Full: Ontogenesis and development of the nonhuman primate pulvinar. Issue 17 (4th November 2018) - Homman‐Ludiye, Jihane
Abstract: Recent evidence demonstrates that the pulvinar nuclei play a critical role in shaping the connectivity and function of the multiple cortical areas they connect. Surprisingly, however, little is known about the development of this area, the largest corpus of the thalamic nuclei, which go on to occupy 40% of the adult thalamus in the human. It was proposed that the nonhuman primate and the human pulvinar develop according to very different processes, with a greatly reduced neurogenic period in nonhuman primate compared to human and divergent origins. In the marmoset monkey, we demonstrate that neurons populating the pulvinar are generated throughout gestation, suggesting that this aspect of development is more similar to the human than first predicted. While we were able to confirm the diencephalic source of pulvinar neurons, we provide new evidence contesting the presence of an additional niche in the telencephalon. Finally, our study defines new molecular markers that will simplify future investigations in the development and evolution of the pulvinar. Abstract : Homman‐Ludiye et al. demonstrate the development and window of neurogenesis of the New World marmoset monkey pulvinar is akin to human. Furthermore, examination of markers for individual nuclei at birth and lineage tracing confirm that pulvinar neurons originate in the diencephalon (Pax6) but not the telencephalon (Sp8).