How Synapses are Organized in the Fly Brain

What is it about?

From eLife Digest: Just as progress in science relies on researchers communicating their findings to other people working in their field, our bodies rely on neurons being able to communicate with other neurons. This is where structures called synapses come in: synapses allow signals to be passed from one neuron to another. Neurons and synapses process information by forming circuits in the brain, but relatively little is known about how synapses develop or how they are organized within circuits.

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Why is it important?

It was found that the successful development of synapses required the involvement of two members of a family of proteins called the Teneurins: this family of proteins is involved in a variety of neurodevelopmental processes. Teneurins have been implicated in bipolar disorder, and malfunctioning synapses are thought to be associated with a number of other mental health conditions, so the results of Mosca and Luo could lead to a better understanding of these conditions.