Heterozygous loss-of-function mutations in SCN2A, a sodium channel gene expressed in cortical pyramidal (PYR) cells, lead to a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by autism, intellectual disabil...

Prefrontal cortex (PFC) is an associative center in the brain and integrates various inputs to support cognition. Layer 5 pyramidal cells are themselves associative centers, as their dendrites span al...

Obesity caused by loss of function of one gene copy can be rescued via CRISPR-mediated activation of the normal copy.

Nature - Using SCN2A haploinsufficiency as a proof-of-concept, upregulation of the existing functional gene copy through CRISPR activation was able to rescue neurological-associated phenotypes in...

At the simplest level, neurons are structured to integrate synaptic input and perform computational transforms on that input, converting it into an action potential (AP) code. This process-converting synaptic input into AP output-typically occurs in a specialized region of axon termed the axon initial segment (AIS). The AIS, as its name implies, is often contained to the first section of axon abutted to the soma and is home to a dizzying array of ion channels, attendant scaffolding proteins, intracellular organelles, extracellular proteins, and, in some cases, synapses. The AIS serves multiple roles as the final arbiter for determining if inputs are sufficient to evoke APs, as a gatekeeper that physically separates the somatodendritic domain from the axon proper, and as a regulator of overall neuronal excitability, dynamically tuning its size to best suit the needs of parent neurons. These complex roles have received considerable attention from experimentalists and theoreticians alike. Here, we review recent advances in our understanding of the AIS and its role in neuronal integration and polarity in health and disease.

Dysfunction in the gene SCN2A , which encodes the voltage-gated sodium channel Nav1.2, is strongly associated with neurodevelopmental disorders including autism spectrum disorder and intellectual disa...