Cell Migration and Morphology
How the billions of neurons within our body find their correct target remains a tantalising mystery but when this goes wrong, congenital conditions such as epilepsy or Down Syndrome result. Rather like trying to mend a computer without knowing how the underlying circuitry was wired up, understanding brain development is therefore essential for devising strategies to repair it after damage or disease.
To form connections, neurons must migrate to their functional place within the brain and extend sinuous protrusions, known as axons, to contact their target. This process requires them to undergo extreme changes in cell shape and execute a series of navigational decisions. These are achieved by the cell's internal protein scaffold which determines its shape and motility in response to a host of external signals. Defects in the scaffold integrity, or its responses to signals, result in defective brain development, impaired neuronal communication or even tumour growth.
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