Brain plasticity restored in adult mice through targeting specific nerve cell connections

Neuroscientists at Tufts University School of Medicine, in collaboration with colleagues at Yale University School of Medicine, have discovered a new molecular mechanism that is essential for maturation of brain function and may be used to restore plasticity in aged brains. Unlike previous research that broadly manipulated brain plasticity using approaches that affected the entire brain, this study targets for the first time a specific molecule acting on a single type of neuronal connection to modulate brain function. This restores the brain’s ability to rewire itself.