Molecular mechanisms of thalamocortical circuit formation

Thalamocortical (TC) projection is one of the major neural circuitries in the brain. TC projection has characteristic aspects of cortical area and laminar specificities, and provides a suitable model system to investigate the developmental mechanisms of neural circuit formation in the mammalian brain including human beings. Recent studies with genetic, molecular and cellular biological approaches reveal area and lamina-specific gene expressions in the developing cortex, regulation mechanisms of TC axon growth and branching by these molecules, and activity-dependence of the mechanisms.