Editorial: In vivo Cell Biology of Cerebral Cortical Development and Its Related Neurological Disorders.

Abstract

The brain consists of complex but precisely organized neural networks, which determine the structural basis of higher order functions. Remarkably, this complex structure originates from a simple pseudostratified neuroepithelium. How it is formed is best seen in the elegant example of the cerebral cortex. In the developing mammalian cerebral cortex, polarized neural progenitors are arranged in a pseudostratified structure that forms the mitotically active ventricular zone. At the onset of neurogenesis, a cohort of neural progenitors differentiates into neurons and through multi-step modes of migration generates a six-layered structured cerebral cortex. Defects in neurogenesis and neuronal migration can cause several neurological disorders, including microcephaly and lissencephaly. Importantly, recent advances in not only human and mouse genetic approaches but also the use of a number of novel techniques, particularly in vivo electroporation and time-lapse analyses of explant slice culture, have significantly increased our understanding of cortical development. In addition, these novel techniques have allowed us to open a new avenue for cell biological analyses of cortical development in vivo or ex vivo.