Exosomes function in cell-cell communication during brain circuit development

- Exosomes are a mode of intercellular communication within the nervous system.
- Although more widely studied in the context of neurological disease, exosomes may serve a beneficial function during brain circuit development.
- Exosome signaling may be dynamically regulated by modulating exosome cargo loading and release from donor cells and by modulating receptivity and signaling in recipient cells.
- Elucidation of exosome function in brain development and disease requires the generation of tools to identify and manipulate exosome signaling in the intact brain.

Exosomes are small extracellular vesicles that mediate intercellular signaling in the brain without requiring direct contact between cells. Although exosomes have been shown to play a role in neurological diseases and in response to nerve trauma, a role for exosome-mediated signaling in brain development and function has not yet been demonstrated. Here we review data building a case for exosome function in the brain.