Nikolić M, Gardner H A R, Tucker K L
Interdisciplinary Center for Neurosciences, Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, University of Heidelberg, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany.
Neuroscience. 2013 Dec 19;254:369-78. doi: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2013.09.035. Epub 2013 Sep 25.
In the first week of postnatal life of all examined mammalian species, there is a wave of apoptosis in the cerebral cortex, accounting for a loss of up to 30% of neuronal content from birth to adulthood. In this review we examine recent advances in the understanding of this curious phenomenon. We survey the phenomenological literature and elaborate a putative relationship between the formation of active neuronal networks and selective apoptosis of non-participatory neurons. The underlying reason for this apoptotic wave remains unclear, but molecular mechanisms are starting to be elucidated that account for its mechanism, including a role for insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-1) and the Rho GTPases RhoA and RhoB. In addition, we discuss pathophysiological situations in which a variety of common drugs used either recreationally or for medical purposes, or pharmacological blockade of N-methyl-d-aspartate receptor (NMDAR) function, can also cause massive levels of apoptosis in this same developmental window. Experimentation linking molecular causes of developmental and pathophysiological apoptosis in postnatal cerebral cortex is discussed.
在所有被检查的哺乳动物出生后的第一周，大脑皮层会出现一波凋亡现象，从出生到成年，神经元数量最多可减少30%。在这篇综述中，我们研究了对这一奇特现象理解的最新进展。我们查阅了现象学文献，并阐述了活跃神经元网络的形成与非参与性神经元选择性凋亡之间的假定关系。这一凋亡波的根本原因尚不清楚，但分子机制已开始得到阐明，包括胰岛素样生长因子I（IGF-1）以及Rho GTPases RhoA和RhoB所起的作用。此外，我们还讨论了一些病理生理情况，即无论是用于娱乐还是医疗目的的各种常用药物，或者N-甲基-D-天冬氨酸受体（NMDAR）功能的药理学阻断，在这个相同的发育阶段也会导致大量细胞凋亡。本文还讨论了将产后大脑皮层发育性和病理生理性凋亡的分子原因联系起来的实验。
