The impact of Cajal-Retzius cell death on the development of the cortical circuit
AdaBD made easy
In this project we discovered that death of certain brain cells is essential for correct circuit development in the brain. A disruption in the normal course of events leads to delayed learning and reduced performance in a texture discrimination task in mice. In future projects we plan to investigate if perturbations in the regulation of these temporary cells are seen in known developmental disorders.
Research project
During prenatal development, Cajal Retzius cells (CRs) populate the outer-most layer of the developing mammalian neocortex (layer 1, L1). CRs have been shown to be synaptically integrated in the local circuit and to mainly receive inputs from GABAergic interneurons. Over the course of the first two postnatal weeks the number of CRs decreases. Utilizing anatomical, functional and behavioral approaches our project aims to reveal how the transient population of CRs contributes to building the mature neocortical somatosensory circuit and how their cell death assists in the proper formation and function of the circuit.
The project addresses the general question how the brain adapts its elements over the course of development for optimal sensory processing and how perturbation of the normal progression of transient developmental events can lead to deficits in sensory processing and learning.
Research groups
Principal investigators: Theofanis Karayannis, Fritjof Helmchen
PhD student: Angeliki Damilou
Publications
Damilou A, Cai L, Argunşah AÖ, Han S, Kanatouris G, Karatsoli M, Hanley O, Gesuita L, Kollmorgen S, Helmchen F, Karayannis T (2024)
Developmental Cajal-Retzius cell death contributes to the maturation of layer 1 cortical inhibition and somatosensory processing
Nature Communications