Evolutionary conservation of neocortical neurogenetic program in the mammals and birds

The unique innovation of the layered neocortex in mammalian evolution is believed to facilitate adaptive radiation of mammalian species to various ecological environments by furnishing high information processing ability. There are no transitional states from the non-mammalian simple brain to the mammalian multilayered neocortex, and thus it is totally a mystery so far how this brain structure has been acquired during evolution. In our recent study, we found the evidence showing that the evolutionary origin of the neocortical neuron subtypes predates the actual emergence of layer structure. Our comparative developmental analysis of the chick pallium, homologous to the mammalian neocortex, revealed that mammals and avians fundamentally share the neocortical neuron subtypes and their production mechanisms, suggesting that their common ancestor already possessed a similar neuronal repertory. We further demonstrated that the neocortical layer-specific neuron subtypes are arranged as mediolaterally separated domains in the chick, but not as layers in the mammalian neocortex. These animal group-specific neuronal arrangements are accomplished by spatial modulation of the neurogenetic program, suggesting an evolutionary hypothesis that the regulatory changes in the neurogenetic program innovated the mammalian specific layered neocortex.