Growth of Thalamocortical Fibers to the Somatosensory Cortex in the Human Fetal Brain

Frontiers in Neuroscience
Željka KrsnikI Kostovic

Abstract

Thalamocortical (TH-C) fiber growth begins during the embryonic period and is completed by the third trimester of gestation in humans. Here we determined the timing and trajectories of somatosensory TH-C fibers in the developing human brain. We analyzed the periods of TH-C fiber outgrowth, path-finding, "waiting" in the subplate (SP), target selection, and ingrowth in the cortical plate (CP) using histological sections from post-mortem fetal brain [from 7 to 34 postconceptional weeks (PCW)] that were processed with acetylcholinesterase (AChE) histochemistry and immunohistochemical methods. Images were compared with post mortem diffusion tensor imaging (DTI)-based fiber tractography (code No NO1-HD-4-3368). The results showed TH-C axon outgrowth occurs as early as 7.5 PCW in the ventrolateral part of the thalamic anlage. Between 8 and 9.5 PCW, TH-C axons form massive bundles that traverse the diencephalic-telencephalic boundary. From 9.5 to 11 PCW, thalamocortical axons pass the periventricular area at the pallial-subpallial boundary and enter intermediate zone in radiating fashion. Between 12 and 14 PCW, the TH-C axons, aligned along the fibers from the basal forebrain, continue to grow for a short distance within the deep inte...Continue Reading

References

Apr 26, 1977·Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological Sciences·P Rakic
May 15, 1977·The Journal of Comparative Neurology·R D Lund, M J Mustari
Feb 1, 1992·Current Opinion in Neurobiology·C J Shatz
Jul 1, 1991·British Medical Bulletin·M Fitzgerald
Nov 1, 1991·Early Human Development·J Mojsilović, N Zecević
Oct 1, 1989·Electroencephalography and Clinical Neurophysiology·G P NovakH G Vaughan
Jul 8, 1988·Science·P Rakic
Nov 19, 1987·The New England Journal of Medicine·K J Anand, P R Hickey
Mar 1, 1973·Electroencephalography and Clinical Neurophysiology·A HrbekT Olsson
Apr 1, 1974·Electroencephalography and Clinical Neurophysiology·L J GrazianiE D Weitzman
Jan 1, 1969·Zeitschrift Für Anatomie Und Entwicklungsgeschichte·P Rakić, R L Sidman
Feb 28, 1973·Brain Research·M E MolliverH van der Loos
Oct 1, 1983·Annals of Neurology·B F BourgeoisS G Busch
Nov 15, 1980·The Journal of Comparative Neurology·P F Hitchcock, T L Hickey
Jan 1, 1994·Annual Review of Neuroscience·D D O'LearyR Tuttle
Jul 24, 1998·Science·S M Catalano, C J Shatz
Aug 4, 1999·Nature·P Rakic
Sep 15, 1999·The Journal of Pediatrics·E F MaaloufA D Edwards
May 18, 2000·Brain & Development·S Vanhatalo, O van Nieuwenhuizen
Jul 11, 2000·Journal of Neuropathology and Experimental Neurology·R F Hevner
Nov 27, 2002·Journal of Magnetic Resonance Imaging : JMRI·Steven P MillerA James Barkovich
Jul 5, 2005·Nature Reviews. Neuroscience·Maria Fitzgerald
Aug 25, 2005·JAMA : the Journal of the American Medical Association·Susan J LeeMark A Rosen

❮ Previous
Next ❯

Citations

Oct 9, 2019·Topics in Magnetic Resonance Imaging : TMRI·András Jakab
Aug 11, 2018·Brain Structure & Function·Iris Žunić IšasegiIvica Kostović
Dec 24, 2020·International Journal of Developmental Neuroscience : the Official Journal of the International Society for Developmental Neuroscience·Qinfen ZhangXing Feng
Feb 10, 2021·Cerebral Cortex·Josepheen De Asis-CruzCatherine Limperopoulos
Mar 8, 2021·Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews·Jean-Christophe Cassel, Anne Pereira de Vasconcelos
Apr 7, 2021·Journal of Neuropathology and Experimental Neurology·Ivica KostovićŽeljka Krsnik
Jun 23, 2021·Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·Mark-Phillip PebworthArnold R Kriegstein

❮ Previous
Next ❯

Methods Mentioned

BETA
electron microscopy

Software Mentioned

MRIStudio

Related Concepts

Related Feeds

Basal Forebrain- Circuits

Basal forebrain is a region in the brain important for production of acetylcholine and is the major cholinergic output of the CNS. Discover the latest research on circuits in the basal forebrain here.

Brain developing: Influences & Outcomes

This feed focuses on influences that affect the developing brain including genetics, fetal development, prenatal care, and gene-environment interactions. Here is the latest research in this field.

Birth Defects

Birth defects encompass structural and functional alterations that occur during embryonic or fetal development and are present since birth. The cause may be genetic, environmental or unknown and can result in physical and/or mental impairment. Here is the latest research on birth defects.

Barrel cortex

Here is the latest research on barrel cortex, a region of somatosensory and motor corticies in the brain, which are used by animals that rely on whiskers for world exploration.