eLife

Latest preprint reviews

1. Understanding neural circuit principles for representation learning through joint-embedding predictive architectures

   This article has 3 authors:

   1. Ashena Gorgan Mohammadi
   2. Manu Srinath Halvagal
   3. Friedemann Zenke

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This manuscript proposes a valuable idea on how cortical networks may learn a helpful representation of sensory stimuli. The model implementing this idea is tested in multiple experimental paradigms. However, the evidence remains incomplete as to whether the method supports both invariance and equivariance and whether it can estimate the dynamics of the moving object.

   Reviewed by eLife

2. Learned and inferred valence arise from interactions between stable and dynamic subnetworks

   This article has 4 authors:

   1. Marc E Normandin
   2. Pedro M Ogallar
   3. Matthew R Lopez
   4. Isabel A Muzzio

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This valuable study examines how the prelimbic cortex represents learned and generalized threat over time and identifies potentially distinct stable and dynamic subnetworks that may support these functions. The work is conceptually interesting and is strengthened by the longitudinal calcium imaging approach and the inclusion of key control groups. However, the evidence supporting the claims is incomplete, particularly because the interpretations regarding inference, time-dependent representational change, and the dissociation of neural activity from freezing behavior extend beyond what is currently established by the data.

   Reviewed by eLife

3. Predicting functional topography of the human visual cortex from cortical anatomy at scale

   This article has 11 authors:

   1. Fernanda L. Ribeiro
   2. Robert Satzger
   3. Felix Hoffstaedter
   4. Christian Bürger
   5. Peer Herholz
   6. David Linhardt
   7. Noah C. Benson
   8. D. Samuel Schwarzkopf
   9. Alexander M. Puckett
   10. Steffen Bollmann
   11. Martin N. Hebart

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This valuable study presents a tool that uses brain anatomy to predict the layout and size of early visual maps, and it is strengthened by the use of a large and diverse collection of scans to examine differences across people and groups. The evidence is solid for the general usefulness of the approach, but incomplete for some of the broader claims about prediction accuracy and use across data sets, particularly for estimates of map size and for showing that the model improves on repeated functional measurements. This paper is likely to be of significant interest to visual perception researchers, especially those who use fMRI.

   Reviewed by eLife

4. Modulation of human dorsal root ganglion neuron excitability by Nav1.7 inhibition

   This article has 7 authors:

   1. Akie Fujita
   2. Sooyeon Jo
   3. Robert G Stewart
   4. Tomás Osorno
   5. Alyssa Ferraiuolo
   6. Kevin Carlin
   7. Bruce P Bean

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     Fujita et al. examine the effects of AM-2099, a Nav1.7 inhibitor, on the excitability of human dorsal root ganglion neurons and compare these results to their prior study of Nav1.8 inhibition by suzetrigine. They show that the Nav1.7 inhibitor primarily alters action potential threshold and initiation, but not repetitive firing, whereas Nav1.8 inhibition elicits much stronger inhibition on repetitive firing. These complementary roles of Nav1.7 and Nav1.8 provide a plausible cellular explanation for the limited clinical success of Nav1.7 inhibitors compared to Nav1.8 inhibitors for chronic pain. While the conclusions are important and solid, there are some key shortcomings that should be addressed to strengthen the study.

   Reviewed by eLife

5. Revealing the benefit of eye motion for acuity under emulated cone loss

   This article has 4 authors:

   1. Hannah K Doyle
   2. James Fong
   3. Ren Ng
   4. Austin Roorda

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This short report is an important study that visual acuity declines nonlinearly with cone dropout, while eye motion partially compensates by improving sampling from remaining cones. The method for experimentally simulating cone dropout is compelling, leveraging state-of-the-art imaging and testing in human subjects. Inclusion of additional analysis on absolute cone density and eye motion would further strengthen the study.

   Reviewed by eLife

6. Conservation Blind Spot: The Critical Role of Larval Stage in Assessing Extinction Risk

   This article has 5 authors:

   1. Yanfang Song
   2. Yongle Wang
   3. Qingqing Li
   4. Zhiyong Yuan
   5. Weiwei Zhou

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This valuable study analyses correlations between traits of Chinese frog species and their Red List status, finding differences between adults and larvae and thus pointing to the importance of considering different life-cycle stages in this and possibly other animal groups when assessing species extinction risks. The current study is, however, incomplete because of unclear threat categories for tadpoles, the omission of other key species traits, and insufficient statistical analysis.

   Reviewed by eLife

7. Anatomy and mechanics of tsetse fly blood feeding

   This article has 13 authors:

   1. Stephan Löwe
   2. Laura Hauf
   3. Elisabeth Meyer-Natus
   4. Dianah Katiti
   5. Dennis Petersen
   6. Alexander Kovalev
   7. Sebastian Büsse
   8. Anna Steyer
   9. Yoko Matsumura
   10. Wolfgang Böhme
   11. Daniel Masiga
   12. Stanislav Gorb
   13. Markus Engstler

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This work provides a fundamental advance through a detailed and integrative analysis of how the tsetse fly feeds on blood, demonstrating that successful penetration depends on subtle structural adaptations rather than extreme forces or unusual anatomy. By combining high-resolution imaging, innovative biomechanical measurements, and experiments on artificial skin, the study offers complementary and compelling evidence, with clear data supporting a robust mechanistic interpretation. These findings have broad significance as they clarify the biomechanics of vector feeding with implications for the transmission of diseases such as African trypanosomiasis across diverse hosts.

   Reviewed by eLife

8. Experimental verification of the error minimization theory using non-standard genetic codes constructed in vitro

   This article has 2 authors:

   1. Ryota Miyachi
   2. Norikazu Ichihashi

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This useful work addresses a longstanding question of how the extant genetic code came to be selected and conserved almost universally across life. Using a mutational approach and a small set of reporters, the authors demonstrate that the mutational impact was similar for non-standard genetic codes. Considering the limitations of the approach, the data are incomplete in supporting the claim of having provided 'experimental verification of the error minimization theory'.

   Reviewed by eLife

9. Cell size modulates ferroptosis susceptibility

   This article has 5 authors:

   1. Evgeny Zatulovskiy
   2. Magdalena B Murray
   3. Shuyuan Zhang
   4. Scott J Dixon
   5. Jan M Skotheim

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This important study highlights how cell size influences various cellular responses, with a particular focus on ferroptosis. The evidence presented is convincing, employing multiple model systems and experimental approaches to support the conclusions. This work will be of significant interest to the fields of cell size, ferroptosis, and cancer biology.

     [Editors' note: this paper was reviewed by Review Commons.]

   Reviewed by eLife, Review Commons

10. Zasp52’s differentially expressed intrinsically disordered region confers thin filament stability at the Z-disc

    This article has 2 authors:

    1. Nikolai Ho
    2. Frieder Schöck

    This article has been curated by 1 group:

    • Curated by eLife

      eLife Assessment

      This study investigates the role of the Z-disc protein Zasp52 in Drosophila flight muscles and provides evidence that an intrinsically disordered region (IDR) helps to stabilize and promote the localization of the protein to the Z-disc. Overall, this represents an important study that provides insights into Z-disc function and maintenance. The data are convincing, supported by strong genetic evidence and behavioral tests, well-controlled experiments, and detailed statistical analyses. Additional functional analyses designed to tease out specialized regions within the newly described isoform of Zasp52 would further strengthen models regarding the function of the protein.

    Reviewed by eLife