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Published on: April 3, 2013
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The Principle of Cortical Development and Evolution
1State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology and MOE Frontiers Center for Brain Science, Department of Neurology, Institutes of Brain Science, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200032, China. yangz@fudan.edu.cn.
Neuroscience Bulletin
|July 18, 2024
Summary
Evolutionary changes in the brain
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Developmental Biology
- Evolutionary Biology
Background:
- Human cognitive abilities stem from cerebral cortex evolution.
- Cortical development relies on radial glial cells, the primary neural stem cells.
- Understanding these cells is key to understanding brain evolution.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the biology and evolution of mammalian cortical radial glial cells.
- To propose a genetically stepwise process for cortical neurogenesis evolution.
- To explore the molecular mechanisms underlying cortical evolution and dwarfism.
Main Methods:
- Review of existing literature on mammalian cortical radial glial cells.
- Analysis of the extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK)-bone morphogenic protein 7 (BMP7)-GLI3 repressor form (GLI3R)-sonic hedgehog (SHH) pathway.
- Hypothesizing molecular mechanisms for cortical evolution and dwarfism.
Main Results:
- Identified a core molecular pathway (ERK-BMP7-GLI3R-SHH feedback loop) in cortical neurogenesis.
- Proposed increased SHH signaling in radial glia as the cause of cortical evolutionary dwarfism.
- Challenged the role of SHH in primate cortical expansion and human-specific genes in cortical evolution.
Conclusions:
- Cortical neurogenesis evolved through a genetically stepwise process involving a core molecular pathway.
- SHH signaling antagonizes ERK-BMP7 signaling, contributing to cortical dwarfism.
- SHH signaling and human-specific genes may not be primary drivers of primate cortical expansion or human brain evolution.
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