Beyond identifying core cyto-mechanical mechanisms of neuronal circuit formation, our findings may also help clarify how disruptions in these pathways contribute to cognitive, behavioral and structural defects observed in human neurodevelopmental disorders linked to mutations in Cadherin, β-catenin and Myosin II (Lee et al., 2022; Accogli et al., 2019; Wickham et al., 2019). Here, CDH17 is linked to neurodevelopmental disorder.