Investigating the roles of transmembrane semaphorins on thalamocortical connectivity

Abstract

The functional properties of structures in the central nervous system are critically dependent on the precision of neuronal connectivity. The cerebral cortex receives most of its input from the environment through thalamocortical connectivity (Jones, 1985). From the earliest stages of thalamocortical development, thalamic projections from different thalamic nuclei traverse the subdivisions of the forebrain in a highly organized and stereotyped fashion, such that each thalamic nucleus projects topographically to a specific cortical target area (Molnar and Blakemore, 1995). Thus, thalamocortical axons (TCAs) must first navigate through a complex three-dimensional route to reach the cortex, where they establish functional connections with very specific areal and laminar cortical targets.