Institute of Neuroanatomy, Universitätsmedizin Göttingen, Kreuzbergring 40, 37075, Göttingen, Germany,
Cell Mol Life Sci. 2014 Sep;71(17):3199-218. doi: 10.1007/s00018-014-1590-7. Epub 2014 Mar 12.
The mammalian neocortex is a sheet of cells covering the cerebrum that provides the structural basis for the perception of sensory inputs, motor output responses, cognitive function, and mental capacity of primates. Recent discoveries promote the concept that increased cortical surface size and thickness in phylogenetically advanced species is a result of an increased generation of neurons, a process that underlies higher cognitive and intellectual performance in higher primates and humans. Here, we review some of the advances in the field, focusing on the diversity of neocortical progenitors in different species and the cellular mechanisms of neurogenesis. We discuss recent views on intrinsic and extrinsic molecular determinants, including the role of epigenetic chromatin modifiers and microRNA, in the control of neuronal output in developing cortex and in the establishment of normal cortical architecture.
哺乳动物的大脑皮层是覆盖大脑的一层细胞，为灵长类动物的感觉输入感知、运动输出反应、认知功能和心理能力提供了结构基础。最近的发现促进了这样一种概念，即进化上更先进的物种的大脑皮层表面积和厚度的增加是神经元产生增加的结果，这一过程是高等灵长类动物和人类更高认知和智力表现的基础。在这里，我们回顾了该领域的一些进展，重点介绍了不同物种中神经前体细胞的多样性以及神经发生的细胞机制。我们讨论了内在和外在分子决定因素的最新观点，包括表观遗传染色质修饰物和 microRNA 在控制发育皮层中神经元输出和建立正常皮层结构中的作用。
