Characterisation of cortical subplate neurons

建造大脑就像建造一座巨大的复杂的塔或桥。施工需要动态脚手架，动态脚手架与最终的永久结构一起沿着建造和修改。施工完成后，脚手架必须在正确的时间和正确的地点拆除。基板，最早产生的和主要是短暂的皮层神经元是大脑的基础，这些细胞的破坏可能是许多发育缺陷的来源，因此是一个基本的研究课题。大脑皮质发育障碍（精神分裂症、自闭症、注意力缺陷/多动障碍、ADHD）和围产期缺氧损伤（脑室周围白质软化症、PVL）涉及基板的细胞。在过去的15年里，Molnar小组一直在研究亚板细胞整合到皮质内和皮质外回路中，它们的神经化学性质和生理特征。在理解这种神秘的细胞群在皮质发育和疾病中的作用方面的进展的主要障碍是缺乏这些细胞的可靠标记。鉴于该细胞群体的选择性脆弱性及其在皮质发育中的重要作用，我们建议确定亚板中的特定基因表达模式，并利用这一知识进行进一步的分子和遗传方法来研究其作用和脆弱性。这些方法需要许多专业技能，这超出了一个单一研究小组的范围。拟议的合作将促进分子和遗传实验室与同一所大学同一系内的细胞和解剖组之间的互动，并将为与执业临床医生合作开辟机会，以启动神经成像，精神病学，眼科学和神经病理学的临床应用。

Building the brain is like erecting a huge complex tower or bridge. The construction requires a dynamic scaffold which is built and modified along with the final permanent structure. After the completion of the construction the scaffold has to be dismantled at the right places and at the right time. The subplate, the earliest generated and largely transient cortical neurons is the foundation of the brain, and disruption of these cells may be the source of many developmental flaws, and therefore a fundamental topic to study. Cerebral cortical developmental disorders (schizophrenia, autism, attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder, ADHD) and perinatal hypoxic injuries (periventricular leucomalacia, PVL) involve cells of the subplate. The Molnar group has been investigating the integration of subplate cells into the intracortical and extracortical circuitry, their neurochemical properties and physiological characteristics over the last 15 years. The major hindrance of progress in the understanding of the role of this enigmatic cell population in cortical development and disease is the lack of reliable markers for these cells. In view of the selective vulnerability of this cell population and their important role in cortical development we propose to identify specific gene expression patterns in subplate and exploit this knowledge for further molecular and genetic approaches to study their role and vulnerability. These approaches require much specialised skills, which are beyond the scope of a single research group. The proposed collaboration will foster the interactions between a molecular and genetic laboratory and a cellular and anatomical group within the same Department of the same University and will open opportinities for collaboration with practising clinicians to initiate clinical applications in neuro-imaging, psychiatry, ophthalmology and neuropathology.