Neuroscience

Selective recruitment of the cerebellum evidenced by task-dependent gating of inputs

1. Ladan Shahshahani
2. Maedbh King
3. Caroline Nettekoven
4. Richard B Ivry
5. Jörn Diedrichsen

• Curated by eLife

  eLife assessment

  This important study reports a novel approach to studying cerebellar function based on the idea of selective recruitment using fMRI. It provides convincing evidence for task-dependent gating of neocortical input to the cerebellum during a motor task and a working memory task. The study will be of interest to a broad cognitive neuroscience audience.

Reviewed by eLife

Myelin dystrophy impairs signal transmission and working memory in a multiscale model of the aging prefrontal cortex

1. Sara Ibañez
2. Nilapratim Sengupta
3. Jennifer I Luebke
4. Klaus Wimmer
5. Christina M Weaver

• Curated by eLife

  eLife assessment

  This manuscript reports a valuable computational study of the effects of axon de-myelination and re-myelination on action potential speed and propagation failure. The manuscript presents solid evidence for the effects of de- and re-myelination in different models of working memory, with potential implications in disorders such as multiple sclerosis. The exposition of the manuscript is targeted for researchers interested in biophysical models of cognitive deficits.

Reviewed by eLife

ElectroPhysiomeGAN: Generation of Biophysical Neuron Model Parameters from Recorded Electrophysiological Responses

1. Jimin Kim
2. Qiang Liu
3. Eli Shlizerman

• Curated by eLife

  eLife assessment

  The study by Kim et al. is a valuable contribution to the topic of obtaining good channel conductance parameters from electrophysiological recordings. While promising in its ability to rapidly construct newly fitted models using generative adversarial networks, the approach is incompletely described and the generated models often substantially deviate from the dynamics observed empirically. The comparison with existing multi-objective optimization methods is also incomplete.

Reviewed by eLife

Nonlinear feedback modulation contributes to the optimization of flexible decision-making

1. Xuanyu Wu
2. Yang Zhou

• Curated by eLife

  eLife assessment

  This valuable study by Wu and Zhou combines neurophysiological recordings and computational modelling to address an interesting question regarding the sequence of events from sensing to action. Neurophysiological evidence remains incomplete: explicit mapping of saccade-related activity in the same neurons and a better understanding of the influence of the spatial configuration of stimulus and targets would be required to pinpoint whether such activity might contribute, even partially, to the observed results and interpretations. These results are of interest for neuroscientists investigating decision-making.

Reviewed by eLife

Microglia aging in the hippocampus advances through intermediate states that drive inflammatory activation and cognitive decline

1. Jeremy M. Shea
2. Saul A. Villeda

• Curated by eLife

  eLife assessment

  This important work advances our understanding of microglial aging trajectory and heterogeneity. The authors provide an in-depth characterization of microglia in aging and aim to identify molecular checkpoints, that while solid are also deemed incomplete to support all the authors' claims. The study should be of interest to neuroimmunologists and biologists interested in aging.

Reviewed by eLife

Sleep need driven oscillation of glutamate synaptic phenotype

1. K.E. Vogt
2. A. Kulkarni
3. R. Pandey
4. M. Dehnad
5. G. Konopka
6. R.W. Greene

• Curated by eLife

  eLife assessment

  This valuable study showing that sleep deprivation increases functional synapses while depleting silent synapses supports previous findings that excitatory signaling, in particular via AMPA receptors, increases during wakefulness. The consistency with the literature increases confidence in the conclusions, which otherwise are supported by incomplete evidence. An interesting aspect of this manuscript is the inclusion of a model for the accumulation of sleep need that is based upon the MEF2C transcription factor but also links to the sleep-regulating SIK3-HDAC4/5 pathway. As such, the manuscript is as much of a perspective as a primary research paper.

Reviewed by eLife

Learning enhances behaviorally relevant representations in apical dendrites

1. Sam E. Benezra
2. Kripa B. Patel
3. Citlali Pérez Campos
4. Elizabeth M.C. Hillman
5. Randy M. Bruno

• Curated by eLife

  eLife assessment

  This important study uses calcium imaging to show an increase in the selectivity of the sensory-evoked response in the apical dendritic tuft of layer 5 barrel cortex neurons as mice learn a whisker-dependent discrimination task. The evidence supporting the conclusions is compelling, and this work will be of great interest to neuroscientists working on reward-based learning and sensory processing.

Reviewed by eLife

Cold induces brain region-selective cell activity-dependent lipid metabolism

1. Hyeonyoung Min
2. Yale Y Yang
3. Yunlei Yang

• Curated by eLife

  eLife assessment:

  This study reported that cold exposure induced mRNA expression of genes related to lipid metabolism in the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus (PVH). The authors provide useful data highlighting the potential role of lipid metabolism in the brain during cold exposure. However, the study is incomplete and would require specific experiments to solidify the claims being made.

Reviewed by eLife

Three-photon excited fluorescence microscopy enables imaging of blood flow, neural structure and inflammatory response deep into mouse spinal cord in vivo

1. Yu-Ting Cheng
2. Kawasi M. Lett
3. Chris Xu
4. Chris B. Schaffer

• Curated by eLife

  eLife assessment

  In this work, the authors put forward a valuable methodological advancement for imaging deeper in the intact spinal cord of anaesthetized mice. The authors measured blood flow across different vessel types within the spinal cord and observed the cellular responses following venule occlusion. The demonstration is solid, although, a more quantitative comparison with state-of-the-art two-photon excited fluorescence microscopy and a discussion about applicability to functional imaging (e.g., calcium imaging) would have strengthened the study.

Reviewed by eLife

Light-microscopy based dense connectomic reconstruction of mammalian brain tissue

1. Mojtaba R. Tavakoli
2. Julia Lyudchik
3. Michał Januszewski
4. Vitali Vistunou
5. Nathalie Agudelo
6. Jakob Vorlaufer
7. Christoph Sommer
8. Caroline Kreuzinger
9. Barbara Oliveira
10. Alban Cenameri
11. Gaia Novarino
12. Viren Jain
13. Johann Danzl

Reviewed by preLights