Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Xiaoqing Zhu, Yicheng Guo, Chu Chu, Dahai Liu, Kui Duan, Yu Yin, Chenyang Si, Yu Kang, Junjun Yao, Xuewei Du, Junliang Li, Shumei Zhao, Zongyong Ai, Qingyuan Zhu, Weizhi Ji, Yuyu Niu, Tianqing Li
Summary: This study found that BRN2 is a conserved gene that plays a key role in primate brain development. Through gene knockout experiments in cynomolgus monkeys, it was found that the absence of BRN2 leads to embryonic death before midgestation and has negative effects on brain development. Further analysis revealed that BRN2 is responsible for controlling the specification and differentiation of ganglionic eminences. Additionally, the study also found that BRN2 has a similar function in retinal ganglion cells of cynomolgus monkeys and humans.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Seong-Eun Lee, Gum Hwa Lee
Summary: Reelin plays a crucial role in various processes of forebrain development, with a focus on excitatory neurons. However, this study revealed new functions of Reelin in certain inhibitory neuron subtypes and inhibitory synapse development. By modulating the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/Akt pathway, Reelin affects the phosphorylation activities of neurons and dendrite development.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2021)
Review
Physics, Fluids & Plasmas
L. Gil
Summary: In this study, we demonstrate that a network of nonidentical nodes with excitable dynamics, pulse-coupled with coupling delays depending on the Euclidean distance between nodes, is capable of adapting its connection topology to achieve spike frequency synchronization. The adapted network exhibits remarkable properties such as sparsity, anticlustering, the necessity of at least one inhibitory node, predominance of connections from inhibitory nodes over those from excitatory nodes, and spontaneous spatial structuring of inhibitory projections with greater intensity at farther distances. In the second step, we discuss the potential implications of our findings for neural systems.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Rachel M. Agoglia, Danqiong Sun, Fikri Birey, Se-Jin Yoon, Yuki Miura, Karen Sabatini, Sergiu P. Pasca, Hunter B. Fraser
Summary: A new platform for studying species divergence in cerebral cortical development was developed by fusing human and chimpanzee induced pluripotent stem cells to create a panel of tetraploid hybrid stem cells. This approach revealed specific gene expression divergence and potential for neural behavioral abnormalities related to human evolution.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Julien Pontis, Cyril Pulver, Christopher J. Playfoot, Evarist Planet, Delphine Grun, Sandra Offner, Julien Duc, Andrea Manfrin, Matthias P. Lutolf, Didier Trono
Summary: The human genome contains over 4.5 million inserts derived from transposable elements (TEs) as a result of recurrent waves of invasion and internal propagation. Recent research shows that evolutionarily recent TE subfamilies play a role in regulating later stages of human embryonic development, specifically influencing the expression of genes involved in gastrulation and early organogenesis.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2022)
Article
Cell Biology
Bang Li, Hui Zhao, Zhuchi Tu, Weili Yang, Rui Han, Lu Wang, Xiaopeng Luo, Mingtian Pan, Xiusheng Chen, Jiawei Zhang, Huijuan Xu, Xiangyu Guo, Sen Yan, Peng Yin, Zhiguang Zhao, Jianrong Liu, Yafeng Luo, Yuefeng Li, Zhengyi Yang, Baogui Zhang, Zhiqiang Tan, Hao Xu, Tianzi Jiang, Yong-hui Jiang, Shihua Li, Yong Q. Zhang, Xiao-Jiang Li
Summary: Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a complex neurodevelopmental condition that disrupts social interaction and behavior. Mutations in the CHD8 gene lead to autism symptoms and increased head size through a mechanism called haploinsufficiency. The use of primates as a model system revealed that CHD8 mutations caused increased gliogenesis, resulting in macrocephaly. The findings suggest that abnormal gliogenesis may play a role in the development of ASD.
Article
Neurosciences
Suzana Herculano-Houzel
Summary: Understanding the neuronal composition of dinosaur and other fossil amniote brains is important for insight into their behavior and cognition, however, the rarity of fossilized brain tissue poses challenges. This study shows that by estimating brain volume from preserved bony brain cases and using scaling relationship, the neuronal composition of the brain can be inferred. The findings suggest that theropods like Tyrannosaurus and Allosaurus were endotherms with high numbers of telencephalic neurons, making them not only giant but also long-lived and cognitively flexible predators.
JOURNAL OF COMPARATIVE NEUROLOGY
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Siyu Li, Pengfei Wu, Bing Han, Qingyue Yang, Xiaoqiao Wang, Jiayi Li, Ning Deng, Biqi Han, Yuge Liao, Yan Liu, Zhigang Zhang
Summary: This study investigated the effect of DLM on quail cerebrum neurons and found that DLM exposure induced histological changes, oxidative stress, and neurons apoptosis in quail cerebrum tissues. Furthermore, the study showed that DLM exposure also increased the expression of ER stress-related mRNA and decreased ATP content in quail cerebrum tissues, indicating ER stress and mitochondrial dysfunction as possible mechanisms for DLM-induced apoptosis of quail cerebrum neurons.
ENVIRONMENTAL TOXICOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Anatomy & Morphology
Jia-Qi Ai, Rongcan Luo, Tian Tu, Chen Yang, Juan Jiang, Bo Zhang, Rui Bi, Ewen Tu, Yong-Gang Yao, Xiao-Xin Yan
Summary: DCX is transiently expressed in new-born neurons in the OB and hippocampal formation related to adult neurogenesis, as well as in the cerebral cortex and amygdala of various mammals. DCX+ neurons show reduced numerical densities with age in the Chinese tree shrew brain, but maintain a topographic pattern comparable to other mammals.
FRONTIERS IN NEUROANATOMY
(2021)
Article
Biology
Jinge Wang, Runnan Cao, Nicholas J. Brandmeir, Xin Li, Shuo Wang
Summary: A central challenge in face perception research is understanding how neurons encode face identities. By conducting in silico experiments and manipulating the neural network, researchers have found the importance of identity-selective units in face recognition and observed similarities between artificial units and real primate neurons in representing facial features.
COMMUNICATIONS BIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Cell Biology
Danielle Beckman, Alyssa Bonillas, Giovanne B. Diniz, Sean Ott, Jamin W. Roh, Sonny R. Elizaldi, Brian A. Schmidt, Rebecca L. Sammak, Koen K. A. Van Rompay, Smita S. Iyer, John H. Morrison
Summary: SARS-CoV-2 can directly infect the brain and induce neuroinflammation and neuronal damage, especially in aged, diabetic animals, which is crucial for reducing the short-term and long-term burden of COVID-19.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Clement M. Garin, Marie Garin, Leonardo Silenzi, Rye Jaffe, Christos Constantinidis
Summary: The size of the prefrontal cortex in humans is not disproportionately enlarged compared to other catarrhini species. However, humans have the most relatively enlarged frontal and parietal lobes in an infraorder exhibiting a disproportionate expansion of these areas.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2022)
Review
Cell Biology
Barbara K. Stepien, Samir Vaid, Wieland B. Huttner
Summary: The neocortex is a unique six-layer neuronal brain structure that evolved in mammals and is responsible for higher order brain functions in humans. Despite variability in size and complexity among closely related mammalian species, its expansion, particularly in humans, is associated with an increase in the number of neurons, especially in the upper layers. Various mechanisms, including changes in neural progenitor types and extension of the neurogenic period, have been proposed to explain this evolutionary enlargement.
FRONTIERS IN CELL AND DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY
(2021)
Review
Psychology, Multidisciplinary
Maeva Michon, Jose Zamorano-Abramson, Francisco Aboitiz
Summary: Recent studies challenge the assumption that imitation is an innate skill, suggesting that it develops through social interactions and sensorimotor experience. A new visual pathway specialized for social perception has been discovered, playing a crucial role in audio-visual integration.
FRONTIERS IN PSYCHOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Hazel Byrne, Timothy H. Webster, Sarah F. Brosnan, Patricia Izar, Jessica W. Lynch
Summary: The Cebidae family, including capuchin and squirrel monkeys, has the largest primate encephalization quotients and exhibits notable lineage-specific traits. Comparative genomics analysis reveals shifts and sustained selective pressures on genes related to brain development, longevity, reproduction, and morphology, highlighting cumulative and diversifying neurobiological adaptations during cebid evolution.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2022)
Article
Cell Biology
Zhenqin Wu, Bryant B. Chhun, Galina Popova, Syuan-Ming Guo, Chang N. Kim, Li-Hao Yeh, Tomasz Nowakowski, James Zou, Shalin B. Mehta
Summary: A cell's shape and motion are predictive of its function and pathology. However, automated analysis of cell morphology remains challenging, particularly for primary human cells that cannot be genetically labeled. To address this issue, researchers developed DynaMorph, a computational framework that combines quantitative live cell imaging with self-supervised learning to enable automated and quantitative analysis of cell morphodynamics.
MOLECULAR BIOLOGY OF THE CELL
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Rachel C. Bandler, Ilaria Vitali, Ryan N. Delgado, May C. Ho, Elena Dvoretskova, Josue S. Ibarra Molinas, Paul W. Frazel, Maesoumeh Mohammadkhani, Robert Machold, Sophia Maedler, Shane A. Liddelow, Tomasz J. Nowakowski, Gord Fishell, Christian Mayer
Summary: In this study, clonal relationships and transcriptomic signatures during mouse forebrain development were tracked using massively parallel tagging of progenitors, revealing diverse types of GABAergic neurons sharing a common lineage. Divergence of GABAergic clones was found to occur during embryogenesis upon cell-cycle exit, suggesting that differentiation into subtypes is initiated as a lineage-dependent process at the progenitor cell level.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Ryan N. Delgado, Denise E. Allen, Matthew G. Keefe, Walter R. Mancia Leon, Ryan S. Ziffra, Elizabeth E. Crouch, Arturo Alvarez-Buylla, Tomasz J. Nowakowski
Summary: Studies have shown that human cortical progenitors are capable of generating both excitatory neurons and cortical interneurons, expanding our understanding of the origins of neuronal diversity in the human cortex. By utilizing a new cellular barcoding tool called STICR, researchers were able to trace the clonal lineage of human cortical progenitors and identify transcriptional similarities between cortically born GABAergic neurons and cortical interneurons born from the ganglionic eminences.
Review
Genetics & Heredity
Bryan J. Pavlovic, Dov Fox, Nathan K. Schaefer, Alex A. Pollen
Summary: Cell fusion models that combine genomes from different cell types or species in a single nucleus provide unique benefits for research. The authors advocate for a new nomenclature that avoids reproductive connotations and suggests the term "composite cell line" to describe these fused cell lines. This recommendation aims to improve responsible communication and accurately describe the experimental models.
NATURE REVIEWS GENETICS
(2022)
Article
Clinical Neurology
Ethan Winkler, David Wu, Eugene Gil, David McCoy, Kazim Narsinh, Zhengda Sun, Kerstin Mueller, Jayden Ross, Helen Kim, Shantel Weinsheimer, Mitchel Berger, Tomasz Nowakowski, Daniel Lim, Adib Abla, Daniel Cooke
Summary: This study used endoluminal biopsy and computational fluid dynamic modeling to investigate gene expression and blood flow-mediated transcriptional changes in patients with brain arteriovenous malformations (bAVMs). The results revealed similar gene expression profiles to tissues obtained through open surgery and identified potentially targetable abnormalities in the Ras-MAPK signaling pathway. This biopsy method could facilitate precision medicine approaches to bAVMs research.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Ethan A. Winkler, Chang N. Kim, Jayden M. Ross, Joseph H. Garcia, Eugene Gil, Irene Oh, Lindsay Q. Chen, David Wu, Joshua S. Catapano, Kunal Raygor, Kazim Narsinh, Helen Kim, Shantel Weinsheimer, Daniel L. Cooke, Brian P. Walcott, Michael T. Lawton, Nalin Gupta, Berislav Zlokovic, Edward F. Chang, Adib A. Abla, Daniel A. Lim, Tomasz J. Nowakowski
Summary: This study constructed a cell atlas of the adult human cerebrovasculature using transcriptomic data of cerebrovascular cells. The cellular and molecular perturbations in brain arteriovenous malformations were investigated, revealing abnormal vascular patterning and inflammation associated with the disease.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Mercedes F. Paredes, Cristina Mora, Quetzal Flores-Ramirez, Arantxa Cebrian-Silla, Ashley Del Dosso, Phil Larimer, Jiapei Chen, Gugene Kang, Susana Gonzalez Granero, Eric Garcia, Julia Chu, Ryan Delgado, Jennifer A. Cotter, Vivian Tang, Julien Spatazza, Kirsten Obernier, Jaime Ferrer Lozano, Maximo Vento, Julia Scott, Colin Studholme, Tomasz J. Nowakowski, Arnold R. Kriegstein, Michael C. Oldham, Andrea Hasenstaub, Jose Manuel Garcia-Verdugo, Arturo Alvarez-Buylla, Eric J. Huang
Summary: Research has revealed that the human embryonic ventral forebrain contains nests of proliferative neuroblasts which play a crucial role in generating a sufficient number of functional interneurons for the human brain.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Denise E. Allen, Kevin C. Donohue, Cathryn R. Cadwell, David Shin, Matthew G. Keefe, Vikaas S. Sohal, Tomasz J. Nowakowski
Summary: The progenitors of the human neocortex are located in the ventricular and outer subventricular zones. This study demonstrates that astrocytes derived from these zones populate distinct layers and exhibit morphological and molecular differences.
Review
Genetics & Heredity
Alex A. A. Pollen, Umut Kilik, Craig B. B. Lowe, J. Gray Camp
Summary: In this Review, the authors examine the latest understanding of evolutionary genetic changes specific to humans, which contribute to uniquely human traits and capabilities. New cellular and molecular approaches are discussed in relation to deciphering the functional implications of these human-specific changes. The genetic, developmental, and molecular bases for these changes hold valuable insights into the origins of human characteristics.
NATURE REVIEWS GENETICS
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Richard She, Tyler Fair, Nathan K. Schaefer, Reuben A. Saunders, Bryan J. Pavlovic, Jonathan S. Weissman, Alex A. Pollen
Summary: By comparing human and chimpanzee pluripotent stem cells, researchers identified 75 genes that have species-specific effects on cellular proliferation in humans. These genes are associated with coherent processes, including cell-cycle progression and lysosomal signaling, and are confirmed to be unique to humans by comparing them with orangutan cells. This study supports the hypothesis that an extended G1 phase may be an evolutionary mechanism in human brain expansion.
Article
Neurosciences
Tyler Fair, Alex A. Pollen
Summary: Comparative studies of hominids aimed to identify mutational events that shaped the evolution of the human nervous system, but these efforts have been hindered by the overwhelming number of nearly neutral mutations and limited understanding of developmental mechanisms. Candidate-gene studies have been used to map human-specific genetic differences to neuro-developmental functions, but there is a need for a contextualized understanding. This paper discusses scalable approaches for exploring the functional contributions of human-specific genetic differences and proposes a systems-level view for a comprehensive understanding of human nervous system evolution.
CURRENT OPINION IN NEUROBIOLOGY
(2023)
Review
Neurosciences
Jenelle L. Wallace, Alex A. Pollen
Summary: This review article examines the mechanisms of neuronal maturation in humans and species differences, discussing cell-intrinsic and cell-extrinsic features as well as proposing approaches and conceptual models for future studies. The authors highlight the importance of delayed postmitotic maturation in human cortical neurons and its potential contributions to cognitive abilities and neurological disorders.
NATURE REVIEWS NEUROSCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Computer Science, Information Systems
Pierre Baudin, Victoria T. Ly, Pattawong Pansodtee, Erik A. Jung, Robert Currie, Ryan Hoffman, Helen Rankin Willsey, Alex A. Pollen, Tomasz J. Nowakowski, David Haussler, Mohammed A. Mostajo-Radji, Sofie R. Salama, Mircea Teodorescu
Summary: The platform enables users to remotely monitor biological experiments with control and data analysis capabilities.
INTERNET OF THINGS
(2022)