The chemoaffinity hypothesis suggest that each cell has a distinct chemical identity that allows it to synapse with target cells, which themselves have a distinct chemical identity. Therefore, if the connection between a neuron and its target cells was damaged, the neuron's newly-sprouted distal axon could form a synapse with the target cells at around the same location as the original synapse. However, the chemoaffinity hypothesis also states that these new synapses can be fine-tuned by experience. Like induction, it is thus another example of how genes and the environment can interact to determine the functionality of neurons.