This seminar will be held online. Register here. 

Radial glia, the neural stem cells of the neocortex, are located in two niches: the ventricular zone and outer subventricular zone. An evolutionary increase in the number of outer subventricular zone radial glia (oRG) cells likely contributed to increased cortical size and complexity in the human brain.  We have begun to sequence mRNA from single human progenitor cells and young neurons across developmental timepoints for unbiased classification of cell identity and for detection of activated signaling pathways. These molecular insights show that among human neural stem and progenitor cells, only oRG cells are dependent upon mTOR signaling, and are thus likely to be targeted by disease-causing mutations of this signaling pathway, as for example, in autism. Additionally, our genomic data has informed a novel model of primate corticogenesis, suggest a relationship between oRG cells and brain tumors, and benchmarks in vitro organoid models of brain development and disease. 

Those who wish to meet the speaker during their visit should contact Heike Blockus, Polleux Lab.

The Columbia Neuroscience Seminar series is a collaborative effort of Columbia's Zuckerman Institute, the Department of Neuroscience, the Doctoral Program in Neurobiology and Behavior and the Columbia Translational Neuroscience Initiative, and with support from the Kavli Institute for Brain Science.