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Review
. 2009 Sep;36(3):503-12.
doi: 10.1016/j.clp.2009.06.008.

The molecular and genetic mechanisms of neocortex development

Alejandro L Diaz  1 , Joseph G Gleeson
Affiliations
Review

The molecular and genetic mechanisms of neocortex development

Alejandro L Diaz et al. Clin Perinatol. 2009 Sep.

Abstract

This article reviews key recent findings in the field of human cortical development. This development is divided into three major time-dependent phases: neural proliferation of inhibitory and excitatory neurons in spatially distinct regions, migration through multiple cellular boundaries, and maturation through morphologic changes that result in the elaboration of dendrites and axons and that establish the multitude of cellular contacts that underlie neuronal processing. Many of the neurocognitive disorders treated in the clinic can trace their origin to a disorder in one or more of these key steps. Along with this update, work is highlighted that offers a glimpse at the future of therapy for developmental brain disorders that can result from disorders of these cellular events.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Overview of cortical development. (a) Radial (1) and Tangential (2) modes of migration. MGE - medial ganglionic eminence, LGE - lateral ganglionic eminence, DP – dorsal pallium, SP – subpallium, MP – medial pallium, ChP – choroids plexus. (b) Inset from above. Neocortical layering. VZ – ventricular zone, SVZ – subventricular zone, PP – preplate, MZ – marginal zone, CP – cortical plate, WM – white matter. During early stages (post-fertilization day, pfd 30) the cortex consists of the outer SVZ and VZ. The emergence of the PP occurs around pfd 45. Newly generated neurons from the VS migrate into the CP, and split the PP into the MZ and SP (arrows). The SP plays a critical role in establishing the inside-out lamination of cells, as well as the efferent and afferent cortical axonal projections. In the adult, these developmental layers evolve into the white matter.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Layers of the developing cerebral cortex from humans. (a-c) show a coronal histological slide of a 17-week fetal brain, similar to a coronal slice taken by diffusion tensor imaging of a 17-week fetal brain, and an enlarged region corresponding to the boxed area. The red contour establishes the boundary of the cortical plate and subplate (CP+SP). The dashed red curve separates the corticalplate and subplate. The annotation of each boundary is shown at bottom right (From Huan H. et al. J Neurosci. 29(13):4263 with permission).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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