DSCAM-mediated control of dendritic and axonal arbor outgrowth enforces tiling and inhibits synaptic plasticity

Significance Adult neurons are not able to make new connections as easily as developing neurons can; however, future therapies aimed at regeneration and repair of neural circuits in the adult nervous system depend critically on the formation of such connections. Here, we studied a recently discovered cell population that has the unusual ability to make new connections into adulthood, but under normal conditions does not grow new axons or dendrites, so that no new cells are contacted. We manipulated this cell population to induce axon and dendrite outgrowth using transgenic methods and determined that this results in stable, functional connections with new cells.