Neuroscience

Cell type transcriptomics reveal shared genetic mechanisms in Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease

1. Anwesha Bhattacharya
2. Edward A. Fon
3. Alain Dagher
4. Yasser Iturria-Medina
5. Jo Anne Stratton
6. Chloe Savignac
7. Jack Stanley
8. Liam Hodgson
9. Badr Ait Hammou
10. David A Bennett
11. Danilo Bzdok

Reviewed by GigaScience

Astrocytic Nonsense-mediated mRNA decay regulates calcium signaling to support synapse function and restrain anxiety

1. Pablo J Lituma
2. Aykut Deveci
3. Estibaliz Barrio-Alonso
4. Kun Tan
5. Miles F Wilkinson
6. Pablo E Castillo
7. Dilek Colak

• Curated by eLife

  eLife Assessment

  This important study provides the first in vivo evidence that nonsense-mediated mRNA decay (NMD) in mature astrocytes regulates astrocyte function, synaptic plasticity, and anxiety-related behavior. Using a broad range of approaches, the authors show that conditional deletion of Upf2 alters astrocyte morphology and calcium signaling while impairing synaptic transmission and plasticity, providing solid support for the central conclusion that astrocytic NMD influences neural circuit function. Some key mechanistic claims remain incompletely supported, including whether phenotypes reflect astrocyte remodeling versus loss, the interpretation of synaptic engulfment data, the link between NMD targets and calcium signaling, and the extent to which calcium dysregulation explains the observed synaptic and behavioral effects.

Reviewed by eLife

Synthetic torpor in the rat protects the heart from ischaemia-reperfusion injury

1. Megan Elley
2. Ludovico Taddei
3. Muzammil Ali Khan
4. Una Rose Wilcox
5. Timna Hitrec
6. Anthony E Pickering
7. Michael Ambler

• Curated by eLife

  eLife Assessment

  This important submission from Ambler and colleagues brings new insights into how torpor conditions may confer resilience in cases of cardioprotection. It has novelty, which can be enhanced by additional in vivo support. The study is backed by solid evidence, and represents a unique interoceptive mechanism of interest.

Reviewed by eLife

Efficient Working Memory Maintenance via High-Dimensional Rotational Dynamics

1. Laura Ritter
2. Angus Chadwick

• Curated by eLife

  eLife Assessment

  This useful study investigates noise-robust and energy-efficient circuit mechanisms for working memory by optimizing connectivity and reports that the resulting networks exhibit rotational dynamics and better match aspects of PFC population recording. However, the supporting evidence remains incomplete, given the restricted linear, task-specific training and analysis, and limited comparisons with other prominent models. The manuscript would be strengthened by extending the analysis to nonlinear dynamics, providing more rigorous comparisons with alternative models, and establishing a stronger link to prior theoretical and experimental work.

Reviewed by eLife