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Published on: July 10, 2018
Humanized Foxp2 specifically affects cortico-basal ganglia circuits
S Reimers-Kipping1, W Hevers, S Pääbo
1Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Deutscher Platz 6,D-04103 Leipzig, Germany.
Neuroscience
|November 30, 2010
Summary
Humanized mice with evolutionary FOXP2 changes show altered neuron structure in specific brain regions. These findings highlight the impact of human-specific genetic evolution on neural circuits involved in speech and language.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Evolutionary Biology
- Genetics
Background:
- The transcription factor FOXP2 has undergone positive selection during human evolution, with two specific amino acid substitutions linked to speech and language.
- Previous studies showed these humanized FOXP2 substitutions increase dendrite length and long-term depression (LTD) in mouse striatal neurons.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if the effects of humanized FOXP2 substitutions extend to other brain regions beyond the striatum.
- To determine the specificity of FOXP2's evolutionary changes in neural morphology and synaptic plasticity across different brain areas.
Main Methods:
- Comparative neuroanatomical analysis of "humanized" mice carrying human-specific FOXP2 mutations.
- Electrophysiological recordings to assess synaptic plasticity (LTD) in various neuronal populations.
- Examination of neuronal morphology, specifically dendrite length, in different brain regions.
Main Results:
- Increased dendrite length was observed in neurons of the cerebral cortex, thalamus, and striatum in humanized mice.
- Neurons in the amygdala and cerebellum did not exhibit increased dendrite length.
- Enhanced LTD was confirmed in striatal medium spiny neurons, but no alterations in synaptic plasticity were found in Purkinje cells.
Conclusions:
- The evolutionary changes in FOXP2 specifically impact brain regions within the cortico-basal ganglia circuits.
- Despite FOXP2's widespread expression and developmental roles, its human-specific alterations primarily affect neural circuits relevant to motor control and potentially language.
- These findings underscore the targeted nature of evolutionary adaptations in FOXP2 on neural substrates crucial for human cognitive abilities.
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