The nervous system consists of hundreds of billions of neurons interconnected into the
functional neural networks that underlie behaviors. The capacity of a neuron to innervate
and function within a network is mediated via specialized cell junctions known as synapses.
Synapses are macromolecular structures that regulate intercellular communication in the
nervous system, and are the main gatekeepers of information flow within neural networks.
Where and when synapses form determines the connectivity and functionality of neural …