Correction to: Purinergic Signalling (2014) 9:433

https://doi.org/10.1007/s11302-013-9364-5

The authors would like to inform the readership that this article, published in September 2013 (online May 2013), is the republication of an article published in November 2011 [1] and retracted in January 2013 [2]. We consider it good scientific practice to publish this erratum on our article, because it highlights the connection between two works associated with the same research, an aspect which should be appropriately documented in the scholarly record. It also allows us to address the reasons why this element of research was originally retracted and explain to the readership why and how it was republished.

Our original paper on this subject, [1], was retracted because of an error detected in the illustrative raw data presented in Figure 4F, where the image of one Western blot was inadvertently used to document two different conditions. At the same time that this matter was being assessed by the Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Neuroscience, and prior to the retraction of the article, an investigation by the Universidade de Lisboa [3], concluded that the “misrepresentations of the figures (...) did not result from scientific misconduct, i.e. these faults cannot be attributed to intentional fabrication or falsification. On the contrary, these errors seem to have occurred in good faith and in no way did these affect the scientific content of the article and its conclusions.”

After the publication of [2], and having received assurances from the Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Neuroscience that our findings could be republished without prejudice, we corrected the aforementioned error in Figure 4F and submitted a revised manuscript for publication at Purinergic Signalling. At the time of the submission, the then Editor-in-Chief, Prof. Geoffrey Burnstock, was informed of the circumstances of this case and gave approval for re-submission before this version of the article was sent for peer review.