Neurocan is dispensable for brain development

Neurocan is a component of the extracellular matrix in brain. Due to its in hibition of neuronal adhesion and outgrowth in vitro and its expression pat tern in vivo it was suggested to play an important role in axon guidance an d neurite growth. To study the role of neurocan in brain development we gen erated neurocan-deficient mice by targeted disruption of the neurocan gene. These mice are viable and fertile and have no obvious deficits in reproduc tion and general performance. Brain anatomy, morphology, and ultrastructure are similar to those of wild-type mice. Perineuronal nets surrounding neur ons appear largely normal. Mild deficits in synaptic plasticity may exist, as maintenance of late-phase hippocampal long-term potentiation is reduced. These data indicate that neurocan has either a redundant or a more subtle function in the development of the brain.