eLife

Latest preprint reviews

1. Perceptual predictions track subjective, over objective, statistical structure

   This article has 5 authors:

   1. Jessye Clarke
   2. Kirsten Rittershofer
   3. Emma K Ward
   4. Daniel Yon
   5. Clare Press

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This important study reports three experiments examining how the subjective experience of task regularities influences perceptual decision-making. Although the evidence linking subjective ratings to behavioral measures is solid, the study would be strengthened if potential reverse influences of response times on subjective ratings were ruled out and if more comprehensive model comparisons supporting the main claims were performed. The findings will appeal to a wide range of researchers in decision-making and perception.

   Reviewed by eLife

2. Translational reading frame determines the pathogenicity of C-terminal frameshift deletions in MeCP2: an alternative therapeutic approach

   This article has 8 authors:

   1. Jacky Guy
   2. Elena Hein
   3. Bea Alexander-Howden
   4. Timur von Bock und Polach
   5. Tricia Mathieson
   6. Benjamin P Kleinstiver
   7. Huda Zoghbi
   8. Adrian Bird

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This study offers important insight into the pathogenic basis of intragenic frameshift deletions in the carboxy-terminal domain of MECP2, which account for some Rett syndrome cases, yet similar variants also appear in unaffected individuals. Using base editing and mouse models, the authors present convincing evidence supporting the pathogenicity of select deletion variants, with potential implications for therapeutic development. However, comments regarding the analysis of publicly available genetic databases should be addressed to strengthen the conclusions and provide greater clarity to the field.

   Reviewed by eLife

3. Spatial learning in multi-scale environments: Roles of hippocampus, orbitofrontal cortex, and retrosplenial cortex

   This article has 5 authors:

   1. Yidan Qiu
   2. Senning Zheng
   3. Huakang Li
   4. Shuting Lin
   5. Ruiwang Huang

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     The goal of this useful study is to examine learning-related changes in neural representations of global and local spatial reference frames in a spatial navigation task. Although the study addresses an interesting question, the evidence for neural representations in the hippocampus and retrosplenial cortex remains incomplete because of confounds in the experimental design and partial data analysis. There are further concerns about the framing of the study in the context of the relevant literature as well as the discussion.

   Reviewed by eLife

4. Prolonged oscillating preoptic area kisspeptin neuron activity underlies the preovulatory luteinizing hormone surge in mice

   This article has 3 authors:

   1. Ziyue Zhou
   2. Cheng-Yu Huang
   3. Allan Edward Herbison

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This fundamental work advances our understanding of the role of kisspeptin neurons in regulating the luteinizing hormone (LH) surge in females. The study uses cutting-edge techniques to provide compelling and rigorous data supporting a critical role of RP3V kisspeptin neurons in the neuroendocrine LH surge process. This research will be of interest to reproductive biologists and neuroscientists studying the female ovarian cycle. Continuing to examine the complexities of the LH surge and the neuronal populations involved, as done in this study, is critical for developing therapeutic treatments for women's reproductive disorders.

   Reviewed by eLife

5. The urban tree of life: synthesizing relationships between body size and urban affinity

   This article has 8 authors:

   1. Corey T Callaghan
   2. Diana E Bowler
   3. Vaughn Shirey
   4. Brittany M Mason
   5. Laura H Antão
   6. Ingmar Staude
   7. John H Wilshire
   8. Thomas Merckx

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This study provides an important assessment of how body size influences the occurrence of macro-organisms in urban areas across the globe. Size in most plants, but only some animal families, was positively associated with urban affinity. The data set is impressive and the strength of evidence solid.

   Reviewed by eLife

6. Enteropathogenic E. coli-mediated Fast and Coordinated Ca2+ responses regulate NF-κB activation

   This article has 6 authors:

   1. Fangrui Guo
   2. Roberto Ornelas Guevara
   3. Linda Oussaedine
   4. Geneviève Dupont
   5. Laurent Combettes
   6. Guy Tran Van Nhieu

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This study reports important advances in our understanding of how enteropathogenic E. coli (EPEC) interacts at the intestinal interface. Compelling data describe a novel model of spatially coordinated calcium signaling to modulate NF-kB activation. These findings, which integrate imaging, genetics, and computational modeling, provide a new way to consider host-pathogen interactions in EPEC infections that may lead to improved therapies.

   Reviewed by eLife

7. Synergistic MAPT mutations as a platform to uncover modifiers of tau pathogenesis

   This article has 14 authors:

   1. Miles R Bryan
   2. Michael F Almeida
   3. Kyle Pellegrino
   4. Carli K Opland
   5. J Ethan Paulakonis
   6. Jake McGillion-Moore
   7. Hanna Trzeciakiewicz
   8. Diamond King
   9. Xu Tian
   10. Jui-Heng Tseng
   11. Jonathan C Schisler
   12. Nicholas G Brown
   13. Ben A Bahr
   14. Todd J Cohen

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This study presents compelling new data that combine two FTD-tau mutations, P301L/S320F (PL-SF), that reliably induce spontaneous full-length tau aggregation across multiple cellular systems. The findings are important for the field of neurodegenerative disease. The strength of evidence is solid; however, several conclusions would benefit from more validation.

   Reviewed by eLife

8. Decoding spine nanostructure in cultured neurons derived from mouse models of mental disorder reveals a schizophrenia-linked role for Ecrg4

   This article has 7 authors:

   1. Yutaro Kashiwagi
   2. Qingrui Liu
   3. Yasuhiro Go
   4. Ryo Saito
   5. Atsu Aiba
   6. Takanobu Nakazawa
   7. Shigeo Okabe

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     By investigating spine nanostructure and dynamics across multiple genetic mouse models for neurodevelopmental disorders, this important study has the potential to uncover convergent or divergent synaptic phenotypes that may be specifically associated with autism versus schizophrenia risk. The imaging and overall breadth of the methods are convincing. The purely in vitro nature of the study slightly limits the generalisability of the findings.

   Reviewed by eLife

9. Sex-biased expression of enteroendocrine cell-derived hormones contributes to higher fat storage in Drosophila females

   This article has 2 authors:

   1. Puja Biswas
   2. Elizabeth J Rideout

   This article has been curated by 1 group:

   • Curated by eLife

     eLife Assessment

     This useful study provides a systematic comparison of sex-biased enteroendocrine hormone expression in Drosophila and suggests that gut-derived peptides may contribute to female-biased triglyceride levels. The revised manuscript includes helpful textual clarifications and an integrative model, but the evidence remains incomplete, because the proposed role of Tk is still over-interpreted relative to authors' stated criterion for statistical significance against both parental controls. The work will be of interest to researchers studying sex differences in metabolism, but the central mechanistic claims require either stronger experimental support or more careful qualification.

   Reviewed by eLife

10. Emergence of Functional Heart-Brain Circuits in a Vertebrate

    This article has 11 authors:

    1. Luis Hernandez-Nunez
    2. Joana Avrami
    3. Sky Shi
    4. Areni Markarian
    5. Annette Kim
    6. Jonathan Boulanger-Weill
    7. Virginia Rutten
    8. Arman Zarghani-Shiraz
    9. Misha B Ahrens
    10. Florian Engert
    11. Mark C Fishman

    This article has been curated by 1 group:

    • Curated by eLife

      eLife Assessment

      In this important manuscript, the authors establish a vertebrate model for studying the development of circuits that control heart rate. This contribution uses a combination of experimental techniques to provide compelling information for scientists looking to understand how heart rate regulation emerges during development.

    Reviewed by eLife