A new study helps to clarify one of the major issues of brain development: how the characteristic folds of the human brain are formed.
Scientists at Max Planck Institute for Biological Intelligence have identified a combination of cellular behaviors that contribute to the formation of cerebral cortex, structures associated with higher cognitive functions such as language, memory and creativity.
The new, recently published in Nature Communicationsshed light on one of the most lasting puzzles of neuroscience: how the folds are formed characteristics of the human brain.
Unlike most animalswhose brain remains smooth, species like humans, dolphins or pigs have a wrinkled cortex. These folds increase the surface area and are believed to potentiate brain performance.
However, the mechanisms that are behind their formation remained clearly clear.
Based on previously conducted research, the investigators team, led by Rüdiger Kleinmanipulated genes in mice to change the Progenitor cell behavior – Primordial cells that give rise to neurons.
The investigators concluded that the increase in the number of these cellstogether with changes in the way neurons migrate, it leads to a marked formation of cortical folds.
“It is thought that our brain’s wrinkles result from a combination of Fast cell growth and neuron movement During development, ”he explains Seung-hee chunresearcher at Max Plank and first author of the study, in the Institute.
“But The way these processes articulate To generate the characteristic grooves and circumvolutions was little known. Our study suggests that cellular migration, the degree of neuronal compaction and the density of the packaging of neurons They are all determining factors. It is the combination of these elements – and not just one in particular – that explains the phenomenon, says the researcher.
Seung-Hee Chun / MPI for Biological Intelligence /
How do wrinkles in the brain formed? Researchers compared brain sections of mice with different genetic changes. Using colored markers, they distinguished between the upper and lower layers of the developing cortex and highlighted different types of neurons.
Using genetic models in mice, single cell sequencing and computational simulations, the team found that different types of progenitor cells influence specific folding patterns: Intermediate parents favor the formation of grooves (sulci), while apical parents promote circumvolutions (Gyri).
“These conclusions open the way to the exploration of other cellular, genetic and mechanical factors thatOdem influence the development of the cortex”He said in his turn Rüdiger Klein.
“Even among humans, cortex folding patterns vary greatly from person to person. Understanding what motivates these differences can help us better understand how the brain develops and how its morphology relates to aspects such as function, evolution, behavior and health, ”concludes the main author of the study.
