Scientists report how nerve networks form

MONTREAL, Aug. 31 (UPI) -- Canadian scientists say they've found the interaction of a specific protein regulates the development of nerve connections in the visual system of tadpoles.

The researchers at the Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital said their findings help clarify how networks of nerve cell connections become established in human brains.

The scientists focused on the interactions between a schizophrenia-linked gene product, Calcineurin, and a transcription factor known to contribute to the connectivity at neuron junctions.

After inhibiting the action of Calcineurin, the scientists found significant increases in the nerves' electrical activity and in the number of branched projections, called dendritres, coming from the nerve cell body that allow nerve impulses to be transmitted from cell to cell.

The scientists say their results show Calcineurin is critical for the elimination of excessive connections that are a part of normal brain development.

The researchers said their findings might speed the development of diagnostic tests and effective treatments for disorders such as schizophrenia and autism that are believed to result from abnormal neurological wiring occurring early in life.

The study appeared earlier this year in the journal Neuron.