Neuroscience

Expression of the ACE2 virus entry protein in the nervus terminalis reveals the potential for an alternative route to brain infection in COVID-19

1. Katarzyna Bilinska
2. Christopher S. von Bartheld
3. Rafal Butowt

Reviewed by ScreenIT

SARS-CoV-2 infects brain choroid plexus and disrupts the blood-CSF-barrier

1. Laura Pellegrini
2. Anna Albecka
3. Donna L. Mallery
4. Max J. Kellner
5. David Paul
6. Andrew P. Carter
7. Leo C. James
8. Madeline A. Lancaster

Reviewed by ScreenIT, preLights

Brain Inflammation and Intracellular α-Synuclein Aggregates in Macaques after SARS-CoV-2 Infection

1. Ingrid H. C. H. M. Philippens
2. Kinga P. Böszörményi
3. Jacqueline A. M. Wubben
4. Zahra C. Fagrouch
5. Nikki van Driel
6. Amber Q. Mayenburg
7. Diana Lozovagia
8. Eva Roos
9. Bernadette Schurink
10. Marianna Bugiani
11. Ronald E. Bontrop
12. Jinte Middeldorp
13. Willy M. Bogers
14. Lioe-Fee de Geus-Oei
15. Jan A. M. Langermans
16. Ernst J. Verschoor
17. Marieke A. Stammes
18. Babs E. Verstrepen

Reviewed by ScreenIT

SARS-CoV-2 binding to ACE2 triggers pericyte-mediated angiotensin-evoked cerebral capillary constriction

1. Chanawee Hirunpattarasilp
2. Gregory James
3. Felipe Freitas
4. Huma Sethi
5. Josef T. Kittler
6. Jiandong Huo
7. Raymond J. Owens
8. David Attwell

Reviewed by ScreenIT

Cortical entrainment to hierarchical contextual rhythms recomposes dynamic attending in visual perception

1. Peijun Yuan
2. Ruichen Hu
3. Xue Zhang
4. Ying Wang
5. Yi Jiang

• Curated by eLife

  Evaluation Summary:

  This study by Wang et al. used a series of carefully designed behavioral experiments to convincingly demonstrate that the attentional blink (AB) could be modulated by higher-order rhythmic regularity. EEG results further support the link between the elicited neural entrainment and the AB modulation effect. They propose that the rhythmic context implements a second-order temporal structure to the first-order regularities posited in dynamic attention theory.

  (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.)

Reviewed by eLife

Distinct protocerebral neuropils associated with attractive and aversive female-produced odorants in the male moth brain

1. Jonas Hansen Kymre
2. XiaoLan Liu
3. Elena Ian
4. Christoffer Nerland Berge
5. XinCheng Zhao
6. GuiRong Wang
7. Bente G. Berg
8. Xi Chu

• Curated by eLife

  Evaluation Summary:

  This study identifies and describes the functional properties of antennal lobe output neurons towards the response to pheromone odors in the moth brain. This paper will be of interest to neuroscientists investigating how sensory information is organized in the brain. Through a combination of technically challenging experiments, the paper identifies the brain regions that differentially process attractive vs aversive olfactory pheromone signals. While not an exhaustive data set, it provides compelling evidence for one model of how the moth brain interprets complex pheromone olfactory odors.

  (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.)

Reviewed by eLife

Loss of Tsc1 in cerebellar Purkinje cells induces transcriptional and translation changes in FMRP target transcripts

1. Jasbir Dalal
2. Kellen D. Winden
3. Catherine L. Salussolia
4. Maria Sundberg
5. Achint Singh
6. Pingzhu Zhou
7. William T Pu
8. Meghan T. Miller
9. Mustafa Sahin

• Curated by eLife

  Evaluation Summary:

  The main strength of the manuscript is the data sets generated by the cell type-specific RNA-seq and TRAP-seq in cerebellar PCs that lack Tsc1. In addition, the bioinformatic analysis revealed several interesting findings, including the observation that FMRP target RNAs are reduced in the Tsc1 mutant PCs and that the translational efficiency of these RNAs is actually increased, likely through compensatory mechanisms.

  (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 #2 agreed to share their name with the authors.)

Reviewed by eLife

Neural excitability and sensory input determine intensity perception with opposing directions in initial cortical responses

1. Tilman Stephani
2. Alice Hodapp
3. Mina Jamshidi Idaji
4. Arno Villringer
5. Vadim V Nikulin

• Curated by eLife

  Evaluation Summary:

  Stephani et al. address the question of how ongoing fluctuations in neuronal excitability, as well as stimulus strength, impact the perception of above-threshold tactile stimuli and the subsequent stimulus-evoked brain activity. The results are puzzling in an interesting way, and while the authors provide a nicely parsimonious explanation rooted in the underlying neurophysiology, editors and reviewers think this study has the potential to further motivate many lines of investigation. This manuscript will be of interest mainly to researchers using electrophysiological methods (EEG, MEG, ECoG etc.), as the authors have produced a very high-quality EEG data-set (including uncommon peripheral measurements).

  (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 names with the authors.)

Reviewed by eLife

Disrupting cortico-cerebellar communication impairs dexterity

1. Jian-Zhong Guo
2. Britton A Sauerbrei
3. Jeremy D Cohen
4. Matteo Mischiati
5. Austin R Graves
6. Ferruccio Pisanello
7. Kristin M Branson
8. Adam W Hantman

• Curated by eLife

  Evaluation Summary:

  The present paper investigated the role of cortico-cerebellar loops in motor control with high density physiological recordings and by using optogenetics to perturb responses of precerebellar neurons in the pontine nuclei during reaching. The study adds to a long line of work supporting the view that the cortico-cerebellar pathway is required for fine motor control. The experiments are well performed, but a number of revisions in analysis and presentation are required.

  (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.)

Reviewed by eLife

Cellular, Circuit and Transcriptional Framework for Modulation of Itch in the Central Amygdala

1. Vijay K Samineni
2. Jose G. Grajales-Reyes
3. Gary E Grajales-Reyes
4. Eric Tycksen
5. Bryan A Copits
6. Christian Pedersen
7. Edem S Ankudey
8. Julian N Sackey
9. Sienna B Sewell
10. Michael R Bruchas
11. Robert W. Gereau

• Curated by eLife

  Evaluation Summary:

  This work will be of general interest to neuroscientists, especially those studying how the brain processes itch stimuli and controls itch-related behavior. The authors show that specific cells in the central amygdala (and their communication with other parts of the brain) play an important role in itching (pruritic) behavior. Overall, the authors provides several lines of evidence to support their conclusions.

  (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 names with the authors.)

Reviewed by eLife