In a recent study published in the journal eLife, researchers at the UNC School of Medicine found that the protein glycogen synthase kinase-3, or GSK-3, is crucial for proper brain development early in life. The discovery has implications for the study of neurodevelopmental disorders, which can result from abnormal brain formation during embryonic stages and infancy. “We found that deleting GSK-3 from a specific type of neuron disrupts how those neurons migrate through the cortex,” said the lead author of the study. Neuron migration is key to how the cerebral cortex becomes organized, allowing it to function properly in adulthood. Researchers believe their findings are the tip of the iceberg in terms of what GSK-3 does to neurons, saying it likely affects the regulation of where axons extend and what synapses do to brain plasticity, which are critical for normal brain development. To read more about this study, click here.