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Brain Sciences
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Prenatal and Postnatal Neuronal Migration: Effects on Brain Development and...
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Prenatal and Postnatal Neuronal Migration: Effects on Brain Development and Function

A special issue of Brain Sciences (ISSN 2076-3425). This special issue belongs to the section "Developmental Neuroscience".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (10 December 2021) | Viewed by 9649

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Emi Takahashi

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02114, USA
Interests: brain development; neuronal migration; MRI; diffusion MRI tractography

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Prenatal neuronal migration is a fundamental process in brain development. Neuronal subtypes differ in both their origins and migrational trajectories, and reach their destinations in the cortical and subcortical gray matter regions. The dysfunction of prenatal neuronal migration has been implicated in a range of neurological and psychiatric disorders. Disorders of brain morphology associated with grossly abnormal gyral folding are associated with the development of abnormal cognitive functions and epilepsy, and are often linked to abnormal prenatal neuronal migration. Various sensorimotor disorders are also reported to be associated with abnormal prenatal neuronal migration and gyral structures. Recently, more subtle developmental disturbances of gyral folding have also led to milder developmental brain disorders. In addition, prenatal neuronal migration has been hypothesized to also affect cognitive disorders that do not show gross brain abnormalities. There is growing awareness that the migration of newly born neurons occurs not only in fetal stages, but also continues into adult ages, using different mechanisms than those taken in prenatal neuronal migration. The role of such postnatal neuronal migration remains elusive.

This Special Issue aims to showcase cutting-edge research studies on pre- and postnatal neuronal migration in humans and experimental animal models, outlining the current status in this research field. We cover the most recent genetic, morphological, connectional, and physiological observations, including imaging findings. By this present attempt, we aim to move the field forward toward a better understanding of the effect of pre- and postnatal neuronal migration on brain development and function in humans.

Dr. Emi Takahashi
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

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Keywords

  • brain
  • development
  • neuronal migration
  • connectivity
  • mind

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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17 pages, 10379 KiB  
Article
Brain Pathways in LIS1-Associated Lissencephaly Revealed by Diffusion MRI Tractography
by Alpen Ortug, Briana Valli, José Luis Alatorre Warren, Tadashi Shiohama, Andre van der Kouwe and Emi Takahashi
Brain Sci. 2023, 13(12), 1655; https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci13121655 - 29 Nov 2023
Viewed by 1157
Abstract
Lissencephaly (LIS) is a rare neurodevelopmental disorder with severe symptoms caused by abnormal neuronal migration during cortical development. It is caused by both genetic and non-genetic factors. Despite frequent studies about the cortex, comprehensive elucidation of structural abnormalities and their effects on the [...] Read more.
Lissencephaly (LIS) is a rare neurodevelopmental disorder with severe symptoms caused by abnormal neuronal migration during cortical development. It is caused by both genetic and non-genetic factors. Despite frequent studies about the cortex, comprehensive elucidation of structural abnormalities and their effects on the white matter is limited. The main objective of this study is to analyze abnormal neuronal migration pathways and white matter fiber organization in LIS1-associated LIS using diffusion MRI (dMRI) tractography. For this purpose, slabs of brain specimens with LIS (n = 3) and age and sex-matched controls (n = 4) were scanned with 3T dMRI. Our high-resolution ex vivo dMRI successfully identified common abnormalities across the samples. The results revealed an abnormal increase in radially oriented subcortical fibers likely associated with radial migration pathways and u-fibers and a decrease in association fibers in all LIS specimens. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Prenatal and Postnatal Neuronal Migration: Effects on Brain Development and Function)
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Review

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20 pages, 1725 KiB  
Review
microRNA Biology on Brain Development and Neuroimaging Approach
by Keita Tsujimura, Tadashi Shiohama and Emi Takahashi
Brain Sci. 2022, 12(10), 1366; https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci12101366 - 9 Oct 2022
Cited by 10 | Viewed by 2755
Abstract
Proper brain development requires the precise coordination and orchestration of various molecular and cellular processes and dysregulation of these processes can lead to neurological diseases. In the past decades, post-transcriptional regulation of gene expression has been shown to contribute to various aspects of [...] Read more.
Proper brain development requires the precise coordination and orchestration of various molecular and cellular processes and dysregulation of these processes can lead to neurological diseases. In the past decades, post-transcriptional regulation of gene expression has been shown to contribute to various aspects of brain development and function in the central nervous system. MicroRNAs (miRNAs), short non-coding RNAs, are emerging as crucial players in post-transcriptional gene regulation in a variety of tissues, such as the nervous system. In recent years, miRNAs have been implicated in multiple aspects of brain development, including neurogenesis, migration, axon and dendrite formation, and synaptogenesis. Moreover, altered expression and dysregulation of miRNAs have been linked to neurodevelopmental and psychiatric disorders. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a powerful imaging technology to obtain high-quality, detailed structural and functional information from the brains of human and animal models in a non-invasive manner. Because the spatial expression patterns of miRNAs in the brain, unlike those of DNA and RNA, remain largely unknown, a whole-brain imaging approach using MRI may be useful in revealing biological and pathological information about the brain affected by miRNAs. In this review, we highlight recent advancements in the research of miRNA-mediated modulation of neuronal processes that are important for brain development and their involvement in disease pathogenesis. Also, we overview each MRI technique, and its technological considerations, and discuss the applications of MRI techniques in miRNA research. This review aims to link miRNA biological study with MRI analytical technology and deepen our understanding of how miRNAs impact brain development and pathology of neurological diseases. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Prenatal and Postnatal Neuronal Migration: Effects on Brain Development and Function)
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14 pages, 974 KiB  
Review
Responsible Genes for Neuronal Migration in the Chromosome 17p13.3: Beyond Pafah1b1(Lis1), Crk and Ywhae(14-3-3ε)
by Xiaonan Liu, Sarah A. Bennison, Lozen Robinson and Kazuhito Toyo-oka
Brain Sci. 2022, 12(1), 56; https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci12010056 - 30 Dec 2021
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 3953 | Correction
Abstract
The 17p13.3 chromosome region is often deleted or duplicated in humans, resulting in severe neurodevelopmental disorders such as Miller–Dieker syndrome (MDS) and 17p13.3 duplication syndrome. Lissencephaly can also be caused by gene mutations or deletions of a small piece of the 17p13.3 region, [...] Read more.
The 17p13.3 chromosome region is often deleted or duplicated in humans, resulting in severe neurodevelopmental disorders such as Miller–Dieker syndrome (MDS) and 17p13.3 duplication syndrome. Lissencephaly can also be caused by gene mutations or deletions of a small piece of the 17p13.3 region, including a single gene or a few genes. PAFAH1B1 gene, coding for LIS1 protein, is a responsible gene for lissencephaly and MDS and regulates neuronal migration by controlling microtubules (MTs) and cargo transport along MTs via dynein. CRK is a downstream regulator of the reelin signaling pathways and regulates neuronal migration. YWHAE, coding for 14-3-3ε, is also responsible for MDS and regulates neuronal migration by binding to LIS1-interacting protein, NDEL1. Although these three proteins are known to be responsible for neuronal migration defects in MDS, there are 23 other genes in the MDS critical region on chromosome 17p13.3, and little is known about their functions in neurodevelopment, especially in neuronal migration. This review will summarize the recent progress on the functions of LIS1, CRK, and 14-3-3ε and describe the recent findings of other molecules in the MDS critical regions in neuronal migration. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Prenatal and Postnatal Neuronal Migration: Effects on Brain Development and Function)
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1 pages, 170 KiB  
Correction
Correction: Liu et al. Responsible Genes for Neuronal Migration in the Chromosome 17p13.3: Beyond Pafah1b1(Lis1), Crk and Ywhae(14-3-3ε). Brain Sci. 2022, 12, 56
by Xiaonan Liu, Sarah A. Bennison, Lozen Robinson and Kazuhito Toyo-oka
Brain Sci. 2022, 12(3), 311; https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci12030311 - 25 Feb 2022
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1092
Abstract
The authors wish to correct the following error in this paper [...] Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Prenatal and Postnatal Neuronal Migration: Effects on Brain Development and Function)
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