WWW.JNEUROSCI.ORG
-
The Journal of Neuroscience
QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced]


     
-


HOME  |   SEARCH  |   ARCHIVE  |   SUBSCRIBE  |   CONTACT  |   HELP
The Journal of Neuroscience, October 21, 2009, 29(42):13389-13400; doi:10.1523/JNEUROSCI.2625-09.2009

This Article
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Supplemental Material
Right arrow Submit an eLetter
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me when eLetters are posted
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Right arrow Citation Map
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in Web of Science
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow reprints & permissions
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Martinez-Ferre, A.
Right arrow Articles by Martinez, S.
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Martinez-Ferre, A.
Right arrow Articles by Martinez, S.

 Previous Article  |  Next Article 

Development/Plasticity/Repair
The Development of the Thalamic Motor Learning Area Is Regulated by Fgf8 Expression

Almudena Martinez-Ferre and Salvador Martinez

Instituto de Neurociencias, Universidad Miguel Hernández–Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cientificas, 03550 San Juan de Alicante, Spain

Correspondence should be addressed to Salvador Martinez, Experimental Embryology Laboratory, Instituto de Neurociencias, Universidad Miguel Hernández–Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cientificas, Campus de San Juan, 03550 San Juan de Alicante, Spain. Email: smartinez{at}umh.es

Habenular nuclei play a key role in the control of motor and cognitive behavior, processing emotion, motivation, and reward values in the brain. Thus, analysis of the molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying the development and evolution of this region will contribute to a better understanding of brain function. The Fgf8 gene is expressed in the dorsal midline of the diencephalon, close to the area in which the habenular region will develop. Given that Fgf8 is an important morphogenetic signal, we decided to investigate the role of Fgf8 signaling in diencephalic development. To this end, we analyzed the effects of altered Fgf8 expression in the mouse embryo, using molecular and cellular markers. Decreasing Fgf8 activity in the diencephalon was found to be associated with dosage-dependent alterations in the epithalamus: the habenular region and pineal gland are reduced or lacking in Fgf8 hypomorphic mice. Actually, our findings indicate that Fgf8 may be the master gene for these diencephalic domains, acting as an inductive and morphogenetic regulator. Therefore, the emergence of the habenular region in vertebrates could be understood in terms of a phylogenetic territorial addition caused by de novo expression of Fgf8 in the diencephalic alar plate. This region specializes to permit the development of adaptive control of the motor function in the vertebrate brain.

Received June 5, 2009; revised Sept. 10, 2009; accepted Sept. 15, 2009.

Correspondence should be addressed to Salvador Martinez, Experimental Embryology Laboratory, Instituto de Neurociencias, Universidad Miguel Hernández–Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cientificas, Campus de San Juan, 03550 San Juan de Alicante, Spain. Email: smartinez{at}umh.es






 -
-

Home  |   Search  |   Archive  |   Subscribe  |   Contact  |   Help
-
Copyright 2009 by Society for Neuroscience ONLINE ISSN: 1529-2401
-