title: The first neurons of the human cerebral cortex.
abstract: We describe a distinctive, widespread population of neurons situated beneath the pial surface of the human embryonic forebrain even before complete closure of the neural tube. These 'predecessor' cells include the first neurons seen in the primordium of the cerebral cortex, before the onset of local neurogenesis. Morphological analysis, combined with the study of centrosome location, regional transcription factors and patterns of mitosis and neurogenesis, indicates that predecessor cells invade the cortical primordium by tangential migration from the subpallium. These neurons, described here for the first time, precede all other known cell types of the developing cortex.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics, University of Oxford, Parks Road, Oxford, Oxfordshire OX13PT, UK. irina.bystron@physiol.ox.ac.uk
authors.forename: Irina
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Bystron
authors.forename: Pasko
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Rakic
authors.forename: Zoltán
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Molnár
authors.forename: Colin
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Blakemore
mesh_terms: D019521:Body Patterning / Q000502:physiology; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000502:physiology; D002465:Cell Movement / Q000502:physiology; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000166:cytology* / Q000196:embryology*; D005333:Fetus; D015870:Gene Expression / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry / Q000379:methods; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D009474:Neurons / Q000145:classification / Q000502:physiology*; D013234:Stem Cells / Q000502:physiology*; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins; D014157:Transcription Factors