The mammalian neocortex has an orderly and beautiful six-layer structure. Neurons in each layer develop the dendrites and form a normal network. Recently, it has been reported that dendritic abnormalities are found in patients with psychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia and autism. Therefore, understanding the mechanism by which dendrites are normally formed is important for the understanding those disorders.

The research group of Takao Kohno (Nagoya City University) and Mitsuharu Hattori (Nagoya City University), Takahiko Kawasaki (National Institute of Genetics), and Kazunori Nakajima (Keio University School of Medicine) found a new mechanism by which superficial neurons correctly develop their dendrites. The results of this research were published in The Journal of Neuroscience, a journal published by the Society for Neuroscience.