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Prenatal activity from thalamic neurons governs the emergence of functional cortical maps in mice science.sciencemag.org/content/364/64… - lovely work from @GLB_Lab! 
General principle of neural development: genetic programs specify an initial map of connections, but this is crucially refined by patterned electrical activity (first internally generated and later in response to experience)
Partly why you get cascading effects of mutations causing early connectivity differences - they necessarily also change the patterns of electrical activity that drive later refinement
Likewise, mutations affecting synaptic transmission or plasticity will not just affect adult function but often have a large impact on neural development
