Genetics of patterning the cerebral cortex
Wednesday, October 14, 2009 - 07:42
in Biology & Nature
The cerebral cortex, the largest and most complex component of the brain, is unique to mammals and alone has evolved human specialisations. Although at first all stem cells in charge of building the cerebral cortex - the outermost layer of neurones commonly referred to as grey matter - are created equal, soon they irrevocably commit to forming specific cortical regions. But how the stem cells' destiny is determined has remained an open question...