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Nature 455, 903-911 (16 October 2008) | doi:10.1038/nature07456; Published online 15 October 2008

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Review Article Neuroligins and neurexins link synaptic function to cognitive disease

Thomas C. Südhof1

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The brain processes information by transmitting signals at synapses, which connect neurons into vast networks of communicating cells. In these networks, synapses not only transmit signals but also transform and refine them. Neurexins and neuroligins are synaptic cell-adhesion molecules that connect presynaptic and postsynaptic neurons at synapses, mediate signalling across the synapse, and shape the properties of neural networks by specifying synaptic functions. In humans, alterations in genes encoding neurexins or neuroligins have recently been implicated in autism and other cognitive diseases, linking synaptic cell adhesion to cognition and its disorders.

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