Generation of neuronal diversity in the developing telencephalon

我们的目标是确定胚胎发育过程中神经元的干细胞来源。大脑皮层是大脑的一个专门区域，在那里执行更高级别的功能。大脑皮质中有两种主要的神经细胞类型：投射神经元和中间神经元，前者负责传递来自大脑其他区域的信息，后者负责相互连接投射神经元并修改其输出。我们还远未了解投射神经元和中间神经元如何形成功能回路。作为第一步，我们需要知道有多少种细胞类型，以及它们的不同功能是如何建立的。至少某些神经元的特性是在发育过程中确定的。我们的工作旨在确定特定类别的神经元在胚胎大脑中如何以及在哪里发育，以及它们的起源位置是否决定了它们的性质。在这个项目中，我们将使用小鼠作为模型系统，因为我们可以对它们进行基因改造，并标记特定的神经元群体，以便可视化它们在成人大脑中的起源位置和长期命运。我们的工作可能为中间神经元发育异常是否以及如何导致人类神经发育障碍提供线索，如癫痫和精神分裂症，这些中间神经元已被牵连。

Our goal is to identify the stem cell origins of neurons during embryonic development. The cerebral cortex is a specialized region of the brain where higher order functions are carried out. There are two principal neuronal cell types in the cortex: the projection neurons, which relay information from other regions of the brain, and the interneurons, which interconnect projection neurons and modify their outputs. We are far from understanding how projection neurons and interneurons form functional circuits. As a first step we need to know how many cell types there are and how their different functions are established. At least some neuronal properties are determined during development. Our work aims to determine how and where specific classes of neurons develop in the embryonic brain and whether their sites of origin determine their properties. We will use mice as a model system in this project because we can genetically modify them and mark specific populations of neurons to allow visualization of their sites of origin and long-term fates in the adult brain. Our work may provide clues as to whether and how abnormal interneuron development may contribute to human neurodevelopmental disorders such as epilepsy and schizophrenia where interneurons have been implicated.