# Neural Cell Adhesion Genes in Synaptic Specificity

> **NIH NIH R01** · ALBERT EINSTEIN COLLEGE OF MEDICINE · 2021 · $417,500

## Abstract

The synaptic connections in our brain form circuits that control all mental activity and behavior. How
these connections are specified during brain development and function is largely unknown. The
problem is difficult to study in humans or model mammals because the synaptic connections in the large
brains of these species cannot currently be determined. Some mental illnesses may be due to
abnormalities in synaptic connectivity―the inability to address this possibility in the absence of known
connectivity is a major barrier to understanding such diseases. This study focusses on specification of
synaptic connectivity in the only animal where detailed maps of synaptic connections are available. In
the nematode worm, Caenorhabditis elegans, the wiring diagram, or connectome, of the entire nervous
system has been determined. The C. elegans genome contains a similar set of neural cell adhesion
genes thought to specify connectivity as humans. The function of these and additional genes will be
studied in a neural network in the male. The expression patterns of neural cell adhesion genes in the
neural network has been determined. The function of multiple neural cell adhesion genes in
specification of a particular synaptic connection will be examined in detail in genetic and molecular
studies. The binding properties of neural cell adhesion proteins involved in synapse formation will be
determined in biochemical studies. The complement of neural cell adhesion genes that specify different
connections will be compared and their activities in ectopic contexts will be examined. The aim is to
uncover the molecular determinants of connectivity in the network. The results will allow studies in
higher animals to focus on genes with known functions in defining neural circuits.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10071211
- **Project number:** 5R01MH112689-06
- **Recipient organization:** ALBERT EINSTEIN COLLEGE OF MEDICINE
- **Principal Investigator:** SCOTT W EMMONS
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $417,500
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2017-02-15 → 2022-11-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10071211

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10071211, Neural Cell Adhesion Genes in Synaptic Specificity (5R01MH112689-06). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10071211. Licensed CC0.

---

*[NIH grants dataset](/datasets/nih-grants) · CC0 1.0*