Neurotrophin-3 is required for appropriate establishment of thalamocortical connections

Long Ma, Takayuki Harada, Chikako Harada, Mario Romero, Jean M. Hebert, Susan K. McConnell, Luis F. Parada

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

69 Scopus citations

Abstract

In the vertebrate brain, the thalamus serves as a relay and integration station for diverse neuronal information en route from the periphery to the cortex. Formation of the thalamocortical tract occurs during pre- and postnatal development, with distinct thalamic nuclei projecting to specific cortical regions. The molecular forces that underlie the invasion by axons into specific cortical layers followed by activity-dependent maturation of synapses are poorly understood. We show that genetic ablation of neurotrophin-3 (NT-3) in the mouse neocortex results in reduction of a set of anatomically distinct axonal bundles projecting from thalamus through cortical white matter. These bundles include thalamocortical axons that normally establish connections with retrosplenial and visual cortex, sites of early postnatal NT-3 expression. These results implicate neurotrophins in the critical stage of precise thalamocortical connections.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)623-634
Number of pages12
JournalNeuron
Volume36
Issue number4
DOIs
StatePublished - Nov 14 2002
Externally publishedYes

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • General Neuroscience

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