Research Project Outline
The brain contains an enormous number of neurons, which are assembled into functional neural networks and also retain individuality. Clustered protocadherin (cPcdh) molecules are candidates for the molecular codes that provide neuronal individuality and specific neural network formation. In this study, we investigate the molecular mechanisms responsible for generating local neural networks and functional cell assembly in the brain by using molecular tools and manipulations to control the expression and function of cPcdh molecules. We aim to reveal the biological basis of sparse parallel-distributed processing of neural information in the brain.