Scientists learn how neural networks form

COLD SPRINGS HARBOR, N.Y., June 5 (UPI) -- U.S. researchers say they've discovered non-signaling brain cells known as glia direct the growth of nerve fibers and their connections between neurons.

Professor Z. Josh Huang of Cold Springs Harbor Laboratory led the team that identified the cells controlling the nerve cell connections that form neural networks.

The scientists studied neurons in the cerebellum -- a region of the brain in the back of the head that controls movement. Huang explained that "the cerebellum is an easier place to start, because of its very organized architecture."

Huang's team developed sophisticated techniques to label different nerve cell types by means of chemical markers. The researchers found the glia cells act as a scaffold, guiding the growth of nerve cells in the cerebellum and determining where they form synapses to other nerve cells. In that role, the glia act as "matchmakers," bringing different types of nerve cells together, the scientists said.

The researchers say they findings explain how nerve cells connect to specific locations on other nerve cells. That finding may eventually help clarify what goes wrong in disorders such as autism.

The study appears in the journal PLoS Biology.