Neuroscience

Mapping vascular network architecture in primate brain using ferumoxytol-weighted laminar MRI

1. Joonas A Autio
2. Ikko Kimura
3. Takayuki Ose
4. Yuki Matsumoto
5. Masahiro Ohno
6. Yuta Urushibata
7. Takuro Ikeda
8. Matthew F Glasser
9. David C van Essen
10. Takuya Hayashi

• Curated by eLife

  eLife Assessment

  This study presents valuable findings on the relative cerebral blood volume of non-human primates that move us closer to uncovering the functional and architectonic principles that govern the interplay between neuronal and vascular networks. The evidence of areal variations and of vessel counting and laminar analysis is solid. The lack of a direct comparison of their approach against better-established MRI-based methods for measuring hemodynamics and vascular structure somewhat weakens the evidence provided in the current paper version, but the current work is an significant step forward. The work will be of interest to NHP imaging scientists.

Reviewed by eLife

Heterozygosity for neurodevelopmental disorder-associated TRIO variants yields distinct deficits in behavior, neuronal development, and synaptic transmission in mice

1. Yevheniia Ishchenko
2. Amanda T Jeng
3. Shufang Feng
4. Timothy Nottoli
5. Cindy Manriquez-Rodriguez
6. Khanh K Nguyen
7. Melissa G Carrizales
8. Matthew J Vitarelli
9. Ellen E Corcoran
10. Charles A Greer
11. Samuel A Myers
12. Anthony J Koleske

• Curated by eLife

  eLife Assessment

  This study explores how heterozygosity for specific neurodevelopmental disorder-associated TRIO variants affects brain function in mice. The authors conducted thorough analyses on mouse lines harboring TRIO-variants associated with autism spectrum disorder, schizophrenia, and bipolar disorder, and the results provide compelling evidence demonstrating unique alterations of each variant in synaptic functions and behavior. These findings highlight a fundamental aspect of TRIO variants contributing to brain functions and neuropsychiatric disorders.

Reviewed by eLife

Heritability of movie-evoked brain activity and connectivity

1. David C Gruskin
2. Daniel J Vieira
3. Jessica K Lee
4. Gaurav H Patel

• Curated by eLife

  eLife Assessment

  This paper addresses a valuable research question on the heritability of the brain's response to movie watching, given various parameters such as regional spatial hyperalignment and BOLD frequency bands. The topic of this paper would be of interest to fMRI methodological experts, and potentially to a broader cognitive neuroscience audience, and those with an interest in understanding the heritable sources of individual differences in brain function. However, the current findings provide incomplete support for the conclusions, since several key methodological concerns need to be addressed to ensure the validity of the analyses and results.

Reviewed by eLife

Synapses drive local mitochondrial ATP synthesis to fuel plasticity

1. Ilika Ghosh
2. Ruolin Fan
3. Monil Shah
4. Ojasee Bapat
5. Vidhya Rangaraju

Reviewed by preLights

A low-cost FPGA-based approach for pile-up corrected high-speed in vivo FLIM imaging

1. Felipe Velasquez Moros
2. Dorian Amiet
3. Rachel M. Meister
4. Alexandra von Faber-Castell
5. Matthias Wyss
6. Aiman S. Saab
7. Paul Zbinden
8. Bruno Weber
9. Luca Ravotto

Reviewed by Arcadia Science

Whole-brain neural substrates of behavioral variability in the larval zebrafish

1. Jason Manley
2. Alipasha Vaziri

• Curated by eLife

  eLife Assessment

  Manley and Vaziri introduce an important new method for brain-wide imaging of cellular activity in zebrafish and provide evidence for the applicability of this technique. They use this method to explore the question of how neural variability gives rise to variability in behavior. The analyses used are mostly convincing, although questions regarding spatial and temporal imaging resolution and their effects on the study's interpretations and conclusions suggest only partial support for some of the central results.

Reviewed by eLife

A SMARTTR workflow for multi-ensemble atlas mapping and brain-wide network analysis

1. Michelle Jin
2. Simon O Ogundare
3. Marcos Lanio
4. Sophia Sorid
5. Alicia Ruth Whye
6. Sofia Leal Santos
7. Alessandra Franceschini
8. Christine Ann Denny

• Curated by eLife

  eLife Assessment

  This manuscript describes methods and software, called SMARTR, to map neuronal networks using markers of neuronal activity. They illustrate their approach using tissue from mice that have undergone behavioral tasks. The reviewers considered the study important to the field and compelling in that the methods and analyses were an advance over current tools.

Reviewed by eLife

Sub-type specific connectivity between CA3 pyramidal neurons may underlie their sequential activation during sharp waves

1. Rosanna P Sammons
2. Stefano Masserini
3. Laura Moreno Velasquez
4. Verjinia D Metodieva
5. Gaspar Cano
6. Andrea Sannio
7. Marta Orlando
8. Nikolaus Maier
9. Richard Kempter
10. Dietmar Schmitz

• Curated by eLife

  eLife Assessment

  This study represents valuable findings on the asymmetric connectivity pattern of two different types of CA3 pyramidal cell types showing that while athorny cells receive strong inputs from all other cell types, thorny cells receive weaker inputs from athorny neurons. Computational modeling is used to evaluate the impact of this connectivity scheme on the sequential activation of different cell types during sharp wave ripples. The evidence combining experimental and computational modelling approaches convincingly supports the authors' claims regarding the network mechanisms underlying the temporal sequences of neuronal activity during sharp-waves.

Reviewed by eLife

Growth in early infancy drives optimal brain functional connectivity which predicts cognitive flexibility in later childhood

1. Chiara Bulgarelli
2. Anna Blasi
3. Samantha McCann
4. Bosiljka Milosavljevic
5. Giulia Ghillia
6. Ebrima Mbye
7. Ebou Touray
8. Tijan Fadera
9. Lena Acolatse
10. Sophie E Moore
11. Sarah Lloyd-Fox
12. Clare E Elwell
13. Adam T Eggebrecht
14. the BRIGHT Study Team

• Curated by eLife

  eLife Assessment

  This important study details changes in the brain functional connectivity in a longitudinal cohort of Gambian children assessed outside a lab setup with functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) from age 5 to 24 months, in relation to early physical growth and cognitive flexibility capacities at preschool age. While evidence supporting conclusions on the evolution of brain connectivity are solid, the statistical power was insufficient to perform proper analyses of longitudinal data and link the connectivity trajectories with early adverse conditions such as undernutrition and later cognitive development. This study will be of significant interest to neuroscientists, psychologists and neuroimaging researchers working on infant development in relation to environmental factors.

Reviewed by eLife

Cortical dynamics in hand/forelimb S1 and M1 evoked by brief photostimulation of the mouse’s hand

1. Daniela Piña Novo
2. Mang Gao
3. Rita Fischer
4. Louis Richevaux
5. Jianing Yu
6. John M Barrett
7. Gordon MG Shepherd

• Curated by eLife

  eLife Assessment

  This work defines the response dynamics in forepaw-related cortical circuits of S1 and M1 following stimulation of peripheral mechanoreceptors in the mouse. In this revised version, the authors have addressed the reviewers' prior concerns. The results are convincing and present a valuable comparison to previously published work. This study has implications for understanding the interactions between primary somatosensory and motor cortex, required for active sensing, and will be of interest to scientists seeking to better understand the functions of somatosensory and motor circuits.

Reviewed by eLife