Neuroscience

eLife Assessment

This important study conducted experiments to quantify how neural activity independent changes in fluorescence might affect two-photon recordings when using diverse sensors. The researchers found a widespread presence of neural-activity-independent artifacts in two-photon imaging and provide convincing evidence that these artifacts are most likely caused by hemodynamic occlusion. Their findings underscore the importance of accounting for these artifacts when interpreting functional two-photon recordings.

eLife Assessment

This study unveils important data describing cell states of olfactory ensheathing cells, and how these cell states may relate to repair after spinal cord injury. The framework used for characterizing these cells is solid. This work will be of interest to stem cell biologists and spinal cord injury researchers.

eLife Assessment

This study reports important findings about pre-saccadic foveal prediction and the extent to which it is influenced by the visibility of the saccade target relative to its background. The research methodology and results make a convincing case that foveal congruency effects develop when salient local contrast variations at the saccade target location can be used to direct the eye movement. This work should be of broad interest to visual neuroscientists, as well as those interested in understanding perception in the context of eye movements and in modeling visually guided actions.

eLife Assessment

This is important work and provides a significant advance in our understanding of mechanosensation in the epidermis. The evidence presented is convincing and, barring a few minor weaknesses, strongly implicates activation of epidermal cells and store-operated calcium entry in the activation of nociceptive neurons innervating that tissue. This work will be of broad interest to neurobiologists, epithelial cell biologists, and mechanobiologists.

eLife Assessment

Huang and colleagues examined neural responses in mouse anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) during a discrimination-avoidance task. The authors present useful findings that ACC neurons encode primarily post-action variables over extended periods rather than the outcomes or values of those actions. Though the methodological approach was sound, the evidence ruling out alternative explanations is incomplete and requires substantial control analyses.

eLife Assessment

Using fMRI-based pRF mapping, this important study presents a novel method to estimate visual field (VF) and VF loss/or potential restoration, through analysis of contrast sensitivity patterns in the early visual cortex. While the approach is very interesting and the evidence supporting the claims of the authors is solid, some methodological concerns need to be addressed. The work will be of interest to researchers in vision/clinical vision, neuroscience, and brain imaging.

eLife Assessment

This valuable study shows that an odorant that is typically thought of as a repellant actually activates both attractant and repellant olfactory neurons in C. elegans. Solid evidence is provided that nematode worms can integrate signals using different pathways to drive different behavioral responses to the same cue. These findings will be of interest to scientists interested in combinatorial coding in sensory systems.

eLife Assessment

This is a convincing study of the morphological properties of Purkinje cell dendrites and dendritic spines in adult humans and mice, and the anatomical determinants of multi-innervation by climbing fibers. The data will provide an important resource for the field of cerebellar computation.

eLife Assessment

This important Research Advance presents compelling evidence on the neuroprotective effects of reserpine in a well-established model of retinitis pigmentosa (P23H-1). This study builds on previous work establishing reserpine as a neuroprotectant in models of Leber congenital amaurosis. Here authors show reserpine's disease gene-independent influence on photoreceptor survival and emphasizes the importance of considering biological sex in understanding inherited retinal degeneration and the impact of drug treatments on mutant retinas. The work will be of interest to vision researchers as well as a broad audience in translational research.

eLife Assessment

In this important and compelling study, Sánchez-León et al. investigate the effects of tDCS on the firing of single cerebellar neurons in awake and anesthetized mice. They find heterogeneous responses depending on the orientation of the recorded Purkinje cell. The paper may well explain part of the controversial and ambiguous outcomes of various clinical trials.