Molecular Signatures in Cortical Development

The cerebral cortex, a brain structure that is responsible for higher-order cognitive functions, contains hundreds of distinct cell types distributed across dozens of anatomical and functional areas. These cells emerge from a limited set of progenitor cell types during early development through a stereotypic series of neurodevelopmental events that include patterning, neurogenesis, migration, and maturation. High-throughput single-cell and spatial genomics have enabled the systematic discovery of molecular signatures underlying the formation of the cerebral cortex in mammals, including primates and humans. Here, we review the major principles underlying the processes through which the remarkable diversity of cell types known to exist in the adult cerebral cortex emerges during early development and contextualize the molecular signatures of cell types in their forms, functions, and states that have been uncovered through recent transcriptomic studies. We discuss the challenges associated with the use of static measurements to capture the dynamics of development.