Progressive acquisition of cortical phenotypes as a mechanism for specifying the developing cerebral cortex.
The formation of the cerebral cortex requires the assembly of a complex array of neurons that exhibit specific patterns of laminar distribution, connectivity, and macromolecular expression. The problem of how various areas become specified relies to a large extent on the ability to assay certain characteristics of a particular cortical area during development. Certain phenotypic features appear to be acquired early in histogenesis, whereas others have a relatively late onset of expression. This pattern of progressive acquisition of traits suggests that each feature may be regulated by a different set of genomic-environmental interactions. This would lead to an early framing of cortical regions through the commitment of cells to area-specific phenotypes, but allow modifications of later developing traits through changes in certain environmental features.
Levitt
P
P
Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, Medical College of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia 19129.
Ferri
R T
RT
Barbe
M F
MF
D000818:Animals; D015415:Biomarkers; D016380:Brain Tissue Transplantation; D002415:Cats; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D002465:Cell Movement; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000166:cytology / Q000196:embryology*; D008032:Limbic System / Q000196:embryology; D008562:Membrane Glycoproteins / Q000032:analysis; D009024:Morphogenesis; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins / Q000032:analysis; D009474:Neurons / Q000166:cytology; D010641:Phenotype; D051381:Rats; D013234:Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology
D015415:Biomarkers; D008562:Membrane Glycoproteins; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins