New brain atlas shows neurons don't inherit their identity-they build it in their first hours of life

by Stowers Institute for Medical Research

edited by Sadie Harley , reviewed by Robert Egan

This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility:

Add as preferred source Fluorescence microscopy reveals the elaborate branching structures of neurons in the developing fruit fly visual system. Researchers in the Özel Lab are using this system to understand the genetic and regulatory programs that give different types of neurons their identities. Credit: Stowers Institute for Medical Research A brain contains hundreds or thousands of different kinds of neurons, each with its own shape, connections and function. Yet all of them arise from a comparatively small pool of dividing neural stem cells. How does a newly-born cell know what kind of neuron to become?