Scientists say they are gaining insight into how the brain rewires itself as it learns new things, potentially helping them move toward better treatments for mental illness and brain injuries.

Researchers report in a new study, published in the August 8, 2008 issue of Cell, that a protein appears to tell the brain that it’s time to start rewiring, because new information is coming in.

• Dr. Takao Hensch, PhD, leading brain plasticity researcher with Harvard University Center for Brain Science, Professor of Molecular & Cellular Biology at Harvard and Professor of Neurology, Boston Children’s Hospital