eLife

Latest preprint reviews

1. Environmental statistics and sensory experience shape patch foraging strategies in Drosophila larvae

   This article has 4 authors:

   1. Akhila Mudunuri
   2. Klára Tučková
   3. Ahmed El Hady
   4. Katrin Vogt

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This valuable manuscript investigates how Drosophila larvae make foraging decisions in patchy environments with controlled resource density and valence; using movement tracking in bounded arenas, the authors show that larvae's patch residence time (PRT) differs depending on resource type, environmental context, and prior experience. A drift-diffusion model is used to describe patch-leaving behaviour, suggesting that an integration process may underlie stay-leave decisions during foraging. The strength of the evidence is mostly solid, but the interpretation and use of PRT needs further investigation, as PRT could be a direct effect of resource concentration on locomotion. Explicit reports of PRT statistical tests are needed for rigorous interpretation.

   Reviewed by eLife

2. Efficient Working Memory Maintenance via High-Dimensional Rotational Dynamics

   This article has 2 authors:

   1. Laura Ritter
   2. Angus Chadwick

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • 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

3. Coordinated beak–tongue mechanics enable dexterous seed manipulation in songbirds

   This article has 7 authors:

   1. Maja Mielke
   2. Falk Mielke
   3. Nicholas W Gladman
   4. Dan A Tatulescu
   5. Anthony Herrel
   6. Coen PH Elemans
   7. Sam Van Wassenbergh

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This important study advances our understanding of the biomechanics of seed processing in birds by providing a comprehensive 3D kinematic analysis of coordinated bill and tongue movements across two species with contrasting biting forces. The evidence is convincing, combining high-speed XROMM with Bayesian statistical modeling in a rigorous and technically innovative framework that advances the understanding of avian feeding kinematics. Strengthening the statistical validation of qualitative claims, particularly for tongue-seed velocity relationships, and improving the accessibility of the probabilistic modeling framework would further solidify the conclusions.

   Reviewed by eLife

4. Noise in Competing Representations Determines the Direction of Memory Biases

   This article has 2 authors:

   1. Andrey Chetverikov
   2. Sabrina Hansmann-Roth

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This valuable study investigates the mechanisms underlying inter-item biases in visual working memory. By experimentally manipulating the relative noise levels of target and non-target items, the authors report bias patterns that are broadly consistent with predictions of their previously proposed normative demixing theory. However, the supporting evidence remains incomplete, as the manuscript lacks a sufficient description of the underlying theory, key assumptions, and a quantitative link between the model and behavioral data. The manuscript would be substantially strengthened by clearer exposition and stronger tests, including analyses of the full error distributions and comparisons with alternative models, which would increase its potential interest to the cognitive neuroscience and computational cognitive science communities.

   Reviewed by eLife

5. Rehabilitation drives functional reorganization of intact corticospinal-supraspinal projections following partial spinal cord injury

   This article has 5 authors:

   1. James Bonanno
   2. Sheel Trivedi
   3. Ciara F O’Brien
   4. Sharna Saha
   5. William BJ Cafferty

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This valuable study investigates the neural basis for recovery of complex wheel running behaviour following a unilateral spinal cord injury in mice. By combining behavioural analyses, whole-brain mapping, and tracing techniques, the authors provide incomplete evidence that new cortico-medullary connections can drive effective motor recovery. The paper could be strengthened with manipulations to establish causality, a more fine-grained analysis of the behaviour, and some reorganisation of how the data are presented and discussed.

   Reviewed by eLife

6. Central carbon metabolism switching in lytic versus temperate coral reef viral communities

   This article has 32 authors:

   1. Jacob Kelman
   2. Meena Khan
   3. Chibundu Umunna
   4. Russell Brainard
   5. Grace Donohue
   6. Rob Edwards
   7. Natalie A Falta
   8. Emma George
   9. Eleanor Gorham
   10. Juris Grasis
   11. Kevin Green
   12. Andreas Haas
   13. Kimberly Halsey
   14. Eric Hester
   15. Summer Jacob
   16. Aydin Loid Karatas
   17. Yan Wei Lim
   18. Mark Little
   19. Stuart Sandin
   20. Jessie Segnitz
   21. Maya Serota
   22. Natalia Shahwan
   23. Giselle Simmons
   24. Jennifer E Smith
   25. Isha Tripathi
   26. Linda Wegley Kelly
   27. Lauren Woodward
   28. Nickie Yang
   29. Charles Young
   30. Brian Zgliczynski
   31. Forest Rohwer
   32. Ben Knowles

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     The worldwide decline in the health of coral reefs is well documented, and overgrowth by microbial consortia can be a contributing factor. Kelman and colleagues used metagenomic analysis to interrogate potential changes in phage-associated genes predicted to be involved in central carbon metabolism. The study addresses the hypothesis that metabolic genes associated with carbon metabolism that are encoded by viruses reflect the health of the corals. The study contributes a valuable perspective on the potential role of phages in coral health, although limitations of the data and analyses offer an exploratory examination rather than a definitive result. Overall, the evidence supporting the major findings is incomplete, in part because the conceptual model relies on qualitative assumptions rather than empirical data.

   Reviewed by eLife

7. A protease-sensing circuit links neutrophil inflammation to virulence regulation in Streptococcus pyogenes

   This article has 4 authors:

   1. Stephanie Guerra
   2. Ananya Dash
   3. Doris L LaRock
   4. Christopher N LaRock

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     The authors describe a valuable finding that the Streptococcus pyogenes secreted protease SpeB is expressed in response to protease activity that degrades the Vfr repressor. Proteases can be released from host neutrophils (possibly by NETosis), as well as a positive feedback mechanism by SpeB itself. The authors utilize a dual fluorescent reporter system to simultaneously read speB and capsule gene expression, providing solid evidence that demonstrates that proteases can regulate Vfr; however, the data indicating that this is physiologically relevant and that extracellular traps themselves have a functional role are incomplete. This work will be of interest to microbiologists studying the regulation of virulence factors at the host-pathogen interface.

   Reviewed by eLife

8. Host Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress and Interferon Responses Contribute to AAV-Induced Ocular Toxicity

   This article has 5 authors:

   1. Apolonia Gardner
   2. Christin M. Hong
   3. Sophia R. Zhao
   4. Adam J. Daniels
   5. Constance L. Cepko

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This fundamental study provides convincing evidence that distinct molecular mechanisms underlie AAV-associated retinal toxicity in retinal pigment epithelial cells and photoreceptors, advancing our understanding of gene therapy-related retinal injury. The authors employ a rigorous and comprehensive experimental approach, including multiple knockout mouse models, transcriptomic analyses, and genetic loss-of-function studies, which substantially strengthen the mechanistic conclusions. Some concerns remain regarding vector characterization, the absence of procedural injection controls, and the limited interpretation of adult versus neonatal studies; nevertheless, the study makes a substantial contribution to the field and provides a strong foundation for future translational investigations.

   Reviewed by eLife

9. Early Visual Cortex Supports One-Shot Episodic Memory via Spatially Tuned Reactivation

   This article has 3 authors:

   1. Robert Woodry
   2. Jonathan Winawer
   3. Serra E Favila

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This paper reports the findings of a neuroimaging experiment that tested the hypothesis that the cortex, specifically early visual areas, reinstates certain content from past episodic events. This is a useful study that highlights the role of early sensory cortices in supporting rapid, one-shot learning of location information for long-term memory. The strength of the evidence is solid, with the methods, data, and analyses broadly supporting the claims.

   Reviewed by eLife

10. NPAS4 refines spatial and temporal firing in CA1 pyramidal neurons

    This article has 10 authors:

    1. Anja Payne
    2. Daniel A Heinz
    3. Chiaki Santiago
    4. Lara L Hagopian
    5. Rolando Sceptre Ganasi
    6. Clare Quirk
    7. Andrea L Hartzell
    8. Jill K Leutgeb
    9. Stefan Leutgeb
    10. Brenda L Bloodgood

    This article has been curated by 1 group:

    • Curated by eLife

      eLife Assessment

      This important study shows that NPAS4, a gene that is switched on by neural activity, enhances the spatial and temporal precision of hippocampal neurons during navigation. These findings, based on selective and sparse gene deletion, are supported by convincing evidence. However, the experiments were performed entirely in animals exposed to long-term environmental enrichment, which leaves open the question of whether the same effects would emerge under standard housing conditions. This study will be of interest to neuroscientists studying neuronal circuits and spatial coding.

    Reviewed by eLife