eLife

Latest preprint reviews

1. Impaired excitability of fast-spiking neurons in a novel mouse model of KCNC1 epileptic encephalopathy

   This article has 14 authors:

   1. Eric R Wengert
   2. Sophie R Liebergall
   3. Teresa Jimenez
   4. Melody A Cheng
   5. Kelly H Markwalter
   6. Jerome Clatot
   7. Yerahm Hong
   8. Leroy Arias
   9. Eric D Marsh
   10. Xiaohong Zhang
   11. Theodoros Tsetsenis
   12. Ala Somarowthu
   13. Naiara Akizu
   14. Ethan M Goldberg

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This study provides important evidence for the mechanism underlying KCNC1-related developmental and epileptic encephalopathy. The authors have generated and characterized a new knock-in mouse with a pathogenic mutation found in patients to determine the synaptic and circuit mechanisms contributing to KCNC1-associated epilepsy. They provide convincing evidence for reduced excitability of parvalbumin-positive fast-spiking interneurons, but not in neighboring excitatory neurons, and suggest that this may contribute to seizures and premature death in the mice.

   Reviewed by eLife

2. FtsK is critical for the assembly of the unique divisome complex of the FtsZ-less Chlamydia trachomatis

   This article has 5 authors:

   1. McKenna Harpring
   2. Junghoon Lee
   3. Guangming Zhong
   4. Scot P Ouellette
   5. John V Cox

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     Understanding how the divisome is assembled in Chlamydia trachomatis, a bacterial pathogen, is crucial since this bacterium has a non-canonical cell wall and lacks the master regulator of cell division, FtsZ. This important study shows that a DNA translocase, FtsK, is an early and essential component of the Chlamydia trachomatis divisome. The evidence presented is convincing, leveraging the elegant use of genetics and fluorescence microscopy. As this role of FtsK is distinct relative to most other bacteria, these findings should be of significant interest to bacterial cell biologists.

   Reviewed by eLife

3. Twist is the key to the gating of mechanosensitive ion channel NOMPC

   This article has 2 authors:

   1. Jingze Duan
   2. Chen Song

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This study uses steered molecular dynamics simulations to interrogate force transmission in the mechanosensitive NOMPC channel, which plays roles including soft-touch perception, auditory function, and locomotion. The valuable finding that the ankyrin spring transmits force through torsional rather than compression forces may help understand the entire TRP channel family. The evidence is considered to be solid, although full opening of the channel is not seen, and it has been noted that experimental validation of reduced mechanosensitivity through mutagenesis of proposed ankyrin/TRP domain coupling interactions would help substantiate the findings.

   Reviewed by eLife

4. Drift in Individual Behavioral Phenotype as a Strategy for Unpredictable Worlds

   This article has 7 authors:

   1. Ryan Maloney
   2. Athena Ye
   3. Sam-Keny Saint-Pre
   4. Tom Alisch
   5. David Zimmerman
   6. Nicole Pittoors
   7. Benjamin L de Bivort

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     Maloney et al. offer an important contribution to understanding the potential ecological mechanisms behind individual behavioral variation. By providing compelling theoretical and experimental data, the study bridges the gap between individual, apparently stochastic behavior with its evolutionary purpose and consequences. The work further provides a testable and generalizable model framework to explore behavioral drift in other behaviors.

   Reviewed by eLife

5. Naa10 regulates hippocampal neurite outgrowth via Btbd3 N-α-acetylation-mediated actin dynamics

   This article has 5 authors:

   1. Chien-Te Chou
   2. Ming-Lun Kang
   3. Chen-Cheng Lee
   4. Pang-Hung Hsu
   5. Li-Jung Juan

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This valuable study suggests that Naa10, an N-α-acetyltransferase with known mutations that disrupt neurodevelopment, acetylates Btbd3, which has been implicated in neurite outgrowth and obsessive-compulsive disorder, in a manner that regulates F-actin dynamics to facilitate neurite outgrowth. While the study provides promising insights and biochemical, co-immunoprecipitation, and proteomic data that enhance our understanding of protein N-acetylation in neuronal development, the evidence supporting larger claims is incomplete. Nonetheless, the implications of these findings are noteworthy, particularly regarding neurodevelopmental and psychiatric conditions tied to altered expression of Naa10 or Btbd3.

   Reviewed by eLife

6. Dual-format attentional template during preparation in human visual cortex

   This article has 5 authors:

   1. Yilin Chen
   2. Taosheng Liu
   3. Ke Jia
   4. Jan Theeuwes
   5. Mengyuan Gong

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     By combining the 'pinging' technique with fMRI-based multivariate pattern analysis, this important study provides compelling evidence for a dual-format representation of attention during the preparatory period. The findings help reconcile the debate between sensory-like and non-sensory accounts of attentional templates and shed light on how the brain flexibly deploys different forms of templates to guide attention. This work will be of broad interest to researchers in psychology, vision science, and cognitive neuroscience.

   Reviewed by eLife

7. Rhythmic circuit function is more robust to changes in synaptic than intrinsic conductances

   This article has 3 authors:

   1. Zachary Fournier
   2. Leandro M Alonso
   3. Eve Marder

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This important study provides compelling insights into the differential impact of intrinsic and synaptic conductances on circuit robustness using computational models of the pyloric network from the crustacean stomatogastric ganglion. The results demonstrate that model networks are more sensitive to perturbations in intrinsic conductances than in synaptic conductances, highlighting the critical role of intrinsic plasticity in stabilizing neuronal networks. These findings underscore the importance of intrinsic plasticity, a crucial yet often overlooked factor in neuronal dynamics. The generality of these conclusions should be tested across diverse networks and functions.

   Reviewed by eLife

8. Dependence of contextual modulation in macaque V1 on interlaminar signal flow

   This article has 5 authors:

   1. Shude Zhu
   2. Yu Jin Oh
   3. Ethan B Trepka
   4. Xiaomo Chen
   5. Tirin Moore

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     The results by Zhu et al provide valuable insights into the representation of border ownership in area V1. They used neuropixel recording to demonstrate the clustering of border ownership, and compared cross-correlation functions between neurons in different layers to demonstrate that they depend on the type of stimulus. The strength of the evidence is solid but can be improved by performing additional analyses and addressing some concerns (as raised in the previous and current review), and accounting for the differences in classical and non-classical receptive field stimulation conditions.

   Reviewed by eLife

9. Criterion placement threatens the construct validity of neural measures of consciousness

   This article has 5 authors:

   1. Johannes Jacobus Fahrenfort
   2. Philippa A Johnson
   3. Niels A Kloosterman
   4. Timo Stein
   5. Simon van Gaal

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This fundamental study provides a critical challenge to a great many studies of the neural correlates of consciousness that were based on post hoc sorting of reported awareness experience. The evidence supporting this criticism is compelling, based on simulations and decoding analysis of EEG data. The results will be of interest not only to psychologists and neuroscientists but also to philosophers who work on addressing mind-body relationships.

   Reviewed by eLife

10. Brainstem neurons coordinate the bladder and urethra sphincter for urination

    This article has 14 authors:

    1. Xing Li
    2. Xianping Li
    3. Jun Li
    4. Han Qin
    5. Shanshan Liang
    6. Jun Li
    7. Tingliang Jian
    8. Xia Wang
    9. Lingxuan Yin
    10. Chunhui Yuan
    11. Xiang Liao
    12. Hongbo Jia
    13. Xiaowei Chen
    14. Jiwei Yao

    This article has been curated by 1 group:

    • Curated by eLife

      eLife Assessment

      In this important study, Li et al. identify estrogen receptor 1-expressing neurons (ESR1+) in Barrington's nucleus as key regulators coordinating both bladder contraction and the relaxation of the external urethral sphincter. Using appropriate and validated methodologies aligned with the current state of the art, the data are convincing and of generally high quality.

    Reviewed by eLife