The centrosome is the organelle responsible for the organization of the cytoskeleton during cell division, an essential function in organisms from yeast to humans. Until now, scientists assumed that the centrosome was very similar in all cells due to its general tasks. A team led by SyNergy member Magdalena Götz, Head of LMU Department of Physiological Genomics and Director of the Institute for Stem Cell Research (ISF) at Helmholtz Munich, now evaluated this notion in neurons and their developmental precursors, so-called neuronal stem cells. “There is so much we don't yet know about these cells, including how the centrosomes of neurons compare to those of neural stem cells and other cell types,” Götz says. Their subsequent discoveries now fundamentally challenge the assumption that all centrosomes are created equal.