title: The relevance of human fetal subplate zone for developmental neuropathology of neuronal migration disorders and cortical dysplasia.
abstract: The human fetal cerebral cortex develops through a series of partially overlapping histogenetic events which occur in transient cellular compartments, such as the subplate zone. The subplate serves as waiting compartment for cortical afferent fibers, the major site of early synaptogenesis and neuronal differentiation and the hub of the transient fetal cortical circuitry. Thus, the subplate has an important but hitherto neglected role in the human fetal cortical connectome. The subplate is also an important compartment for radial and tangential migration of future cortical neurons. We review the diversity of subplate neuronal phenotypes and their involvement in cortical circuitry and discuss the complexity of late neuronal migration through the subplate as well as its potential relevance for pathogenesis of migration disorders and cortical dysplasia. While migratory neurons may become misplaced within the subplate, they can easily survive by being involved in early subplate circuitry; this can enhance their subsequent survival even if they have immature or abnormal physiological activity and misrouted connections and thus survive into adulthood. Thus, better understanding of subplate developmental history and various subsets of its neurons may help to elucidate certain types of neuronal disorders, including those accompanied by epilepsy.
authors.affiliation: Croatian Institute for Brain Research, University of Zagreb School of Medicine, Zagreb, Croatia.
authors.forename: Ivica
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Kostović
authors.forename: Goran
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Sedmak
authors.forename: Mario
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Vukšić
authors.forename: Miloš
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Judaš
mesh_terms: D002465:Cell Movement / Q000502:physiology; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000196:embryology* / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D054220:Malformations of Cortical Development / Q000473:pathology*; D054081:Malformations of Cortical Development, Group II / Q000473:pathology*; D009474:Neurons / Q000502:physiology
keywords: Cortical dysplasia; Disorders of neuronal migration; Human fetal connectome; Radial migration; Tangential migration