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Updated: Jan 16, 2026
09:55
Large-scale Three-dimensional Imaging of Cellular Organization in the Mouse Neocortex
Published on: September 5, 2018
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Establishing a continuum of cell types in the visual cortex
Juyoun Yoo1, Fangming Xie1, Salwan Butrus2
1Department of Biological Chemistry, University of California, Los Angeles, USA.
Biorxiv : the Preprint Server for Biology
|October 3, 2025
Summary
The mouse visual cortex develops neuronal continuums in two phases: a genetic program followed by visual experience. This process shapes how neurons connect to other brain areas, influencing cortical wiring specificity.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Developmental Biology
- Genetics
Background:
- Mammalian cerebral cortex neurons exhibit continuous variation, not discrete types.
- Layer 2/3 (L2/3) excitatory neurons in the mouse visual cortex form a depth-dependent continuum.
- Gene expression patterns this neuronal continuum.
Purpose of the Study:
- Investigate the developmental mechanisms of the L2/3 neuronal continuum.
- Understand how this continuum contributes to cortical wiring.
- Elucidate the roles of genetic programs and sensory experience.
Main Methods:
- Single-nucleus multiomics (RNA-Seq and ATAC-Seq)
- Spatial transcriptomics
- Visual deprivation experiments
Main Results:
- The L2/3 continuum develops in two phases: an early genetic program and a later experience-dependent program.
- Visual experience influences activity-regulated transcription factors, impacting synaptic gene expression.
- Neurons along the continuum show distinct projections to higher visual areas.
- Visual deprivation differentially affects projections to higher visual areas.
Conclusions:
- Cortical continua arise from a stepwise process involving genetic programming and sensory experience.
- This process specifies neuronal identity and refines intracortical wiring specificity.
- Experience-driven plasticity sculpts neuronal connections within the visual cortex.
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