title: Beyond Molecular Codes: Simple Rules to Wire Complex Brains.
abstract: Molecular codes, like postal zip codes, are generally considered a robust way to ensure the specificity of neuronal target selection. However, a code capable of unambiguously generating complex neural circuits is difficult to conceive. Here, we re-examine the notion of molecular codes in the light of developmental algorithms. We explore how molecules and mechanisms that have been considered part of a code may alternatively implement simple pattern formation rules sufficient to ensure wiring specificity in neural circuits. This analysis delineates a pattern-based framework for circuit construction that may contribute to our understanding of brain wiring.
authors.affiliation: Center for the Biology of Disease, VIB, 3000 Leuven, Belgium; Center for Human Genetics, University of Leuven School of Medicine, 3000 Leuven, Belgium. Electronic address: bh@kuleuven.be.
authors.forename: Bassem A
authors.initials: BA
authors.lastname: Hassan
authors.affiliation: Division of Neurobiology, Institute for Biology, Freie Universität Berlin, 14195 Berlin, Germany; NeuroCure Cluster of Excellence, Charite Universitätsmedizin Berlin, 10117 Berlin, Germany. Electronic address: robin.hiesinger@fu-berlin.de.
authors.forename: P Robin
authors.initials: PR
authors.lastname: Hiesinger
mesh_terms: D000465:Algorithms; D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000166:cytology / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D013569:Synapses