Purinergic signalling and brain development.

ATP and adenosine are released from cells as a function of their metabolic activity, being important cell-to-cell communication signals. Both purines are also released from neurons in an activity-dependent manner, with several established roles to fine tune brain function in adults, as best heralded by the effects of caffeine, an antagonist of adenosine receptors. Purines are also dynamically released from early neurogenesis and different purine receptors are dynamically expressed throughout development. Accordingly, emerging evidence supports multiple roles for purinergic signalling in the control of different processes of brain development, such as embryonic neurogenesis, migration of principal neurons and interneurons, guidance for neuronal connectivity, synaptogenesis and synaptic stability/elimination. Although major efforts are still required to unravel the time and space-related engagement of the different components of the purinergic system, the relevance of purines in brain development is heralded by their association with neurodevelopmental disorders, positing novel opportunities to understand and correct brain wiring.