequin

• Curated by eLife

  eLife assessment

  This important study provides a new perspective on why preparatory activity occurs before the onset of movement. The authors report that when there is a cost on the inputs, the optimal inputs should start before the desired network output for a wide variety of recurrent networks. The authors present compelling evidence by combining mathematically tractable analyses in linear networks and numerical simulation in nonlinear networks.

Reviewed by eLife

CAT – A Computational Anatomy Toolbox for the Analysis of Structural MRI Data

1. Christian Gaser
2. Robert Dahnke
3. Paul M Thompson
4. Florian Kurth
5. Eileen Luders
6. Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative

Reviewed by GigaScience

Age-Related Decline in Blood-Brain Barrier Function is More Pronounced in Males than Females in Parietal and Temporal Regions

1. Xingfeng Shao
2. Qinyang Shou
3. Kimberly Felix
4. Brandon Ojogho
5. Xuejuan Jiang
6. Brian T Gold
7. Megan M Herting
8. Eric L Goldwaser
9. Peter Kochunov
10. L Elliot Hong
11. Ioannis Pappas
12. Meredith Braskie
13. Hosung Kim
14. Steven Cen
15. Kay Jann
16. Danny JJ Wang

• Curated by eLife

  eLife assessment

  This study presents a valuable finding that the blood-brain barrier functionality changes with age and differs between males and females. The analysis is solid, comprising a large and racially diverse dataset, and utilizes a contrast-agent-free MRI method. Since limited work has been done in the MRI field on the blood-brain barrier using this method, this study is of great interest to neuroimaging researchers and clinicians.

Reviewed by eLife

High-frequency terahertz stimulation alleviates neuropathic pain by inhibiting the pyramidal neuron activity in the anterior cingulate cortex of mice

1. Wenyu Peng
2. Pan Wang
3. Chaoyang Tan
4. Han Zhao
5. Kun Chen
6. Huaxing Si
7. Yuchen Tian
8. Anxin Lou
9. Zhi Zhu
10. Yifang Yuan
11. Kaijie Wu
12. Chao Chang
13. Yuanming Wu
14. Tao Chen

• Curated by eLife

  eLife assessment

  Peng et al. reported important findings that 36THz high-frequency terahertz stimulation (HFTS) could suppress the activity of pyramidal neurons by enhancing the conductance of voltage-gated potassium channels. The significance of the findings in this paper is that chronic pain remains a significant medical problem, and there is a need to find non-pharmacological interventions for treatment. The authors present convincing evidence that high-frequency stimulation of the anterior cingulate cortex can alter neuronal activity and improve sensory pain behaviors in mice.

Reviewed by eLife

Muscle-resident mesenchymal progenitors sense and repair peripheral nerve injury via the GDNF-BDNF axis

1. Kyusang Yoo
2. Young-Woo Jo
3. Takwon Yoo
4. Sang-Hyeon Hann
5. Inkuk Park
6. Yea-Eun Kim
7. Ye Lynne Kim
8. Joonwoo Rhee
9. In-Wook Song
10. Ji-Hoon Kim
11. Daehyun Baek
12. Young-Yun Kong

• Curated by eLife

  eLife assessment

  The study has identified a cell type in muscle that is characterized as an adipogenic progenitor cell that is capable of promoting regeneration through the action of BDNF, a prominent growth factor regulated by GDNF in Schwann cells. These results represent an important cellular explanation for nerve regeneration. The revised analysis is solid but the work remains incomplete due to a lack of evidence that BDNF is produced during the process through the action of GDNF.

Reviewed by eLife

GnRH pulse generator activity in mouse models of polycystic ovary syndrome

1. Ziyue Zhou
2. Su Young Han
3. Maria Pardo-Navarro
4. Ellen Wall
5. Reena Desai
6. Szilvia Vas
7. David J. Handelsman
8. Allan E Herbison

• Curated by eLife

  eLife assessment

  This important study reports findings on the GnRH pulse generator's role in androgen-exposed mouse models, providing further insights into PCOS pathophysiology and advancing the field of reproductive endocrinology. The experimental data were collected using cutting-edge methodologies and were solid. However, it is noteworthy that the findings, while interesting, are primarily applicable to mouse models, and their translation to human physiology requires cautious interpretation and further validation. This work will be of interest to endocrinologists and reproductive biologists.

Reviewed by eLife

An Anatomical and Physiological Basis for Flexible Coincidence Detection in the Auditory System

1. Lauren J Kreeger
2. Suraj Honnuraiah
3. Sydney Maeker
4. Siobhan Shea
5. Gord Fishell
6. Lisa V Goodrich

• Curated by eLife

  eLife assessment

  This valuable work analyzes how specialized cells in the auditory cells, known as the octopus cells, can detect coincidences in their inputs at the submillisecond time scale. While previous work indicated that these cells receive no inhibitory inputs, the present study unambiguously demonstrates that these cells receive inhibitory glycinergic inputs. The physiologic impact of these inputs needs to be studied further. It remains incomplete at present but could be improved by addressing caveats related to similar sizes of excitatory postsynaptic potentials and spikes in the octopus neurons.

Reviewed by eLife

A scene with an invisible wall - navigational experience shapes visual scene representation

1. Shi Pui Donald Li
2. Jiayu Shao
3. Zhengang Lu
4. Michael McCloskey
5. Soojin Park

• Curated by eLife

  eLife assessment

  This important study provides novel evidence that navigational experiences can shape perceptual scene representations. The evidence presented is incomplete and would benefit from clearer explanations of the experiment design and careful discussion of alternative interpretations such as contextual associations or familiarity. The work will be of interest to cognitive psychologists and neuroscientists working on perception and navigation.

Reviewed by eLife