eLife

Latest preprint reviews

1. Dual pathway architecture in songbirds enables robust sensorimotor learning

   This article has 4 authors:

   1. Remya Sankar
   2. Atharv Suryawanshi
   3. Nicolas P Rougier
   4. Arthur Leblois

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This study modeled vocal learning in zebra finches with a network of three components: a pathway with delayed/slow Hebbian learning that mimics the HVC-RA projection, a pathway with reinforcement learning that mimics the HVC-BG-RA projection, and a motor unit that mimics the syrinx and produces song output. The model convincingly reproduces key features of song learning and is a valuable step towards understanding how vocal learning is substantiated in the song system. The generic and simplified nature of the model limits its generalization to other forms of motor learning. Further examination of model assumptions and presentation of testable predictions would increase the impact of the study.

   Reviewed by eLife

2. MARBL: A Live-Cell Method for Profiling Bioenergetic Heterogeneity by Noncanonical Methionine Labeling of the Cell Surface Proteome

   This article has 8 authors:

   1. Lillian R Delacruz
   2. Ming Ye
   3. Kendra A Libby
   4. Keran Han
   5. Chad J Munger
   6. Yunping Qiu
   7. Irwin J Kurland
   8. Alison E Ringel

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This study presents a useful alternate labeling-based approach to identify or profile bioenergetic changes between cells. Overall, the approaches and data are solid, but have limitations in interpretation and so are as yet incomplete. The method itself can be of interest to a variety of biochemists, cell and systems-biologists interested in quantitative cellular metabolism.

   Reviewed by eLife

3. WNK-SPAK/OSR1 signaling pathway facilitates ictal activity via reduced neuronal chloride extrusion rate

   This article has 7 authors:

   1. Volodymyr I Dzhala
   2. Fu Hung Shiu
   3. Negah Rahmati
   4. Aloe Carroll
   5. Reagan Bae
   6. Kristopher T Kahle
   7. Kevin J Staley

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This study presents an important investigation of how inhibition of the WNK-SPAK/OSR1 pathway influences neuronal chloride homeostasis and seizure-like activity in organotypic hippocampal slice cultures. The evidence supporting the principal mechanistic conclusions is solid, although the proposed regulation of chloride transporters is inferred rather than directly demonstrated in this model. The work will be of interest to researchers studying chloride homeostasis, inhibitory neurotransmission, and epilepsy.

   Reviewed by eLife

4. Persistent Microglial HIV Infection Drives Neuroinflammation Despite Viral Suppression: Insights from Rapid Postmortem Brain Biopsies

   This article has 19 authors:

   1. M Nühn Marieke
   2. Nadia Sabet
   3. Nanouk Zuidmeer
   4. CJ. van Abeelen Kirsten
   5. E Hermans Lucas
   6. J Schipper Pauline
   7. Raphael Kübler
   8. E Basson Adriaan
   9. Tanvier Omar
   10. Ebrahim Variava
   11. A Martinson Neil
   12. Stefanie Giacopazzi
   13. D F Venter Willem
   14. J Muraro Mauro
   15. M J Wensing Annemarie
   16. D. de Witte Lot
   17. A Papathanasopoulos Maria
   18. Monique Nijhuis
   19. Jori Symons

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This is a valuable study that contributes to our understanding of transcriptomic responses in microglia to HIV infection in the human brain. The evidence provided remains incomplete, and further analyses are required (i.e., a bigger sample size) to eliminate confounding factors so that the study can unequivocally ascertain the persistent inflammatory state of microglia in HIV-suppressed brains.

   Reviewed by eLife

5. Role of GABA and NMDA receptors in shaping cortical timescales and large-scale network dynamics

   This article has 10 authors:

   1. Ana Antonia Dias Maile
   2. Oliver Kohl
   3. Eduard Ort
   4. Monja I Froböse
   5. Hannah Kurtenbach
   6. Markus Butz
   7. Elisabeth Schreivogel
   8. Alfons Schnitzler
   9. Esther Florin
   10. Gerhard Jocham

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This valuable pharmacological MEG study implicates GABA-A receptors in the shaping of intrinsic neuronal timescales in the human brain. While the authors provide solid evidence for the claims that (i) GABAergic neuronal inhibition prolongs timescales in specific cortical networks and (ii) NMDA receptor manipulations have no detectable effect, the manuscript could be further strengthened by resolving some apparent discrepancies in the results as well as additional validation of the network analysis used. This work will be of interest for experimental and theoretical neuroscientists studying brain-wide network dynamics and the large-scale organization of neurotransmitter systems.

   Reviewed by eLife

6. A multi-muscular, redundant strategy for free-flight roll stability

   This article has 8 authors:

   1. B Kemper Ludlow
   2. Serene Dhawan
   3. Samuel C Whitehead
   4. Han Kheng Teoh
   5. Erica Ehrhardt
   6. Noah J Cowan
   7. Bradley Dickerson
   8. Itai Cohen

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This valuable study combines free-flight kinematics, aerodynamic modeling, optogenetics, and connectomics to ask how Drosophila stabilize roll perturbations during flight. The kinematic and modeling methods are solid, but the evidence for redundant motor control of roll stabilization is incomplete: optogenetic silencing experiments lack a positive control, and no experiment directly tests the central claim that redundant motor pathways drive robust roll control. This work will interest researchers studying insect flight and robust motor control.

   Reviewed by eLife

7. In vivo and in silico alpha-synuclein propagation dynamics: The role of genotype, epicentre, and connectivity

   This article has 16 authors:

   1. Stephanie Tullo
   2. Janice SH Park
   3. Shady Rahayel
   4. Daniel Gallino
   5. Megan Park
   6. Kristie Mar
   7. Ying-Qiu Zheng
   8. Esther del Cid-Pellitero
   9. Edward A Fon
   10. Wen Luo
   11. Irina Shlaifer
   12. Thomas M Durcan
   13. Bratislav Misic
   14. Alain Dagher
   15. Gabriel A Devenyi
   16. M Mallar Chakravarty

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This important study provides solid evidence that, in an α-synucleinoathy model, brain atrophy and associated functional decline generalize across host genotype and fibril species, while being strongly shaped by the site of seeding and regional vulnerability. With an unusually large longitudinal in vivo MRI dataset combined with behavioural and computational modelling, the study offers a comprehensive characterization of neurodegeneration across multiple biological and experimental conditions. The openly shared imaging dataset and analysis pipeline are an excellent resource, and the scale, longitudinal design, methodological breadth, and openness of the study make it a substantial contribution to the field. This work will be of interest to scientists in synucleinopathy- and network- neurodegeneration communities.

   Reviewed by eLife

8. Spatiotemporal patterns of genetic diversity in the world’s coral reefs

   This article has 2 authors:

   1. Oliver Selmoni
   2. Meredith C Schuman

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This study attempts to predict spatial patterns of genetic diversity among coral reef dwellers, estimated with a computationally efficient, standardized k-mer pipeline, from satellite-derived seascape variables. The curated dataset of 18 coral reef taxa across 173 reefs is valuable, but the evidence for the central ecological claims is in its current form incomplete: pairwise genetic distances are modelled as independent observations, the reef-level random effects used as the response in the environmental analysis likely conflate species composition with environmental signal, and , and the coverage is likely too sparse to robustly support conclusions about loss of inter-and intra-specific within-reef diversity over time. The work will be of interest to conservation geneticists, marine biologists, and researchers developing Earth-observation approaches to biodiversity monitoring.

   Reviewed by eLife

9. Tracking West Nile virus dynamics using viral loads from trapped mosquitoes

   This article has 5 authors:

   1. Punya Alahakoon
   2. Ian Marchinton
   3. R Koch
   4. Joseph R Fauver
   5. James A Hay

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This is a valuable manuscript that leverages information already being collected in mosquito surveillance, but that is currently discarded, building on ideas developed during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. The work is rigorous, involving ample data from real-world surveillance, independent laboratory testing, and simulation modeling to validate the inference method. The evidence is solid for demonstrating feasibility and biological plausibility.

   Reviewed by eLife

10. Planetary-scale heterotrophic microbial community modeling assesses metabolic synergy and viral impacts

    This article has 18 authors:

    1. Antoine Régimbeau
    2. Funing Tian
    3. Garrett J Smith
    4. V James Riddell
    5. Constanza M Andreani-Gerard
    6. Philippe Bordron
    7. Marko Budinich
    8. Cristina Howard-Varona
    9. Abdelhalim Larhlimi
    10. Enrico Ser-Giacomi
    11. Camille Trottier
    12. Lionel Guidi
    13. Steven J Hallam
    14. Daniele Iudicone
    15. Eric Karsenti
    16. Alejandro Maass
    17. Matthew B Sullivan
    18. Damien Eveillard

    This article has been curated by 1 group:

    • Curated by eLife

      eLife Assessment

      This study presents a valuable analysis of the TARA oceans dataset, advancing genome- and ecosystem-scale metabolic modeling. The authors present convincing evidence for the factors that shape microbial ecology at the molecular scale. The work will be of broad interest to oceanographers and scientists in other areas where metabolic interactions in diverse communities are of importance.

    Reviewed by eLife