A new study on brain development in mice highlights a potential cause of neurological diseases in humans. Read more about it below.
Chandelier Cells Branch Out
“The branching of axons is needed to send information to several different targets at the same time,” says André Steinecke of Neuway Pharma in Germany, the lead author of the new study. “It would be a good idea, for instance, to let your motor system know if you hear the sound of a lion behind you, to get ready to run; but also [to have] your visual system check where the lion actually is, to not run in the wrong direction.
“The extension of these structures provides physical space for other neurons to build synapses [for signal transmission] on them," explains Steinecke, "and it provides the opportunity to build synapses onto other neurons in a very effective and synchronized manner.
The study is the first to identify communication between these two types of cells so early in brain development. Steinecke says the team was surprised to find that the cholinergic neurons have such a strong and specific influence on the development of distant cortical cells, rather than neurons located closer by. “The modulatory neurons might reflect the current state of the animal in a more wholesome way,” he adds.
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