Genetic and Epigenetic Contributions to the Cortical Phenotype

University Of California-Davis, Davis CA

Investigators

Abstract

The neocortex is involved in perception, cognition, reasoning, and other abilities generally associated with intelligence. It has increased in size and in the complexity of its organization, and in humans these changes are particularly dramatic. How have these changes emerged in humans and other animals? What is the contribution of genes versus the environment to the development of the neocortex and ultimately to human's special cognitive abilities? This project addresses these questions using molecular techniques combined with anatomical techniques to examine the developing neocortex in three different animal species that have a unique type of neocortex. In some of these animals, how information from the environment accesses the brain during development will be altered. The project has two goals. (1) To determine if there are differences in gene expression that can account for the variable patterns of cortical organization in mammals. (2) To understand how differences in sensory information from the environment that reaches the brain during development affect the organization of the brain, and in turn the behavior of the animal. These studies will be carried out by a post-doc and graduate student in the laboratory, under the supervision of the PI, and will provide an excellent training opportunity for both. There are two broad expectations. (1) All three animals will have some similarities in how genes are expressed in the neocortex, and these similarities form the basic framework of how the brain is organized, and gets connected during development. (2) Changes in the types and amount of information that the brain has access to during development can significantly alter this basic blueprint laid down by genes. These results are critical for understanding the precise interaction between genes and the environment in creating a unique cortical phenotype which functions optimally in a given environment.