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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Apr 19, 2026

Ex utero Electroporation and Whole Hemisphere Explants: A Simple Experimental Method for Studies of Early Cortical Development

Ex utero Electroporation and Whole Hemisphere Explants: A Simple Experimental Method for Studies of Early Cortical Development

Published on: April 3, 2013

Developmental mechanisms channeling cortical evolution.

Barbara L Finlay¹, Ryutaro Uchiyama¹

¹Behavioral and Evolutionary Neuroscience Group, Department of Psychology, Uris Hall, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA.

Trends in Neurosciences

|December 16, 2014

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Evolutionary increases in cerebral cortex size and neuron number alter computational abilities. These changes are driven by developmental gradients and asymmetries, leading to enhanced cognitive control in larger brains.

Keywords:

axon arborization cerebral cortex evo-devo feed-forward rostrocaudal axis topography

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Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Evolutionary Biology
Developmental Biology

Background:

Cerebral cortex expansion and increased neuron count across evolution impact computational properties.
A conserved rostrocaudal gradient in neuron production duration and axonal/synaptic asymmetries are key developmental mechanisms.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate how evolutionary changes in cerebral cortex size and neuron number affect computational properties.
To elucidate the developmental mechanisms underlying cortical organization and their relation to cognitive abilities.

Main Methods:

Analysis of conserved developmental mechanisms including rostrocaudal gradients.
Examination of axon extension and synaptogenesis patterns along the rostrocaudal axis.
Correlation of brain size with cognitive control variations across species.

Main Results:

Cortical development is organized by conserved rostrocaudal gradients and asymmetries.
These mechanisms create distinct topographic zones and hierarchical organization, amplified in larger brains.
Absolute brain size is the strongest correlate of cognitive control variation.

Conclusions:

Evolutionary increases in cortex size systematically alter computational properties through conserved developmental processes.
These organizational changes, particularly amplified hierarchical organization in larger brains, may underlie behavioral outcomes like enhanced cognitive control.