Neurexin and Neuroligin: A Code for Synaptic Development

我们一出生，就通过我们的感官来理解我们的世界，学习新的信息并建立记忆。这些过程需要分子将神经元连接在一起。编码这些分子的基因突变会导致大脑连接错误，并导致自闭症和精神分裂症等精神障碍。利用简单的昆虫模型，我们的项目旨在揭示这些分子如何在大脑中发挥作用的基本机制，以及它们的相互作用如何控制行为。

As soon as we are born, we interpret our world through our senses, learn new information and lay down memory. These processes require molecules that connect neurons together. Mutations in genes encoding these molecules result in incorrect wiring of the brain and lead to mental disorders such as autism and schizophrenia. Using simple insect models, our project aims to unravel the fundamental mechanisms of how these molecules function in the brain and how their interaction controls behaviour.