Nerve cells use each other as maps
Tuesday, May 19, 2015 - 17:40
in Biology & Nature
Axons in red and neuronal cell bodies in green show cell bodies following the red axons When nerve cells form in an embryo they do not start off in the right place but have to be guided to their final position by navigating a kind of molecular and cellular "map" in order to function properly. In a recent research study published in Nature Communications neurobiologist Sara Wilson, Umeå University, found that during embryonic development different parts of the nerve cell are important for guiding other nerve cells into their physical positions.