Development of the thalamocortical pathway - mechanisms underlying the establishment of thalamocortical connections and the specification of the cerebral cortex

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Project objective

One of the most fundamental problems in developmental neurobiology is how neuronal connections are formed in the developing brain and how the functionally and anatomically distinct areas of the cerebral cortex are specified. Most of the information available so far comes from tracing connections in fixed material. I propose to use living brain slices and a combination of imaging techniques to directly examine the cellular interactions that underlie the development of the thalamocortical pathway. Specifically, I will address the following points: (i) examine the patterns of thalamocortical innervation, (ii) characterise the dynamic interactions between thalamic and cortical fibres, as well as between thalamic afferents and the cells of the subplate and cortical plate; (iii) investigate the role of specific factors that may be involved in the choice of the correct pathway and the formation of appropriate synaptic contacts (e.g. surface bound molecules, contact-triggered calcium influx, patterns of electrical activity).

Original text from CORDIS.

Participants

• THE CHANCELLOR, MASTERS AND SCHOLARS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF OXFORD · OXFORDCoordinatorUnited Kingdom
• Not availableCity levelGreece

Links

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