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Updated: Jul 28, 2025

Recording Gap Junction Current from Xenopus Oocytes
Published on: January 21, 2022
Gap junctions regulate the development of neural circuits in the neocortex
Jun-Wei Cao1, Lin-Yun Liu2, Yong-Chun Yu2
1School of Basic Medical Sciences, Xiangnan University, Chenzhou, Hunan 423000, China.
Abstract:
Gap junctions between cells are ubiquitously expressed in the developing brain. They are involved in major steps of neocortical development, including neurogenesis, cell migration, synaptogenesis, and neural circuit formation, and have been implicated in cortical column formation. Dysfunctional gap junctions can contribute to or even cause a variety of brain diseases. Although the role of gap junctions in neocortical development is better known, a comprehensive understanding of their functions is far from complete. Here we explore several critical open questions surrounding gap junctions and their involvement in neural circuit development. Addressing them will greatly impact our understanding of the fundamental mechanisms of neocortical structure and function as well as the etiology of brain disease.
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