Scientists from the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA), in the United States, identified metabolic and physical signals that influence the types of cells that radial glia produces in the developing human cortex.
The researchers discovered that the decision about which neurons to generate does not depend exclusively on the genetic program, but also on external factors such as nutrient availability and physical contact with other regions of the brain.
These results represent a significant advance in understanding how the cerebral cortex develops and may have implications for the study of neurological diseases.
