Researchers provide definitive proof for receptor's role in
synapse development Jackson Laboratory researchers led by
Associate Professor Zhong-wei Zhang, Ph.D., have provided direct
evidence that a specific neurotransmitter receptor is vital to
the process of pruning synapses in the brains of newborn
mammals. Faulty pruning at this early developmental stage is
implicated in autism-spectrum disorders and schizophrenia. The
definitive evidence for N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDAR) in
pruning has eluded researchers until now, but in research
published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of
Sciences, Zhang's lab had serendipitous help in the form of a
mouse model containing brain cells lacking NMDAR side-by-side
with cells containing the receptor. Soon after birth, mammals'
brains undergo significant development and change. Initially,
large numbers of synapses form between neurons. Then, in
response to stimuli, the synaptic connections are refined—some
synapses are strengthened and others eliminated,