eLife

Latest preprint reviews

1. Altered cognitive processes shape tactile perception in autism

   This article has 4 authors:

   1. Ourania Semelidou
   2. Mathilde Tortochot-Megne Fotso
   3. Adinda Winderickx
   4. Andreas Frick

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This study provides valuable insights with solid evidence into altered tactile perception in a mouse model of ASD (Fmr1 mice), paralleling sensory abnormalities in Fragile X and autism. Its main strength lies in the use of a novel tactile categorization task and the careful dissection of behavioral performance across training and difficulty levels, suggesting that deficits may stem from an interaction between sensory and cognitive processes. However, while the experiments are well executed, the reported effects are subtle and sometimes non-significant. The interpretation of results may be over-extended given the nature of the data (solely behavioral) and the absence of mechanistic, causal, or computational approaches limits the strength of the broader conclusions. The work will be relevant to those interested in autism, cognition, and/or sensory processing.

   Reviewed by eLife

2. Integrate-and-fire neurons with potassium dynamics that capture switches in neuronal excitability class and firing regime

   This article has 4 authors:

   1. Louisiane Lemaire
   2. Mahraz Behbood
   3. Jan-Hendrik Schleimer
   4. Susanne Schreiber

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This work demonstrates an objective way to select parameter values for a quadratic integrate-and-fire model so that its bifurcation diagram matches a specific target diagram, generated from the Wang-Buzsaki model. The method is useful for the field and is presented with convincing evidence. The method is currently limited in its ability to be applied to data, but improves our mathematical tools to treat a rarely studied type of bifurcation.

   Reviewed by eLife

3. Executive Resources Shape the Impact of Language Predictability Across the Adult Lifespan

   This article has 6 authors:

   1. Merle Schuckart
   2. Sandra Martin
   3. Sarah Tune
   4. Lea-Maria Schmitt
   5. Gesa Hartwigsen
   6. Jonas Obleser

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This study presents a valuable finding on whether executive resources mediate the impact of language predictability in reading in the context of aging. The presentation of evidence is incomplete; further conceptual clarifications, methodological details, and addressing potential confounds would strengthen the study. The work will be of interest to cognitive neuroscientists working on reading, language comprehension, and executive control.

   Reviewed by eLife

4. Ptbp1 is not required for retinal neurogenesis and cell fate specification

   This article has 5 authors:

   1. Haley Appel
   2. Rogger P. Carmen-Orozco
   3. Clayton P. Santiago
   4. Thanh Hoang
   5. Seth Blackshaw

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This study used a conditional knockout mouse line to remove Ptbp1 in retinal progenitors and showed that its deletion has no effect on retinal neurogenesis or cell fate specification, thereby challenging the prevailing view of Ptbp1 as a master regulator of neuronal fate. The findings are convincing, supported by transcriptome analysis, histology, and proliferation assays. This study is important, though the genetic tools employed may not fully capture Ptbp1's potential role during the earliest stages of retinal development.

   Reviewed by eLife

5. Intrinsic and circuit mechanisms of predictive coding in a grid cell network model

   This article has 2 authors:

   1. Inayath Shaikh
   2. Collins Assisi

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This valuable study presents a mechanistic model of predictive coding by medial entorhinal cortex grid cells, implemented with biologically detailed conductance-based neurons. The evidence supporting the emergence of this coding scheme from specific membrane currents and the anatomical connectivity among inhibitory neurons is solid. However, the justification for the choice of connectivity patterns and other network parameters remains somewhat incomplete. This work will be of interest to neuroscientists working on spatial navigation, circuit dynamics, and neuronal coding.

   Reviewed by eLife

6. An updated catalogue of split-GAL4 driver lines for descending neurons in Drosophila melanogaster

   This article has 11 authors:

   1. Jessica L. Zung
   2. Shigehiro Namiki
   3. Geoffrey W. Meissner
   4. Marta Costa
   5. Katharina Eichler
   6. Tomke Stürner
   7. Gregory S.X.E. Jefferis
   8. Claire Managan
   9. FlyLight Project Team
   10. Wyatt Korff
   11. Gwyneth M. Card

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     Complementing previous work (Namiki et al, 2018), this study provides an important resource for the Drosophila community as it reports 500 lines targeting descending neurons (DN), in addition to compiling 306 existing DN lines from the literature. The compelling work characterizes 146 DNs and makes a critical link with the DNs identified in Electron microscopy (EM). The lines in this paper will be of interest to Drosophila neuroscientists who will be able to use the reported genetic drivers for further functional characterization of DNs and circuit mapping in conjunction with existing EM datasets.

   Reviewed by eLife

7. The Dual Molecular Identity of Vestibular Kinocilia: Bridging Structural and Functional Traits of Primary and Motile Cilia

   This article has 12 authors:

   1. Zhenhang Xu
   2. Amirrasoul Tavakoli
   3. Samadhi Kulasooriya
   4. Huizhan Liu
   5. Shu Tu
   6. Celia Bloom
   7. Yi Li
   8. Tirone D. Johnson
   9. Jian Zuo
   10. Litao Tao
   11. Bechara Kachar
   12. David Z. He

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     Using single-cell transcriptomic data from adult mouse inner ear hair cells, the authors identify the differences and similarities of the four hair cell types. They make an important finding: that vestibular hair cells can express many ciliary motility-related genes. Some hair cell kinocilia display motility, suggesting that the kinocilium of vestibular hair cells may function as an active force generator to increase sensitivity. The evidence is incomplete as to whether all kinocilia beat and what the function of kinocilia movement is.

   Reviewed by eLife

8. The vaccine candidate Liver Stage Antigen 3 is exported during Plasmodium falciparum infection and required for liver-stage development

   This article has 6 authors:

   1. Robyn McConville
   2. Ryan WJ Steel
   3. Matthew T O’Neill
   4. Alan F Cowman
   5. Norman Kneteman
   6. Justin A Boddey

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This useful study provides new insights into the liver stage antigen LSA3, its export to erythrocytes, and its role in liver stage development. While the functional importance of LSA3 is well-demonstrated, the data underlying conclusions about antibody specificity, liver stage localization, and phenotype remain incomplete. A key gain is the use of mosquito and humanized mouse models to access life cycle stages rarely studied in most laboratories.

   Reviewed by eLife

9. BetaII-Spectrin Gaps and Patches Emerge from the Patterned Assembly of the Actin/Spectrin Membrane Skeleton in Human Motor Neuron Axons

   This article has 13 authors:

   1. Nahir Guadalupe Gazal
   2. Maria Jose Castellanos-Montiel
   3. Guillermina Bruno
   4. Anna Kristina Franco-Flores
   5. Sarah Lépine
   6. Lale Gursu
   7. Ghazal Haghi
   8. Gilles Maussion
   9. Agustín Anastasía
   10. Mariano Bisbal
   11. Ezequiel Axel Gorostiza
   12. Thomas M Durcan
   13. Nicolás Unsain

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This valuable study characterizes the emergence of the membrane-associated periodic cytoskeleton (MPS) in the axons of human motor neurons derived from induced pluripotent stem cells. Super-resolution imaging of beta-II spectrin provides convincing evidence for the patterned assembly of spectrin-poor gaps and spectrin-rich MPS in the medial region of the axons and its enhancement by the kinase inhibitor staurosporine. The data advocates against gap formation by cytoskeleton disassembly in a continuous MPS. Instead, a continuous MPS may result from nascent MPS patches and their maturation, a model that would benefit from live imaging for validation.

   Reviewed by eLife

10. Identifying the genetic basis and molecular mechanisms underlying phenotypic correlation between complex human traits using a gene-based approach

    This article has 6 authors:

    1. Jialiang Gu
    2. Chris Fuller
    3. Peter Carbonetto
    4. Xin He
    5. Jiashun Zheng
    6. Hao Li

    This article has been curated by 1 group:

    • Curated by eLife

      eLife Assessment

      This valuable study characterizes the emergence of the membrane-associated periodic cytoskeleton (MPS) in the axons of human motor neurons derived from induced pluripotent stem cells. Super-resolution imaging of beta-II spectrin provides convincing evidence for the patterned assembly of spectrin-poor gaps and spectrin-rich MPS in the medial region of the axons and its enhancement by the kinase inhibitor staurosporine. The data advocates against gap formation by cytoskeleton disassembly in a continuous MPS. Instead, a continuous MPS may result from nascent MPS patches and their maturation, a model that would benefit from live imaging for validation.

    Reviewed by eLife