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Updated: Apr 27, 2026
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Large-scale Three-dimensional Imaging of Cellular Organization in the Mouse Neocortex
Published on: September 5, 2018
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The cortical hem regulates the size and patterning of neocortex
Giuliana Caronia-Brown1, Michio Yoshida2, Forrest Gulden1
1Department of Neurobiology, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA.
Development (Cambridge, England)
|June 21, 2014
Summary
The cortical hem is crucial for brain development, regulating both size and patterning of the cerebral cortex. Ablating the hem disrupts this balance, leading to significant shifts in cortical organization.
Area of Science:
- Developmental biology
- Neuroscience
- Genetics
Background:
- The cortical hem is a key signaling center in embryonic brain development, known to organize the hippocampus.
- Its role in patterning the broader cerebral cortex, particularly outside the hippocampus, remains largely unexplored.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the function of the cortical hem in the overall regional organization of the cerebral cortex.
- To determine if the hem influences patterning along both dorsoventral and rostrocaudal axes.
Main Methods:
- Utilized genetically engineered mice lacking a functional cortical hem.
- Analyzed regional organization and gene expression patterns across the entire cerebral cortex in these mice.
Main Results:
- Hem ablation led to reduced neocortex size and expanded ventrolateral cortex, indicating a role in dorsoventral patterning.
- Unexpectedly, hem ablation also caused expansion of rostral neocortical domains and reduction of caudal domains, altering rostrocaudal patterning.
- Hem signaling (WNT/BMP) antagonizes fibroblast growth factor 8 (FGF8) signaling in patterning neocortical areas.
Conclusions:
- The cortical hem plays a broader role in cerebral cortex development than previously understood.
- The hem is essential for maintaining the balance of signaling centers that pattern the cortex, preventing "rostralization".
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