(Image: Andreas Zembrzycki/Salk Institute)

It’s easy for a mouse to change its mind, at least when it’s very young. Neurons normally responsible for interpreting sound or touch, for example, can swap senses while they are maturing, taking on vision instead. In the brain image above, neurons shown in yellow have been rewired, changing the type of sensory input they are able to process.

Andreas Zembrzycki from the Salk Institute for Biological Studies in La Jolla, California, and his colleagues have shown that a protein called Lhx2, which can change the function of sensory neurons by switching genes on or off, is the key. Previously, it was thought to alter neurons only before birth.

The discovery could lead to ways of treating conditions that involve abnormal brain wiring, such as schizophrenia. It could provide an alternative to current approaches such as neuron transplants which are being investigated to help remedy a range of brain conditions.

Journal reference: PNAS, DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1424440112