Abstract
Subplate neurons (SpNs) are one of the earliest born and matured neurons in the developing cerebral cortex and play an important role in the early development of the neocortex. It has been known that SpNs have an essential role in thalamocortical axon (TCA) pathfinding and the establishment of the first neural circuit from the thalamus towards cortical layer IV. In addition to this function, it has recently been revealed in mouse corticogenesis that SpNs play an important role in the regulation of radial neuronal migration during the mid-embryonic stage. Moreover, accumulating studies throw light on the possible roles of SpNs in adult brain functions and also their involvement in psychiatric or other neurological disorders. As SpNs are unique to mammals, they may have contributed to the evolution of the mammalian neocortex by efficiently organizing cortical formation during the limited embryonic period of corticogenesis. By increasing our knowledge of the functions of SpNs, we will clarify how SpNs act as an organizer of mammalian neocortical formation.
Highlights
The human brain is the most sophisticated organ in the body and carries out higher-order neural functions such as cognition, memory, and speech
How is this neocortex formed during embryogenesis? In order to complete the exquisite structure of the neocortex within the limited time period of embryogenesis, multiple processes, such as neurogenesis, migration, and axon targeting for early neural circuit formation, are synchronized and progress simultaneously
Subplate neurons (SpNs) play a critical role in the establishment of the very first neural circuit formation between the thalamus and cortex in mid-embryonic and perinatal stages during neocortical development, suggesting their importance in the cortical formation period (McConnell et al, 1989; Ghosh et al, 1990; Kanold et al, 2003)
Summary
The human brain is the most sophisticated organ in the body and carries out higher-order neural functions such as cognition, memory, and speech. It is conceivable that the acquisition of this brain structure enabled the ancestral mammalian brain to evolve into the human brain, capable of highly elaborate creativity and information processing. How is this neocortex formed during embryogenesis? SpNs play a critical role in the establishment of the very first neural circuit formation between the thalamus and cortex in mid-embryonic and perinatal stages during neocortical development, suggesting their importance in the cortical formation period (McConnell et al, 1989; Ghosh et al, 1990; Kanold et al, 2003).
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