Neuroscience

Working memory shapes neural geometry in human EEG over learning

1. Michał J Wójcik
2. Amy Li
3. Dante Wasmuht
4. Jake P Stroud
5. Mark G Stokes
6. Nicholas E Myers
7. Laurence T Hunt

• Curated by eLife

  eLife Assessment

  The findings are valuable, given that they highlight the flexible and future-oriented nature of working memory. However, the evidence for the claims about context/color generalization, behavioural relevance of context decoding, dimensionality reduction, neural geometry, the XOR representation, and the specific contribution of working memory is incomplete. The work could be reframed in terms of prospective remapping.

Reviewed by eLife

The C. elegans gustatory receptor homolog LITE-1 is a chemoreceptor required for diacetyl avoidance

1. Alan Koh
2. Eduard Bokman
3. Alexey Gavrikov
4. Javier Rodriguez
5. Changchun Chen
6. Alon Zaslaver
7. André EX Brown

• Curated by eLife

  eLife Assessment

  Avoidance of UV and blue light by the nematode C. elegans is mediated by the unusual transmembrane protein LITE-1, a non-canonical photoreceptor. In this valuable work, the authors provide convincing evidence that LITE-1 function is also required for avoidance of very high concentrations of the food-associated cue diacetyl, suggesting that it may also function as a diacetyl chemoreceptor. While the evidence for this idea is incomplete, these intriguing findings suggest an unexpected complexity in the function of this unusual photoreceptor.

Reviewed by eLife

Development of the axonal βII-spectrin periodic skeleton requires active cytoskeletal remodelling

1. Shivani Bodas
2. Ashish Mishra
3. Pramod Pullarkat
4. Aurnab Ghose

• Curated by eLife

  eLife Assessment

  This study examines how the neuronal cytoskeleton contributes to the formation of the axonal membrane-associated periodic skeleton (MPS) in embryonic dorsal root ganglia (DRG) neurons, using STED imaging. Conclusions are supported by convincing methods, data, and analyses. This useful work confirms previous data and improves our understanding of the roles of microtubules and actin dynamics in the chronological recruitment of MPS components.

Reviewed by eLife

A theory and recipe to construct general and biologically plausible integrating continuous attractor neural networks

1. Federico Claudi
2. Sarthak Chandra
3. Ila R Fiete

• Curated by eLife

  eLife Assessment

  This valuable study presents a theoretical framework for building continuous attractor networks that integrate with a wide range of topologies, which are of increasing relevance to neuroscientists. While the work offers solid evidence for most claims, the evidence supporting biological plausibility and key claims - such as the existence of a continuum of stable states and robustness across geometries - is currently incomplete and would benefit from further analysis or discussion. The study will be of interest to computational and systems neuroscientists working on neural dynamics and network models of cognition.

Reviewed by eLife

A neural mechanism for compositional generalization of structure in humans

1. Lennart Luettgau
2. Nan Chen
3. Tore Erdmann
4. Sebastijan Veselic
5. Zeb Kurth-Nelson
6. Rani Moran
7. Raymond J Dolan

• Curated by eLife

  eLife Assessment

  This study provides valuable insights into humans' ability to generalize knowledge of learned graph structures to new experiences that share the same structure but are built from different stimuli. However, the evidence for the authors' claims is incomplete, with the main claims of structural generalization and compositionality only partially supported by MEG and behavioral data. This study will be of interest to cognitive neuroscientists studying structure learning and generalization.

Reviewed by eLife

Compensation of Hyperexcitability with Simulation-Based Inference

1. Daniel Müller-Komorowska
2. Tomoki Fukai

• Curated by eLife

  eLife Assessment

  This study introduces a valuable simulation-based inference (SBI) framework to identify degenerate compensatory mechanisms that stabilize network activity despite neuronal hyperexcitability, a feature common to many brain disorders. By estimating posterior distributions of network parameters, the authors highlight factors such as threshold potential and interneuron-to-principal cell connectivity as key compensators for increased intrinsic excitability and interneuron loss. While the approach is promising and could become a key tool for probing network degeneracy, the study is currently incomplete. To fully realize its potential, the framework requires improved scalability and more rigorous cross-validation.

Reviewed by eLife

Structural and functional evidence supports re-defining mouse higher order visual areas into a single area V2

1. Declan P Rowley
2. Madineh Sedigh-Sarvestani

• Curated by eLife

  eLife Assessment

  This paper performs a valuable critical reassessment of anatomical and functional data, proposing a reclassification of the mouse visual cortex in which almost all the higher visual areas are consolidated into a single area V2. However, the evidence supporting this unification is incomplete, as the key experimental observations that the model attempts to reproduce do not accurately reflect the literature. This study will likely be of interest to neuroscientists focused on the mouse visual cortex and the evolution of cortical organization.

Reviewed by eLife

The promise and peril of comparing fluorescence lifetime in biology revealed by simulations

1. Pingchuan Ma
2. Peter Chen
3. Scott Sternson
4. Yao Chen

• Curated by eLife

  eLife Assessment

  This study presents an important computational framework, FLiSimBA (Fluorescence Lifetime Simulation for Biological Applications), for modeling experimental limitations in Fluorescence Lifetime Imaging Microscopy (FLIM). FLiSimBA is readily available in MATLAB and Python, enables users to simulate effects of noise and varying sensor expression levels, and provides practical guidance for both lifetime imaging experiments and biosensor development. The analyses are robust, and the evidence supporting the tool's utility in distinguishing between multiple lifetime signals is compelling, indicating strong potential for multiplexed dynamic imaging. However, users should also consider that the tool's effectiveness depends on the suitability of a two-component discrete exponential model.

Reviewed by eLife

Activity in serotonergic axons in visuomotor areas of cortex is modulated by the recent history of visuomotor coupling

1. Baba Yogesh
2. Georg B Keller

Reviewed by Peer Community in Neuroscience

Premature vision drives aberrant development of response properties in primary visual cortex

1. Sophie V Griswold
2. Stephen D Van Hooser

• Curated by eLife

  eLife Assessment

  This carefully conducted study aims to understand how the early visual experience of premature infants induces lasting deficits, including compromised motion processing. The authors address this important question in a ferret animal model, exposing the developing visual system prematurely to patterned visual input by opening one or both eyes at a time when both retinal waves and light traveling through closed lids can drive sensory responses. Convincing evidence is presented, suggesting that eye opening at this time impacts temporal frequency tuning and elevates spontaneous firing rates. These findings will have great relevance for neuroscientists studying visual system development, particularly in the context of premature birth.

Reviewed by eLife