Neuroscience

Bayesian meta-analysis reveals the mechanistic role of slow oscillation-spindle coupling in sleep-dependent memory consolidation

1. Thea Ng
2. Eunsol Noh
3. Rebecca MC Spencer

• Curated by eLife

  eLife Assessment

  This important study presents a meta-analysis confirming a statistically significant association between slow oscillation-spindle coupling and memory formation, although the reported effects are limited (~0.5% of variance). The evidence is overall convincing, but the statistical methods may be difficult to follow for readers unfamiliar with advanced techniques. This work will be of particular interest to neuroscientists studying the neural mechanisms of sleep and memory.

Reviewed by eLife

Cellular and circuit features distinguish mouse dentate gyrus semilunar granule cells and granule cells activated during contextual memory formation

1. Laura Dovek
2. Mahboubeh Ahmadi
3. Krista Marrero
4. Edward Zagha
5. Vijayalakshmi Santhakumar

• Curated by eLife

  eLife Assessment

  This useful study describes distinctive characteristics of dentate gyrus granule cells and semilunar cells that are recruited during contextual memory processing. The study provides solid evidence to suggest mechanisms that may be involved in the recruitment of neurons into memory engrams in the dentate gyrus.

Reviewed by eLife

Spatial frequency adaptation modulates population receptive field sizes

1. Ecem Altan
2. Catherine A Morgan
3. Steven C Dakin
4. D Samuel Schwarzkopf

• Curated by eLife

  eLife Assessment

  This well-designed study combining psychophysical and fMRI data presents a valuable finding regarding how adaptation alters spatial frequency processing in the cortex. The evidence supporting the claims of the authors is solid, although inclusion of more participants and better quality of the fMRI data would have strengthened the study. The study will be of interest to cognitive and perceptual neuroscientists working on human and non-human primates.

Reviewed by eLife

How infant brains fold: Sulcal deepening is linked to development of sulcal span, thickness, curvature, and microstructure

1. Sarah S. Tung
2. Xiaoqian Yan
3. Bella Fascendini
4. Christina Tyagi
5. Charleny Martinez Reyes
6. Keithan Ducre
7. Karla Perez
8. Ahmad Allen
9. Juliet Horenziak
10. Hua Wu
11. Boris Keil
12. Vaidehi S. Natu
13. Kalanit Grill-Spector

Reviewed by preLights

Progressive neural engagement within the IFG-pMTG circuit as gesture and speech entropy and MI advances

1. Wanying Zhao
2. Zhouyi Li
3. Xiang Li
4. Yi Du

• Curated by eLife

  eLife Assessment

  This useful study uses brain stimulation and electroencephalography to study speech-gesture integration. It investigates the role of frontotemporal regions in integrating linguistic and extra-linguistic information during communication, focusing on the inferior frontal gyrus and posterior middle temporal gyrus. Reliance on activation patterns of tightly-coupled brain regions over short timescales leads to incomplete support for the study's conclusions due to conceptual and methodological limitations.

Reviewed by eLife

High-throughput synapse profiling reveals cell-type-specific spatial configurations in the fly brain

1. Hongyang Wu
2. Yoh Maekawa
3. Sayaka Eno
4. Shu Kondo
5. Nobuhiro Yamagata
6. Hiromu Tanimoto

• Curated by eLife

  eLife Assessment

  This important work introduces a splitGFP-based labeling tool with an analysis pipeline for the synaptic scaffold protein bruchpilot, with tests in the adult Drosophila mushroom bodies, a learning center in the Drosophila brain. The evidence supporting the conclusions is solid. However, additional controls, validation of synapse-specificity, validation of activity-dependence, details on image processing, and additional functional experiments are needed to strengthen the study.

Reviewed by eLife

PD-linked LRRK2 G2019S mutation impairs astrocyte morphology and synapse maintenance via ERM hyperphosphorylation

1. Shiyi Wang
2. Ryan Baumert
3. Gabrielle Séjourné
4. Dhanesh Sivadasan Bindu
5. Kylie Dimond
6. Kristina Sakers
7. Leslie Vazquez
8. Jessica L Moore
9. Christabel Xin Tan
10. Tetsuya Takano
11. Maria Pia Rodriguez
12. Nick Brose
13. Luke Bradley
14. Reed Lessing
15. Scott H Soderling
16. Albert R La Spada
17. Cagla Eroglu

• Curated by eLife

  eLife Assessment

  This study identifies astrocyte-intrinsic mechanisms by which the LRRK2 G2019S, a mutation linked to familial Parkinson's disease, disrupts synaptic integrity in the anterior cingulate cortex. The findings are convincing, as they rely on a comprehensive set of in vivo and in vitro genetic, biochemical, proteomic, and electrophysiological approaches. They are important because of their translational value, being validated in both mouse models and post-mortem human samples.

Reviewed by eLife

Development of Auditory and Spontaneous Movement Responses to Music over the First Year of Life

1. Trinh Nguyen
2. Félix Bigand
3. Susanne Reisner
4. Atesh Koul
5. Roberta Bianco
6. Gabriela Markova
7. Stefanie Hoehl
8. Giacomo Novembre

• Curated by eLife

  eLife Assessment

  This study offers important insights into the development of infants' responses to music based on the exploration of EEG neural auditory responses and video-based movement analysis. The convincing results revealed that evoked responses emerge between 3 and 12 months of age, but data analysis requires further refinement to fully complement the findings related to movement in response to music. This study will be of significant interest to developmental psychologists and neuroscientists, as well as researchers interested in music processing and in the translation of perception into action.

Reviewed by eLife

Humans underestimate their body mass in microgravity: evidence from reaching movements during spaceflight

1. Zhaoran Zhang
2. Yu Tian
3. Chunhui Wang
4. Changhua Jiang
5. Bo Wang
6. Hongqiang Yu
7. Rui Zhao
8. Kunlin Wei

• Curated by eLife

  eLife Assessment

  This paper undertakes an important investigation to determine whether movement slowing in microgravity is due to a strategic conservative approach or rather due to an underestimation of the mass of the arm. While the experimental dataset is unique and the coupled experimental and computational analyses comprehensive, the authors present incomplete results to support the claim that movement slowing is due to mass underestimation. Further analysis is needed to rule out alternative explanations.

Reviewed by eLife

A cortical–hippocampal communication undergoes rebalancing after new learning

1. Arron F Hall
2. Dong V Wang

• Curated by eLife

  eLife Assessment

  This valuable study investigates the neural basis of bidirectional communication between the cortex and hippocampus during learning. The evidence supporting the identification of specific circuits and functional cell types involved is convincing. However, certain aspects of the behavioral analysis and statistical interpretation remain incomplete. Overall, the work will be of interest to neuroscientists studying learning and memory.

Reviewed by eLife