Visualizing chemosensory connectivity: getting a “GRASP” on taste synapses in the tongue and gut

Mechanisms guiding the precise wiring of neural circuits promote the development of our brain and define the function of neural networks. This wiring process continues even in the adult nervous system; adult-born neurons are incorporated into existing circuits, and connections are repaired or reconfigured after injury. In the case of the peripheral taste system, rewiring after taste receptor cell turnover is a process that continues throughout life. A long-standing question in the field of taste signaling is how taste neurons wire to the correct taste receptor cell targets in the face of this continual turnover.