Self-organization and interareal networks in the primate cortex.

Area of Science:

• Developmental neuroscience
• Computational biology
• Evolutionary biology

Background:

• Cortical development relies on gene regulatory networks and self-organization principles.
• The outer subventricular zone, unique to primates, is crucial for generating projection neurons.
• Projection neuron numbers dictate cortical network properties and hierarchical organization.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate how gene expression variability in cortical precursors impacts cortical self-organization.
• To model the cell-cycle kinetics governing projection neuron generation.
• To explore the evolutionary implications of cortical development.

Main Methods:

• Mathematical modeling of cell-cycle kinetics in germinal zones.
• Molecular manipulation of cortical precursor cell cycles.
• Analysis of gene expression variability and lineage tree diversity.

Main Results:

• Cell-cycle control loops precisely regulate projection neuron numbers.
• Molecular manipulation shifts precursor state-space trajectories and increases lineage diversity.
• Simulations partially replicate cortical self-organization processes.

Conclusions:

• Self-organization is fundamental to cortical complexity.
• Cell-cycle dynamics play a key role in generating neuronal diversity.
• These findings suggest mechanisms for evolutionary changes in cortical complexity.