Calcium signaling in neuronal development.

The development of the nervous system involves the generation of a stunningly diverse array of neuronal subtypes that enable complex information processing and behavioral outputs. Deciphering how the nervous system acquires and interprets information and orchestrates behaviors will be greatly enhanced by the identification of distinct neuronal circuits and by an understanding of how these circuits are formed, changed, and/or maintained over time. Addressing these challenging questions depends in part on the ability to accurately identify and characterize the unique neuronal subtypes that comprise individual circuits. Distinguishing characteristics of neuronal subgroups include but are not limited to neurotransmitter phenotype, dendritic morphology, the identity of synaptic partners, and the expression of constellations of subgroup-specific proteins, including ion channel subtypes.