AI Insight
UCLA researchers have identified two key factors that guide human brain development before birth. Radial glia, the stem cells that generate much of the cerebral cortex, modify their behavior based on glucose metabolism and physical contact with signals from the thalamus. These thalamic signals can influence which neuron types are produced, particularly upper-layer neurons that are highly developed in humans.
Why it matters
Understanding how the human brain forms during prenatal development could provide insights into neurodevelopmental disorders and conditions that arise from abnormal brain formation. This knowledge may eventually inform therapeutic approaches for preventing or treating developmental brain abnormalities.
Understand the Science
UCLA researchers have discovered two powerful influences that help guide how the human brain forms before birth. Radial glia, stem cells responsible for producing much of the cerebral cortex, change their behavior depending on how they process glucose and on physical contact with signals arriving from the thalamus. Those signals can alter which types of neurons are produced, including upper-layer neurons that are especially prominent in humans.
Source: Scientists reveal the hidden instructions that build the human brain