New Tools to Rebuild Neuronal Networks

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Material below summarizes the article, Rapid Mechanically Controlled Rewiring of Neuronal Circuits, published on January 20, 2016, in The Journal of Neuroscience and authored by Margaret H. Magdesian, G. Monserratt Lopez-Ayon, Megumi Mori, Dominic Boudreau, Alexis Goulet-Hanssens, Ricardo Sanz, Yoichi Miyahara, Christopher J. Barrett, Alyson E. Fournier, Yves De Koninck, and Peter Grütter.

The adult nervous system is composed of billions of neurons that extend axons over substantial distances to reach an appropriate target and build complex networks during development.

Neuronal network function depends on the precise specificity of neuronal connections. Injuries to the nervous system caused by trauma or neurodegenerative diseases usually result in disability and death because it is still not possible to regenerate neurons over long distances and accurately reconnect them with the appropriate target.

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