Researchers show how brain cell connections get cemented early in life

When we’re born, our brains aren’t very organized. Every brain cell talks to lots of other nearby cells, sending and receiving signals across connections called synapses.

Two neighboring brain cells "talk" to one another by sending signals across a gap called a synapse. The more active the synapse during development, U-M researchers found, the more a protein called SIRP is cut loose from one cell, travels to the other, and helps stabilize the synapse for the future.

But as we grow and learn, things get a bit more stable. The brain pathways that will serve us our whole lives start to organize, and less-active, inefficient synapses shut down.

Read more at Science News