Fate and freedom in developing neocortical circuits.
review · Level V
Where this comes from
- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 28671189.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1038/ncomms16042 and PMC identifier 5500875.
- Licence recorded as CC BY.
- The licence permits redistribution, so the abstract is shown in full and the full text is available from the publisher.
Abstract
The activity of neuronal circuits of the neocortex underlies our ability to perceive the world and interact with our environment. During development, these circuits emerge from dynamic interactions between cell-intrinsic, genetically determined programs and input/activity-dependent signals, which together shape these circuits into adulthood. Building on a large body of experimental work, several recent technological developments now allow us to interrogate these nature–nurture interactions with single gene/single input/single-cell resolution. Focusing on excitatory glutamatergic neurons, this review discusses the genetic and input-dependent mechanisms controlling how individual cortical neurons differentiate into specialized cells to assemble into stereotypical local circuits within global, large-scale networks.
Medical subject headings
- Glutamic Acid
- Neocortex
- Neural Pathways
- Neurogenesis
- Neurons