Cortical compartments

The lecture begins with an analysis of the two point mutations in FOXP2 that distinguish recent humans(Homo sapiens, Neanderthals and Denisoviens) from chimpanzees and could be involved in the motor control of articulated language in sapiens. The introduction of these mutations in mice significantly alters the physiology of the basal ganglia, which relates to motor control. We then tackle the question of the mechanism of territory formation in the cortical neuroepithelium, with a focus on the formation of borders between cortical territories and the migration of Cajal-Retzius cells. The non-cell-autonomous role of homeoprotein class transcription factors in edge formation/stability and Cajal-Retzius cell migration, hence edge formation and neurogenesis, is discussed.