From Gene to Behaviour: Deficiency of the developmental gene Ear2 results in an abnormal circadian rhythm

A complex network of genes coordinates the development of the mammalian brain. Many developmentally important genes have been characterized of which only few could be functionally linked to physiological processes in the adult brain because of the frequent lethality of mutations in these essential loci. Scientists at the Max Planck Institute in Hannover have now succeeded in linking the embryonic function of the transcription factor Ear2 to specific neuronal functions in and outside of the adult rodent brain.