Evaluated articles

eLife Assessment

This important work by Diallo et al. substantially advances our understanding of the chemosensory system of a non-hymenopteran eusocial insect by identifying the first olfactory receptor for the trail pheromone in termites. The evidence supporting the conclusions that the receptor PsimOR14 is very narrowly tuned for the pheromone neocembrene is compelling. The work will be of broad interest to entomologists, chemical ecologists, neuroscientists, and molecular biologists.

eLife Assessment

This valuable study builds on previous work by the authors by presenting a potentially key method for correcting optical aberrations in GRIN lens-based microendoscopes used for imaging deep brain regions. By combining simulations and experiments, the authors provide convincing evidence showing that the obtained field of view is significantly increased with corrected, versus uncorrected microendoscopes. Because the approach described in this paper does not require any microscope or software modifications, it can be readily adopted by neuroscientists who wish to image neuronal activity deep in the brain.

eLife Assessment

This study provides a valuable perspective on visual cortex architecture by identifying two cortical gradients that change across the lifespan and have distinct functional and structural features. The first gradient captures well-mapped variations in cortical thickness and myelination markers from early sensory to higher-order cortex, while the second gradient shows divergence in these measures with a more localized structure, notably predicting a previously unknown cluster of visual field maps in the anterior temporal lobe. The large-scale lifespan data are compelling, but the evidence overall is incomplete with key questions around methodical checks and implementation, the standard of evidence for the new visual maps, and how the gradient model relates to sharp tissue boundaries parcellating the cortex.

eLife Assessment

This study presents valuable findings on changes in neuronal alpha activity elicited by prolonged pain in healthy human participants. The evidence supporting the claims of the authors, however, is incomplete and would benefit from clarifications of analytical strategies, additional statistical analyses, and shaping of the interpretations. With the methodological and interpretative parts strengthened, the work will be of interest to neuroscientists investigating the brain mechanisms of pain to identify new approaches to pain treatment

eLife Assessment

This important paper employs multiple experimental approaches and presents evidence that changes in membrane voltage directly affect ERK signaling to regulate cell division. This result is relevant because it supports an ion channel-independent pathway by which changes in membrane voltage can affect cell growth. The evidence now presented is solid and the data support the conclusions. This paper should be of interest to a broad readershp in the areas of cell and developemental biology and electrophysiology.

eLife Assessment

Lu and colleagues developed an important imaging protocol that combines expansion microscopy, light-sheet microscopy, and image segmentation for use with the planarian Schmidtea mediterranea, a powerful model system for regeneration. This represents a substantial improvement on current standards and enables more rapid data acquisition. The utility of this solid protocol is demonstrated by quantifying several aspects of this flatworm's neural anatomy and musculature during homeostasis and regeneration. This work will be of interest to researchers looking to implement more systematic approaches towards imaging and quantifying intact specimens.

eLife Assessment

The study provides valuable insight into the biological significance of SARS-CoV-2 by using a series of computational analyses of viral proteins. While the evidence is solid, the reviewers noted a lack of clarity about the objectives of the analyses. While impactful for the field, the manuscript would benefit from improved presentation.

eLife Assessment

This valuable work explores the timely idea that aperiodic activity in human electrophysiology recordings is dynamically modulated in response to task events in a manner that may be relevant for behavioral performance. Moreover, the authors present solid evidence that, in some circumstances, these aperiodic changes might be misinterpreted as oscillatory changes.

eLife Assessment

This important work advances our understanding of parabrachial CGRP threat function. The evidence supporting CGRP aversive outcome signaling is solid, while the evidence for cue signaling and fear behavior generation is incomplete. The work will be of interest to neuroscientists studying defensive behaviors.

eLife Assessment

This study presents a valuable finding on the identification of a complex consisting of NHE1, hERG1, β1/integrin and NaV1.5 on the membrane of breast cancer cells. The evidence supporting the claims of the authors is somewhat incomplete. The inclusion of clarification of some experimental design and the amendment of cropping Western blot data would have strengthened the study. The work will be of interest to scientists working on breast cancer.

eLife Assessment

SGLT2 inhibitors (SGLT2i) have assumed important roles in reducing cardiovascular risk, particularly in those with diabetes. It has become appreciated that its protective effects are likely beyond their ability to lower blood sugar levels. This research presents a novel approach to studying the SGLT2i mechanism of action which is yet to be fully elucidated.

eLife Assessment

This important work addresses the role of Marcks/Markcksl during spinal cord development and regeneration. The study is exceptional in combining molecular approaches to understand the mechanisms of tissue regeneration with behavioural assays, which is not commonly employed in the field. The data presented is convincing and comprehensive, using many complementary methodologies.

eLife Assessment

This important work advances our understanding of factors influencing early childhood development. The large sample size and methodology applied make the findings of this study convincing; however, support for some of the claims made by the authors is incomplete. The work will be of interest to researchers in developmental science and early childhood pediatrics.

eLife Assessment

This study provides a valuable new perspective on how motor learning occurring in one state generalizes to new states (for example, a different limb posture). The proposed model improves upon previous theories in its ability to predict patterns of generalization, but evidence supporting this specific proposed model over possible alternatives is incomplete. The newly proposed theory appears promising but would be more convincing if its conceptual and theoretical basis were clearer and more rigorously derived.

eLife Assessment

This important work describes results from a set of simulation and empirical studies of a set-up assessing exploratory behavior in a potentially rewarding environment that contains danger. The core idea is that an instrumental agent can be helped to be both effective and safe, thus avoiding excessive danger, during exploratory behavior, if the influence of an independent Pavlovian fear is flexibly gated based on uncertainty. This work is grounded in previous foundational work on Pavlovian control of instrumental choice, and significantly extends prior work showing that the impact of Pavlovian reward biases can be flexibly gated. The conclusion that safe but effective exploration can be achieved based on a flexibly weighted combination of a Pavlovian and an instrumental agent is convincing.

eLife Assessment

In this important manuscript, the authors reveal novel findings on the role of exosomes in regulating filopodia formation. Filopodia are crucial for various cellular processes, including migration, polarization, directional sensing, and the formation of neuronal synapses. The authors convincingly demonstrate that exosomes, particularly those enriched with the protein THSD7A, play a significant role in promoting filopodia formation in both cancer cells and neurons.

eLife Assessment

This useful manuscript addresses some key molecular mechanisms on the neuroprotective roles of soluble TREM2 in neurodegenerative diseases. The study will advance our understanding of TREM2 mutations, particularly on the damaging effect of known TREM2 mutations, and also provides solid evidence why soluble TREM2 can antagonize Aβ aggregation.

eLife Assessment

This valuable study investigates how the size of an LLM may influence its ability to model the human neural response to language recorded by ECoG. Overall, solid evidence is provided that larger language models can better predict the human ECoG response. Further discussion would be beneficial as to how the results can inform us about the brain or LLMs, especially about the new message that can be learned from this ECoG study beyond previous fMRI studies on the same topic. This study will be of interest to both neuroscientists and psychologists who work on language comprehension and computer scientists working on LLMs.

eLife Assessment

This study presents an important finding on the involvement of a Caspase 3-dependent pathway in the elimination of synapses for retinogeniculate circuit refinement and eye-specific territory segregation. This work fits well with the concept of "synaptosis" which has been proposed in the past. The evidence supporting the claims of the authors is convincing, demonstrating that caspase-3 activation is essential for microglial elimination of synapses during both brain development and neurodegeneration. The work will be of interest to investigators studying cell death pathways, neurodevelopment, and neurodegenerative disease.