DCC Receptors Drive Prefrontal Cortex Maturation by Determining Dopamine Axon Targeting in Adolescence

The prolonged growth of dopamine axons represents an extraordinary period for experience to influence their adolescent trajectory and predispose to or protect against psychopathology. DCC receptor signaling in dopamine neurons is a molecular link where genetic and environmental factors may interact in adolescence to influence the development and function of the prefrontal cortex.