eLife

Latest preprint reviews

1. Twice as nice: Boosts in adolescent reinforcement learning from Pavlovian bias and age-related prioritization of reward-motivated incidental memory

   This article has 2 authors:

   1. Haley Hegefeld
   2. Juliet Y Davidow

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This valuable developmental study provides intriguing but incomplete evidence suggesting that, relative to adults, the enhancement of instrumental learning by Pavlovian bias is most pronounced in adolescence, while reward-induced memory enhancements are strongest in childhood. Although the authors tackle a key aspect of learning and motivation with rigorous experimental methods and sophisticated modeling techniques, there are substantial concerns about the absence of relevant analyses, the lack of accord between model-based and exploratory analyses, and the lack of an explanation for how the results cohere with inconsistent findings in the literature.

   Reviewed by eLife

2. The nucleus accumbens shell regulates hedonic feeding via a rostral hotspot

   This article has 8 authors:

   1. Alina-Măriuca Marinescu
   2. Eshita Kamal
   3. Peter Leary
   4. Keila Navarro I Batista
   5. Manuel Klug
   6. Nataša Savić
   7. Christelle Le Foll
   8. Marie A Labouesse

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This study provides a valuable contribution to understanding the functional and molecular organization of the medial nucleus accumbens shell in feeding. Using in vivo imaging, optogenetics, and genetic engineering, the authors present solid evidence for a rostro-caudal gradient in D1-SPN activity that refines earlier pharmacological models. The identification of Stard5 and Peg10 as molecular markers and the creation of a Stard5-Flp line represent meaningful advances for future circuit-specific studies. While stronger integration of molecular and functional results and additional analyses of other Stard5-expressing cell types (e.g., D2-SPNs, interneurons) would enhance completeness, the overall methodological rigor and convergence of findings make this a well-executed and informative study. This will be of interest to those interested in brain circuits, reward, emotion, and feeding behavior.

   Reviewed by eLife

3. Subtle methodological variations substantially impact correlation test results in ecological time series

   This article has 4 authors:

   1. Caroline Cannistra
   2. Linh Hoang
   3. Alex E Yuan
   4. Wenying Shou

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This study presents a valuable in-depth comparison of statistical methods for the analysis of ecological time series data, and shows that different analyses can generate different conclusions, emphasizing the importance of carefully choosing methods and of reporting methodological details. The evidence supporting the claims, based on simulated data for a two-species ecosystem, is solid, although testing on more complex datasets could be of further benefit. This paper should be of broad interest to researchers in ecology.

   Reviewed by eLife

4. Heterogeneous responses to embryonic critical period perturbations within the Drosophila larval locomotor circuit

   This article has 9 authors:

   1. Niklas Krick
   2. Jacob Davies
   3. Bramwell Coulson
   4. Daniel Sobrido-Cameán
   5. Michael Miller
   6. Matthew CW Oswald
   7. Aref A Zarin
   8. Richard Baines
   9. Matthias Landgraf

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This is an important study of critical period plasticity, focused on temperature manipulations, and how different parts of the Drosophila larval motor circuit adapt or maladapt. The work convincingly demonstrates that components of the motor network respond in distinct ways to the heat shock, and the combination of functional, structural, and electrophysiological approaches makes the study of significant interest. The work points to central interneurons as primary drivers of maladaptive changes, while motoneurons and neuromuscular junctions show compensatory or homeostatic adjustments. The study is methodologically rigorous, contributing significant insights into critical period biology using a tractable invertebrate model.

   Reviewed by eLife

5. Anti-resonance in developmental signaling regulates cell fate decisions

   This article has 7 authors:

   1. Samuel J Rosen
   2. Olivier Witteveen
   3. Naomi Baxter
   4. Ryan S Lach
   5. Erik Hopkins
   6. Marianne Bauer
   7. Maxwell Z Wilson

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This important work combines theoretical analysis with precise experimental perturbation to demonstrate that the Wnt signaling pathway is characterized by anti-resonance, or a suppression of pathway output at intermediate activation frequencies. The authors identify an anti-resonance behavior, with compelling evidence from optogenetic stimulation in multiple cell types, alongside modeling results that corroborate the phenomenon. While the demonstration of this phenomenon has yet to be extended to fully physiological situations, its clear existence within optogenetically stimulated systems shows that it is likely a significant factor that contributes to the behavior of this central signaling pathway.

   Reviewed by eLife

6. Functional Muscle Networks as Biomarkers of Post-Stroke Motor Impairment and Therapeutic Responsiveness

   This article has 6 authors:

   1. David O’Reilly
   2. Giorgia Pregnolato
   3. Andrea Turolla
   4. Pawel Kiper
   5. Ioannis Delis
   6. Giacomo Severini

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This important work employed a recent, functional muscle network analysis for evaluating rehabilitation outcomes in post-stroke patients. While the research direction is relevant and suggests the need for further investigation, the strength of evidence supporting the claims is incomplete. Muscle interactions can serve as biomarkers, but improvements in function are not directly demonstrated, and the method's robustness is not benchmarked against existing approaches.

   Reviewed by eLife

7. Spatiotemporal WNT and BMP gradients orchestrate regional enteroendocrine cell diversity along the Drosophila midgut

   This article has 3 authors:

   1. Jiaying Lv
   2. Xingting Guo
   3. Rongwen Xi

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This valuable study is a comprehensive investigation into the regulatory mechanisms and regional distribution of enteroendocrine cell subtypes in the Drosophila midgut, significantly advancing the understanding of how WNT and BMP gradients contribute to EE diversity. The methodological foundation and robust genetic evidence are solid in supporting the key roles of compartment boundary signals, particularly WNT and BMP, in specifying EE subtypes and division modes. However, there is a lack of full mechanistic insight regarding Notch pathway involvement, incomplete quantification of phenotype data, and insufficient global pattern analysis, which detracts from fully supporting some proposed models. Overall, the study provides a platform for future work but would benefit from stronger data integration and expanded mechanistic exploration.

   Reviewed by eLife

8. Aggressive trait selection influences life-history trade-offs, favoring survival over reproductive success in Drosophila melanogaster males

   This article has 9 authors:

   1. Anthony Defert
   2. Romane Gout
   3. Gaelle Pennot
   4. Fanny Jamme
   5. Amandine Castex
   6. Anissa Handjar
   7. Thomas Guilleman
   8. Jean-Christophe Billeter
   9. Séverine Trannoy

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This valuable study addresses the effects of selection on aggression on fitness and life-history trade-offs in Drosophila melanogaster. However, the evidence presented is incomplete and does not support the claims proposed in the study of increased survival of highly aggressive males at the expense of reproductive success and shorter mating duration. The main limitation of the study is the choice to use males from only one aggressive Drosophila line in combination with CantonS females, that do not allow disambiguation between nonaggression-related factors, such as hybrid vigor and aggression-related factors influencing mating and lifespan.

   Reviewed by eLife

9. Kinematics and morphological correlates of descent strategies in arboreal mammals suggest early upright postures in euprimates

   This article has 3 authors:

   1. Séverine LD Toussaint
   2. Dionisios Youlatos
   3. John A Nyakatura

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This valuable study examines how mammals descend effectively and securely along vertical substrates. The conclusions from comparative analyses based on behavioral data and morphological measurements collected from 21 species across a wide range of taxa are convincing, making the work of interest to all biologists studying animal locomotion.

   Reviewed by eLife

10. Abundant Parent-of-origin Effect eQTL: The Framingham Heart Study

    This article has 3 authors:

    1. Yongtao Guan
    2. Tianxiao Huan
    3. Daniel Levy

    This article has been curated by 1 group:

    • Curated by eLife

      eLife Assessment

      This important study provides a systematic investigation of parent-of-origin (POE) effects on gene expression using large trio-based data from the Framingham Heart Study, uncovering thousands of potentially novel associations. While the findings are potentially significant, the statistical support for classifying POE eQTLs and some downstream analyses is incomplete, and more stringent re-analysis is needed. With such revisions, the work would serve as a foundation for advancing understanding of POEs and their role in gene regulation.

    Reviewed by eLife