eLife

Latest preprint reviews

1. Neural signatures of model-based and model-free reinforcement learning across prefrontal cortex and striatum

   This article has 6 authors:

   1. Bruno Miranda
   2. James L Butler
   3. W M Nishantha Malalasekera
   4. Timothy EJ Behrens
   5. Peter Dayan
   6. Steven W Kennerley

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This important study presents single-unit activity collected during model-based (MB) and model-free (MF) reinforcement learning in non-human primates. The dataset was carefully collected, and the statistical analyses, including the modeling, are rigorous. The evidence convincingly supports different roles for particular cortical and subcortical areas in representing key variables during reinforcement learning.

   Reviewed by eLife

2. Phage-displayed synthetic library and screening platform for nanobody discovery

   This article has 10 authors:

   1. Baolong Xia
   2. Ah-Ram Kim
   3. Feimei Liu
   4. Myeonghoon Han
   5. Emily Stoneburner
   6. Stephanie Makdissi
   7. Francesca Di Cara
   8. Stephanie E Mohr
   9. Aaron Ring
   10. Norbert Perrimon

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This important study presents an alternative platform for nanobody discovery using phage-displayed synthetic libraries. The evidence supporting the platform, which is used to isolate and validate nanobodies targeting Drosophila secreted proteins, is compelling. By making the library openly accessible, this provides an excellent resource to the wider scientific community. The paper presents a detailed protocol for nanobody screening; as this protocol is refined and optimized over time, this will increase the success rate for discovering nanobodies with improved properties using this alternative platform.

   Reviewed by eLife

3. The title and authors for this article are not available from our external data provider yet:
   10.48550/arxiv.2307.11180v3

4. A unified rodent atlas reveals the cellular complexity and evolutionary divergence of the dorsal vagal complex

   This article has 7 authors:

   1. Cecilia Hes
   2. Abigail J Tomlinson
   3. Lieke Michielsen
   4. Hunter J Murdoch
   5. Fatemeh Soltani
   6. Maia V Kokoeva
   7. Paul V Sabatini

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This manuscript applies state-of-the-art techniques to define the cellular composition of the dorsal vagal complex in two rodent species (mice and rats). The result is a fundamental resource that substantially advances our understanding of the dorsal vagal complex's role in the regulation of feeding and metabolism while also highlighting key differences between species. The analyses of single-cell profiling experiments in the manuscript provide compelling insight into the cellular architecture of the dorsal vagal complex, with potential implications for obesity therapeutics.

   Reviewed by eLife

5. The title and authors for this article are not available from our external data provider yet:
   10.48550/arxiv.2406.07465

6. Specificity Protein 1 is essential for the limb trajectory of ephrin-mediated spinal motor axons

   This article has 11 authors:

   1. Pinwen Liao
   2. Ming-Yuan Chang
   3. Wen-Bin Yang
   4. Keefer Lin
   5. Yi-Chao Li
   6. Jian-Ying Chuang
   7. Yi-Hsin Wu
   8. Artur Kania
   9. Wen-Chang Chang
   10. Tsung-I Hsu
   11. Tzu-Jen Kao

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This study makes an important contribution to the molecular mechanisms of neural circuit formation. The data convincingly show that the transcription factor Sp1 regulates ephrin-mediated axon guidance in the spinal cord. Although the authors show that Sp1 and its co-activators p300 and CBP are required to induce ephrin expression, additional discussion and/or experiments are needed to support the claims that Sp1 regulates cis-binding of Epha receptors, or that Sp1 controls ephrin expression in relevant motor neuron populations. The study will be of broad interest to developmental neurobiologists.

   Reviewed by eLife

7. Regional heterogeneities of oligodendrocytes underlie biased Ranvier node spacing along single axons in sound localization circuit

   This article has 5 authors:

   1. Ryo Egawa
   2. Kota Hiraga
   3. Ryosuke Matsui
   4. Dai Watanabe
   5. Hiroshi Kuba

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This important study uses the delay line axon model in the chick brainstem auditory circuit to examine the interactions between oligodendrocytes and axons in the formation of internodal distances. This is a significant and actively studied topic, and the authors have used this preparation to support the hypothesis that regional heterogeneity in oligodendrocytes underlies the observed variation in internodal length. In a solid series of experiments, the authors have used enhanced tetanus neurotoxin light chains, a genetically encoded silencing tool, to inhibit vesicular release from axons and support the hypothesis that regional heterogeneity among oligodendrocytes may underlie the biased nodal spacing pattern in the sound localization circuit.

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

   Reviewed by eLife, Review Commons

8. Endurance Exercise Ameliorates Aging-Related Bradyarrhythmia in Drosophila Resulting from miR-283 Knockdown in LNvs

   This article has 7 authors:

   1. Qiufang Li
   2. Xu Ping
   3. Zhengwen Yu
   4. Qin Yi
   5. Chao Tang
   6. Xiaoya Wang
   7. Lan Zheng

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This study offers valuable insights into the role of miR-283 in ventral-lateral neurons (LNvs) and its impact on senescence, cardiac function, and aging in the Drosophila melanogaster model. However, the evidence supporting some of the conclusions remains incomplete, and further mechanistic studies are needed to clarify how miR-283 affects normal aging and influences exercise adaptations. Nonetheless, the work can be of interest to cell biologists studying miRNA biology, aging, and age-related diseases.

   Reviewed by eLife

9. AFD Thermosensory Neurons Mediate Tactile-Dependent Locomotion Modulation in C. elegans

   This article has 2 authors:

   1. Manuel Rosero
   2. Jihong Bai

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     The manuscript presents important findings on how C. elegans can utilize distinct molecular mechanisms and circuit engagements to regulate tactile-dependent locomotory behaviours through the AFD thermosensory neuron. The authors use multiple techniques including microfluidics, genetic manipulations and single-copy rescue experiments, to provide compelling evidence for the role of AFD/AIB electrical synaptic connections in this behaviour. The reviewers are satisfied with the comprehensive revisions made by the authors.

   Reviewed by eLife

10. Human single-neuron activity is modulated by intracranial theta burst stimulation of the basolateral amygdala

    This article has 20 authors:

    1. Justin M Campbell
    2. Rhiannon L Cowan
    3. Krista L Wahlstrom
    4. Martina K Hollearn
    5. Dylan Jensen
    6. Tyler Davis
    7. Shervin Rahimpour
    8. Ben Shofty
    9. Amir Arain
    10. John D Rolston
    11. Stephan Hamann
    12. Shuo Wang
    13. Lawrence N Eisenman
    14. James Swift
    15. Tao Xie
    16. Peter Brunner
    17. Joseph Manns
    18. Cory Inman
    19. Elliot H Smith
    20. Jon Timothy Willie

    This article has been curated by 1 group:

    • Curated by eLife

      eLife Assessment

      This important study provides a description of how single-neuron firing rates in the human medial temporal lobe and frontal cortex are modulated by theta-burst stimulation of the basolateral amydala. The results are supported by convincing evidence obtained from a rigorous task design and analysis of an incredibly rare dataset. The results may help guide future studies incorporating amygdala stimulation to improve patient health.

    Reviewed by eLife