Seminar · Developmental Neuroscience
A human-specific modifier of synaptic development, cortical circuit connectivity and function
Franck Polleux · Columbia University
Thu, Apr 30, 2020 · 17:00 UTC
The remarkable cognitive abilities characterizing humans has been linked to unique patterns of connectivity characterizing the neocortex. Comparative studies have shown that human cortical pyramidal neurons (PN) receive a significant increase of synaptic inputs when compared to other mammals, including non-human primates and rodents, but how this may relate to changes in cortical connectivity and function remained largely unknown. We previously identified a human-specific gene duplication (HSGD), SRGAP2C, that, when induced in mouse cortical PNs drives human-specific features of synaptic devel