Our department investigates the common principles and functions of cell-cell communication in the developing and mature nervous system and the molecular mechanisms of neurodegeneration. Neuronal circuit formation is dependent on the precise navigation of nerve cells (neurons) and their cellular processes (axons and dendrites) to their final destinations. During development neurons explore their environment for the presence of biochemical signals that can be either attractive (adhesive) or repulsive. We are investigating the functions of these signals in a mammalian model organism, the laboratory mouse. Currently, our focus is on the development of the cerebral cortex (Project "Cell-cell communication in the developing brain).