Dr. Sheena Tiong, University of Malaya, Malaysia
Dr. Sheena Tiong, Senior lecturer at the Institute of Biological Sciences, University of Malaya in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, will present: "Roles and Fate of Earliest-Born Cortical Neurons"
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The neocortex, the most evolutionarily advanced part of the mammalian cerebral cortex, is organized into six distinct layers that serve various roles essential for processing sensory information, motor control and higher cognitive activities. The earliest-born neurons that form the deepest of the 6 layers (or often known as the subplate) are strategically located at the interface of the developing cortex that also occupy a pivotal time window during which cortical connections begin to establish. Axon projections originating from this region are most likely to influence subsequent functional connectivity organization as cortical lamination proceeds. Elucidation of axon trajectory and target pathfinding of these early-born cortical neurons is important and here I will share my work on characterising a molecularly distinctive group of subplate neurons that project unilaterally across cortical areas. The subpopulation’s molecular authenticity that spans development most likely underlies mechanisms that modulate cortical neuron specification during brain maturation and circuitry formation.
