Transcriptional regulation of brain size during development (2018-2021)

The cerebral cortex plays a key role in functions central to our existence, including emotion, behaviour, learning and memory. During development, cortical neural stem cells produce neurons via a population of cells called intermediate progenitor cells (IPCs). The importance of IPCs is underscored by the fact that aberrant IPC production causes alterations to brain size and function. However, our understanding of the mechanisms that define IPC development from neural stem cells is poorly defined. The goal of this proposal is to understand the fundamental mechanisms through which IPC formation is regulated within the cerebral cortex, work that will greatly enhance our understanding of how overall brain size is regulated during development.