Lineage-dependent long-range excitatory connections in the cerebral cortex

2018 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 17K19467
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Challenging Research (Exploratory)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Neuroscience and related fields
• Research Institution: National Institute for Physiological Sciences
• Principal Investigator: Yoshimura Yumiko 生理学研究所, 基盤神経科学研究領域, 教授 (10291907)
• Project Period (FY): 2017-06-30 – 2019-03-31
• Keywords: 大脳皮質 / 細胞系譜 / 神経結合特異性 / 遠距離神経結合 / 興奮性細胞

Outline of Final Research Achievements

We have investigated long-range synaptic connections in clonal or nonclonal neuron pairs residing in separated ontogenic columns with slice electrophysiology in mouse neocortex. To visualize clonal neurons, we generated chimeric mice using induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells with the gene encoding green fluorescent protein (GFP). We found several ontogenic columns labeled with GFP in a postnatal neocortex of the chimeric mice. To improve efficacy of circuit analysis, we are generating chimeric mice using iPS cells with genes encoding RFP and channel rhodopsin 2. To examine cell-lineage-dependent long-range neural connections, we will conduct circuit analysis combined with photostimulation in slices prepared from the chimeric mice.

Free Research Field

神経科学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

哺乳類の大脳皮質が機能的に成熟するには、遺伝情報に基づいて初期的な神経回路が構築され、引き続き、生後の経験に依存した可塑的調整の２段階の機構が必要である。本研究は、胎生期に同じ神経幹細胞から発生した神経細胞が、生後に初期的神経回路を作りやすいかを明らかにする内容であり、脳の発達メカニズムを理解する上で重要であると考えられる。