Researchers identify key genes in the development of the primate brain and what makes primate brains different from other species

Amazing stuff!

"The development of the brain requires an elaborate, tightly organized chain of events that are jumpstarted by neural stem cells, which give rise to increasingly specialized cells that carry out all brain functions. But what molecular events occur during this process that account for differences in the brains of primates and mice?

In a new study, ... researchers tracked changes created by neural stem cells in the brains of macaque monkeys and humans ... revealed the molecular origins of the developmental differences that distinguish primates from mice.

Among the key differences they observed was increased activation of GALP (Galanin-like peptide) ...

the presence of GALP helped spur proliferation of neural stem cells in the primate brains, the researchers said. No such GALP-generated activity was found in the mouse brain.

“The finding suggests that GALP may play a role in the increased size and complexity of the primate brain across evolution,” ..."

"During early telencephalic development, intricate processes of regional patterning and neural stem cell (NSC) fate specification take place. However, our understanding of these processes in primates, including both conserved and species-specific features, remains limited. Here, we profiled 761,529 single-cell transcriptomes from multiple regions of the prenatal macaque telencephalon. We deciphered the molecular programs of the early organizing centers and their cross-talk with NSCs, revealing primate-biased galanin-like peptide (GALP) signaling in the anteroventral telencephalon. Regional transcriptomic variations were observed along the frontotemporal axis during early stages of neocortical NSC progression and in neurons and astrocytes. Additionally, we found that genes associated with neuropsychiatric disorders and brain cancer risk might play critical roles in the early telencephalic organizers and during NSC progression."

Researchers identify key genes in the development of the primate brain | YaleNews In a new study, Yale researchers revealed the molecular origins of the developmental differences that distinguish primates from mice.

Molecular programs of regional specification and neural stem cell fate progression in macaque telencephalon (open access)

Regionalization of macaque telencephalon.

Fig. 1. Cell atlas of macaque telencephalon.