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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2010 Oct 12.
Published in final edited form as: Curr Opin Neurobiol. 2009 Oct 12;19(5):471–478. doi: 10.1016/j.conb.2009.09.005

Figure 1. Schematic illustrations of the processes of axon guidance and synapse formation.

Figure 1

(a) The axon trajectory can be divided into multiple segments between guideposts. The guidance process between each guidepost is mediated by four types of forces, long-range chemoattraction or chemorepulsion, and short-range contact-mediated attraction or contact-mediated repulsion. (b) Synapse formation is a process of forming specialized pre- and post-synaptic structures for neurotransmission. It includes cell-cell contact, assembly of the presynaptic active zone for neurotransmitter release, and clustering of postsynaptic receptors in the post-synaptic density (PSD). Guideposts within the target area can provide spatial cues to instruct synapse formation.