Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2023 Dec;65(8):e22439.
doi: 10.1002/dev.22439.

Continuity and change in neural plasticity through embryonic morphogenesis, fetal activity-dependent synaptogenesis, and infant memory consolidation

Phan Luu  1   2 , Don M Tucker  1   2
Affiliations
Review

Continuity and change in neural plasticity through embryonic morphogenesis, fetal activity-dependent synaptogenesis, and infant memory consolidation

Phan Luu et al. Dev Psychobiol. 2023 Dec.

Abstract

There is an apparent continuity in human neural development that can be traced to venerable themes of vertebrate morphogenesis that have shaped the evolution of the reptilian telencephalon (including both primitive three-layered cortex and basal ganglia) and then the subsequent evolution of the mammalian six-layered neocortex. In this theoretical analysis, we propose that an evolutionary-developmental analysis of these general morphogenetic themes can help to explain the embryonic development of the dual divisions of the limbic system that control the dorsal and ventral networks of the human neocortex. These include the archicortical (dorsal limbic) Papez circuits regulated by the hippocampus that organize spatial, contextual memory, as well as the paleocortical (ventral limbic) circuits that organize object memory. We review evidence that these dorsal and ventral limbic divisions are controlled by the differential actions of brainstem lemnothalamic and midbrain collothalamic arousal control systems, respectively, thereby traversing the vertebrate subcortical neuraxis. These dual control systems are first seen shaping the phyletic morphogenesis of the archicortical and paleocortical foundations of the forebrain in embryogenesis. They then provide dual modes of activity-dependent synaptic organization in the active (lemnothalamic) and quiet (collothalamic) stages of fetal sleep. Finally, these regulatory systems mature to form the major systems of memory consolidation of postnatal development, including the rapid eye movement (lemnothalamic) consolidation of implicit memory and social attachment in the first year, and then-in a subsequent stage-the non-REM (collothalamic) consolidation of explicit memory that is integral to the autonomy and individuation of the second year of life.

Keywords: archicortical; morphogenesis; neural development; neuroanatomy; paleocortical.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

REFERENCES

    1. Aboitiz, F., & Montiel, J. (2007a). Origin and evolution of the vertebrate telencephalon, with special reference to the mammalian neocortex (Vol. 193). Springer Science & Business Media.
    1. Aboitiz, F., & Montiel, J. (2007b). Origin of the mammalian brain. In F. Aboitiz & J. Montiel (Eds.), Origin and evolution of the vertebrate telencephalon, with special reference to the mammalian neocortex (Vol. 193, pp. 34-71). Springer Science & Business Media.
    1. Ackermann, H., Hage, S. R., & Ziegler, W. (2014). Brain mechanisms of acoustic communication in humans and nonhuman primates: An evolutionary perspective. Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 37(6), 529-546. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0140525X13003099
    1. Ainsworth, M. D. S. (1973). The development of the infant-mother attachment. In B. M. Caldwell & H. N. Riccinti (Eds.), Review of child development research (Vol. 3, pp. 1-94). University of Chicago Press.
    1. Aitken, K. J., & Trevarthen, C. (1997). Self/other organization in human psychological development. Development and Psychopathology, 9(4), 653-677. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9449000

LinkOut - more resources