Neuroscience

Updating the sulcal landscape of the human lateral parieto-occipital junction provides anatomical, functional, and cognitive insights

1. Ethan H Willbrand
2. Yi-Heng Tsai
3. Thomas Gagnant
4. Kevin S Weiner

• Curated by eLife

  eLife Assessment

  The present work provides new insights into detailed brain morphology. Using state-of-the-art methods, it provides compelling evidence for the relevance of sucal morphology for the precise localization of brain function. The fundamental findings have great relevance for the fields of imaging neuroscience and individualized medicine as ever-improving techniques improve precision to the point where individual brain anatomy is taking centre stage.

Reviewed by eLife

Policy-Gradient Reinforcement Learning as a General Theory of Practice-Based Motor Skill Learning

1. Adrian M Haith

• Curated by eLife

  eLife Assessment

  This valuable computational study presents a conceptually simple and biologically plausible reinforcement-learning framework for motor learning based on policy-gradient methods. The evidence supporting the conclusions is convincing, including rigorous mathematical derivations of learning rules for the mean and variance of motor commands and simulation results for three sets of experimental data, based on three different motor learning tasks from the literature. However, there is a lack of a clear description of the specific conditions under which this framework yields unique mechanistic insights or predictive values, hence falling short of qualifying as a "general theory of motor learning". The work will be of interest to researchers in computational motor learning and motor neuroscience.

Reviewed by eLife

The engulfment receptor Draper is required for epidermal dendrite ensheathment

1. Chang Yin
2. Federico M. Tenedini
3. Amy Platenkamp
4. Jay Z. Parrish

Reviewed by Review Commons

Capturing instantaneous neural signal-behavior relationships with concurrent functional mixed models

1. Al W Xin
2. Erjia Cui
3. Francisco Pereira
4. Gabriel Loewinger

• Curated by eLife

  eLife Assessment

  This valuable work extends a previously published regression framework for trial-aligned photometry data incorporating functional variables. However, the evidence is generally incomplete, due to the way that within-trial changes in variables have been incorporated into an inherently cross-trial analysis framework, which will limit general adoption. The ideas in this work will be of interest to researchers analyzing photometry signals.

Reviewed by eLife

Graded Hair Cell Ablation Reveals Functional Redundancy in the Mature Mouse Vestibular System

1. Tian Wang
2. Davood K. Hosseini
3. Ahmad Mahhoudi
4. Zahra N. Sayyid
5. Jun He
6. Caroline Sit
7. Zelma G. Iriarte Oporto
8. Hong Zhu
9. Wu Zhou
10. Alan G. Cheng

Reviewed by Review Commons

Identity and functions of monoaminergic neurons in the predatory nematode Pristionchus pacificus reveal nervous system conservation and divergence

1. Curtis M Loer
2. Hyunsoo Yim
3. Luke T Geiger
4. Yasmin H Ramadan
5. Megan F Hampton
6. Diana V Bernal
7. Heather R Carstensen
8. Jorge Morgan
9. Laura Rivard
10. Theresa Medina
11. Steven J Cook
12. Misako Okumura
13. James Lightfoot
14. Oliver Hobert
15. Ray L Hong

• Curated by eLife

  eLife Assessment

  This study presents valuable insights into cellular sites of monoamine production and presence in Pristionchus pacificus, providing a comparative reference for the detailed knowledge of C. elegans, as well as using this information to compare serotonergic anatomy in 22 nematode species. Functional assays support evolved differences in monoaminergic control over certain, but not all, tested behaviors. The evidence is convincing, combining careful genetic experiments and comparative analysis that are well aligned with the conclusions. The results will serve as a basis for (comparative) structural-functional studies of nematode behavior.

Reviewed by eLife

Retrieval practice prevents stress-induced inference impairment by restoring rapid memory reactivation

1. Jinpeng Guo
2. Ruixin Chen
3. Qi Zhao
4. Xiaojun Sun
5. Wei Liu

• Curated by eLife

  eLife Assessment

  This study presents valuable findings on how retrieval practice protects memory inferences from stress via covert memory reactivation. Via two EEG experiments manipulating stress and retrieval practice, the authors provide solid evidence supporting the conclusion. This work will be of interest to cognitive and affective neuroscientists working on the intersection between memory and stress.

Reviewed by eLife