Neuroscience

eLife Assessment

This study in the Drosophila antennal lobe, which contains multiple non-equivalent sensory channels, provides valuable new insight into how early-life sensory experience can produce lasting, cell-type-specific changes in neural circuit function. The work demonstrates that glial-mediated pruning during a defined developmental window leads to persistent suppression of odor responses in one olfactory neuron type, while sparing another. The evidence is convincing and supported by multiple complementary approaches, although some mechanistic interpretations remain speculative and would benefit from additional functional testing.

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 report the surprising finding that LITE-1 function is also required for avoidance of very high concentrations of the food-associated odorant diacetyl. Although no molecular evidence is provided, the paper reports convincing studies indicating that LITE-1 can serve as a chemoreceptor for very high concentrations of diacetyl, adding an unexpected layer of complexity to the function of this unusual protein.

eLife Assessment

This study provides a valuable contribution to our understanding of the neural basis of perceptual decision-making by jointly modeling behavioral outcomes and EEG signals in a contrast comparison task. The methods and analyses are solid, systematically comparing standard models assuming continuous evidence accumulation with models that track evidence without temporal integration (extrema detection). The authors show that behavior and neural signals are equally consistent with both alternatives, highlighting limitations in current modeling approaches and questioning the generality of evidence accumulation mechanisms.

eLife Assessment

This important study links blood-derived dietary content to sustained increases in sleep in the mosquito Aedes aegypti. Using multiple independent approaches, the authors provide convincing evidence for blood-induced changes in sleep. These findings have broad implications for understanding how specialized diets regulate sleep across species and for mosquito vector biology.

eLife Assessment

This important study combines anatomical tracing, tissue clearing, and functional manipulations to demonstrate lateralized brainstem control of hepatic glucose metabolism and identify a site of sympathetic nerve crossover supplying the liver. The evidence supporting the anatomical organization of hepatic sympathetic innervation is compelling, and the functional studies provide solid support for a role of asymmetric sympathetic outflow in regulating glucose homeostasis. While some uncertainty remains regarding the contribution of sensory innervation and the extent to which these findings generalize beyond mice, the work provides an invaluable advance in understanding neural regulation of liver metabolism.

eLife Assessment

This valuable study investigates communication from the anterior cingulate cortex to the hippocampus during learning. The optogenetic evidence supporting the functional connection including the interneurons likely to be involved, is convincing. However, the evidence linking this pathway to learning and memory and certain aspects of the statistical interpretation remain limited. Overall, the work will be of interest to neuroscientists studying cortical-hippocampal interactions and learning and memory.

eLife Assessment

This valuable study uses EEG and computational modeling to investigate hemispheric oscillatory asymmetries in unilateral spatial neglect. The work benefits from rare patient data and a careful multimethod approach. The study manuscript provides convincing evidence contributing to our understanding of the neural dynamics underlying spatial neglect.

eLife Assessment

This is a fundamental study on the sensory roles of cerebrospinal-fluid-contacting neurons (CSF-cNs) in mammals, revealing how the apical extension is used as an amplifier of chemical changes in content of the CSF. Specifically, the authors show compelling evidence that PKD2L1 is predominantly a pH-sensing channel in CSF-cNs and link its apical localization to dual phasic and sustained responses underlying CSF chemosensation.

eLife Assessment

This important study reports that neural activity in the auditory cortex (field L) of singing male zebra finches can be modulated by the presence of a female conspecific. These findings extend recent work showing that the activity of dopaminergic neurons in songbirds is also affected by an audience. Solid evidence is presented for the importance of singing context in modulating auditory processing during vocal production, but the study does not yet fully establish that these effects arise specifically from audience-dependent modulation of auditory feedback, as opposed to possible acoustic, temporal, or recording-related confounds. This work should be of interest to researchers studying the context dependence of sensory processing, the role of auditory feedback, and vocal communication during courtship behavior.

eLife Assessment

In this fundamental manuscript, Richter et al. present a thorough anatomical characterization of the Drosophila melanogaster larval pharyngeal sensory system, which is involved in taste-guided behaviors.This study fills a major gap in the larval sensory map, providing a detailed neuroanatomical foundation for future investigations into sensory circuits and behavior. The exceptional data will significantly enrich the field of Drosophila neurobiology.