Molecular and cellular mechanisms of cortical expansion and folding in brain development and evolution.
- Author:
Xiang-Chun JU
1
;
Qiong-Qiong HOU
1
;
Qi XIAO
1
;
Zhen-Ge LUO
1
Author Information
1. Institute of Neuroscience, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200031, China.
- Publication Type:Journal Article
- From:
Acta Physiologica Sinica
2017;69(4):485-497
- CountryChina
- Language:Chinese
-
Abstract:
During the evolution from primates to humans, the size of cerebral cortex is increased by forming more gyri and sulci, which is believed to be highly associated with cognitive abilities and the basis of higher brain functions in humans. Accumulating lines of evidence have shown that the cortical size is regulated both by protein-coding genes and non-coding RNAs. In particular, the recently identified outer radial glial cells (oRGs) distributed in the outer subventricular zone (oSVZ) of gyrencephalic brains, have been considered to be important for cortical expansion and folding. This review summarizes recent progresses in the understanding of cortex expansion and discusses the potential molecular and cellular mechanisms of cortical folding.
