Brain wiring occurs with great precision and reproducibility, yet most neurons have the ability to form synapses with incorrect partners. This phenomenon, known as synaptic promiscuity, still leads to precise outcomes, but also ensures flexibility and robustness of development and suggests the presence of developmental mechanisms that ensure correct neuronal connections based on promiscuous synapse formation. The EU-funded SynPromiscuity project is building upon previous work that demonstrated the importance of time, location and interaction kinetics for the specificity of synaptic contacts between neurons. In this project, researchers will assess how genetic and non-genetic factors impact neuronal connections in the developing brain of the fruit fly Drosophila. Results will provide fundamental knowledge on brain development with clinical implications for neurodevelopmental diseases.
Work on SynPromiscuity has started in October 2021.
