RESEARCH INTERESTS

Genetic analysis of the synaptic regulation and Muscular

The process that triggers the formation of a synapse in a particular site of the large contact surface between two cells remains largely unknown. It is well known that the number of synapses that a cell is able to form is closely related to its size, however the number of synapses in a given brain region is known to change during the postnatal development reflecting what is considered a maturation process and also during the adult life which is considered an activity-dependent effect. Synapse number is a dynamic feature of all nervous systems that can be modified in the time scale of hours. The question, however, is: does the number of synapses result from a specific molecular mechanism, or is it just an epiphenomenon? In either case, does it have a limit or could it be increased or lowered freely? Would a brain modify the behaviour of the organism if the number of synapses changes only in small subset of cells or, by contrast, changes in several regions would be needed?