eLife

Latest preprint reviews

1. Predictive learning rules generate a cortical-like replay of probabilistic sensory experiences

   This article has 2 authors:

   1. Toshitake Asabuki
   2. Tomoki Fukai

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This valuable study investigates how biologically plausible learning mechanisms can support assembly formation that encodes statistics of the environment, by enabling neural sampling that is based on within-assembly connectivity strength. It convincingly shows that assembly formation can emerge from predictive plasticity in excitatory synapses, while two types of plasticity in inhibitory synapses are required: inhibitory homeostatic (predictive) plasticity and inhibitory competitive (anti-predictive) plasticity.

   Reviewed by eLife

2. Predictive models for secondary epilepsy in patients with acute ischemic stroke within one year

   This article has 10 authors:

   1. Jinxin Liu
   2. Haoyue He
   3. Yanglingxi Wang
   4. Jun Du
   5. Kaixin Liang
   6. Jun Xue
   7. Yidan Liang
   8. Peng Chen
   9. Shanshan Tian
   10. Yongbing Deng

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This valuable study reports machine learning models derived from large-scale data to predict the risk of post-stroke epilepsy. The evidence supporting the conclusions is convincing, although there are some validation issues (lack of cross-validation, possible bias in external validation results). The study may be of interest in the field of clinical neurology

   Reviewed by eLife

3. A direct neural signature of serial dependence in working memory

   This article has 3 authors:

   1. Cora Fischer
   2. Jochen Kaiser
   3. Christoph Bledowski

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This study reveals a neural signature of a common behavioural phenomenon: serial dependence, whereby estimates of a visual feature (here motion direction) are attracted towards the recent history of encoded and reported stimuli. The study provides solid evidence that this phenomenon arises primarily during working memory maintenance. The pervasiveness of serial dependencies across modalities and species makes these findings important for researchers interested in perceptual decision-making across subfields.

   Reviewed by eLife

4. Dissociable memory modulation mechanisms facilitate fear amnesia at different timescales

   This article has 6 authors:

   1. Yinmei Ni
   2. Ye Wang
   3. Zijian Zhu
   4. Jingchu Hu
   5. Daniela Schiller
   6. Jian Li

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This manuscript presents valuable findings which reveal an intricate pattern of memory expression following retrieval extinction at different intervals from retrieval-extinction to test. The novel advance is in the demonstration that, relative to a standard extinction procedure, the retrieval-extinction procedure more effectively suppresses responses to a conditioned threat stimulus when testing occurs just minutes after extinction. While the data provide solid evidence that the "short-term" suppression of responding involves engagement of the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, there are inconsistencies in the analyses reported which obscure the interpretation and leave some of the claims with limited evidence.

   Reviewed by eLife

5. Role of posterior medial thalamus in the modulation of striatal circuitry and choice behavior

   This article has 7 authors:

   1. Alex J Yonk
   2. Ivan Linares-García
   3. Logan Pasternak
   4. Sofia E Juliani
   5. Mark A Gradwell
   6. Arlene J George
   7. David J Margolis

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     Yonk and colleagues provide a valuable, timely, and in-depth study showcasing the role of thalamostriatal inputs in learning and action selection. After characterizing the synaptic properties of these inputs onto different striatal cell types in vitro, they provide solid evidence that posterior medial thalamic nucleus (POm) terminals in striatum are activated during reward expectation and arousal. The overall function of this pathway and the degree to which results are confounded by viral contamination of surrounding nuclei and movements remain open questions.

   Reviewed by eLife

6. Individuality across environmental context in Drosophila melanogaster

   This article has 7 authors:

   1. Thomas F Mathejczyk
   2. Cara Knief
   3. Muhammad A Haidar
   4. Florian Freitag
   5. Tydings McClary
   6. Mathias F Wernet
   7. Gerit A Linneweber

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     There is a growing interest in understanding the individuality of animal behaviours. In this important article, the authors build and use an impressive array of high throughput phenotyping paradigms to examine the 'stability' (consistency) of behavioural characteristics in a range of contexts and over time. The results show that certain behaviours are individualistic and persist robustly across external stimuli while others are less robust to these changing parameters. The data supporting their findings is extensive and convincing.

   Reviewed by eLife

7. DTX3L ubiquitin ligase ubiquitinates single-stranded nucleic acids

   This article has 8 authors:

   1. Emily L Dearlove
   2. Chatrin Chatrin
   3. Lori Buetow
   4. Syed F Ahmed
   5. Tobias Schmidt
   6. Martin Bushell
   7. Brian O Smith
   8. Danny T Huang

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife assessment

     This important study reports the discovery of a novel nucleotide ubiquitylation activity by the DTX3L E3 ligase. Solid evidence is presented for ubiquitin attachment to single-stranded oligonucleotides. This very interesting biochemical finding can be used as a starting point for studies to establish relevance in a physiological setting.

   Reviewed by eLife

8. The gut contractile organoid for studying the gut motility regulated by coordinating signals between interstitial cells of Cajal and smooth muscles

   This article has 9 authors:

   1. Rei Yagasaki
   2. Ryo Nakamura
   3. Yuuki Shikaya
   4. Ryosuke Tadokoro
   5. Ruolin Hao
   6. Zhe Wang
   7. Mototsugu Eiraku
   8. Masafumi Inaba
   9. Yoshiko Takahashi

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This valuable study reports the development of a novel organoid system for studying the emergence of autorhythmic gut peristaltic contractions through the interaction between interstitial cells of Cajal and smooth muscle cells. The authors further utilized the system to provide convincing evidence for a previously unappreciated potential role for smooth muscle cells in regulating the firing rate of interstitial cells of Cajal. The work will be of interest to those studying development and physiology of the gut.

   Reviewed by eLife

9. The Jag2/Notch1 signaling axis promotes sebaceous gland differentiation and controls progenitor proliferation

   This article has 7 authors:

   1. Syeda Nayab Fatima Abidi
   2. Sara Chan
   3. Kerstin Seidel
   4. Daniel Lafkas
   5. Louis Vermeulen
   6. Frank Peale
   7. Christian W Siebel

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife assessment

     This work aimed at deconstructing how sebaceous gland differentiation is controlled in adult skin. Using monoclonal antibodies designed to inhibit specific Notch ligands or receptors, the authors present convincing evidence that the Jag2/Notch1 signaling axis is a crucial regulator of sebocyte progenitor proliferation and sebocyte differentiation. The valuable findings presented here contribute to the growing evidence that Notch signaling is not only key during the development of the skin and its appendages but also regulates cell fate in adult homeostatic tissues. From a translational perspective, it is intriguing that the effect of Jag2 or Notch1 inhibition, which leads to the accumulation of proliferative stem/progenitor cells in the sebaceous gland and prevents sebocyte differentiation, is reversible.

   Reviewed by eLife

10. Induction of hepatitis B core protein aggregation targeting an unconventional binding site

    This article has 7 authors:

    1. Vladimir Khayenko
    2. Cihan Makbul
    3. Clemens Schulte
    4. Naomi Hemmelmann
    5. Sonja Kachler
    6. Bettina Böttcher
    7. Hans Michael Maric

    This article has been curated by 1 group:

    • Curated by eLife

      eLife Assessment

      This valuable work presents an interesting strategy to interfere with the HBV infectious cycle as it identifies two previously unexplored HBc-Ag binding pockets. The experimental data is compelling and opens the door to generating and testing novel anti-HBV therapies.

    Reviewed by eLife