New imaging studies reveal mechanics of neuron migration
Thursday, July 23, 2009 - 14:56
in Biology & Nature
(PhysOrg.com) -- The development of the brain proceeds a little like the European settlement of North America. The earliest pioneers settled on the east coast with subsequent waves of settlers forming communities further and further westward. In cortical regions of the developing brain, generations of young neurons undergo a staged migration as well, with the earliest-born cells staying relatively close to their birthplace and subsequent generations traveling further, ultimately stratifying into six neuronal layers in the mature brain. Now, for the first time, imaging studies have identified the `motors` that propel a unique form of cell migration that creates these layers that underlie the formation of synaptic circuitry.