Regulation of cerebral cortex size and folding by expansion of basal progenitors.

ABSTRACT: Size and folding of the cerebral cortex increased massively during mammalian evolution leading to the current diversity of brain morphologies. Various subtypes of neural stem and progenitor cells have been proposed to contribute differently in regulating thickness or folding of the cerebral cortex during development, but their specific roles have not been demonstrated. We report that the controlled expansion of unipotent basal progenitors in mouse embryos led to megalencephaly, with increased surface area of the cerebral cortex, but not to cortical folding. In contrast, expansion of multipotent basal progenitors in the naturally gyrencephalic ferret was sufficient to drive the formation of additional folds and fissures. In both models, changes occurred while preserving a structurally norma

SUBMITTER: Nonaka-Kinoshita M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3926188 | biostudies-literature | 2013 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature