# Roles of the thalamic input and microglia in area-specific regulation of neocortical neurogenesis

> **NIH NIH R21** · UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA · 2020 · $422,339

## Abstract

The mammalian neocortex is the center of higher sensory, motor and cognitive functions, and is composed of
dozens of functionally and anatomically distinct areas. Each neocortical area contains a unique set of neuronal
types distributed across six layers. Construction of this complex cellular organization begins with area-specific
regulation of neurogenesis during embryonic development. Because of their area- specific pattern of
projections, the thalamocortical axons (TCAs) are ideally positioned to influence the fundamental ground plan
of the neocortex by regulating neural progenitor cells. In addition, recent studies have discovered that
microglia, resident immune cells in the brain, modulate many aspects of cortical development including
neurogenesis. However, how TCAs and microglia each regulate neurogenesis in the neocortex is poorly
understood.
In this grant proposal, we plan to fill these knowledge gaps by 1) developing genetic approaches to molecularly
dissect the role of TCAs on neuron-committed neural progenitor cells in the future primary sensory cortex and
2) testing the novel hypothesis that TCAs promote the maturation of microglia via a TCA-derived neuropeptide
and its receptor that is specifically expressed in immune cells in developing cortex.
Because development of microglia is heavily influenced by maternal environment, our research will shed light
on how intrinsic genetic programs and extrinsic environmental factors may converge on common mechanisms
that control fundamental organization of the cortical architecture. This will lead to a better understanding of the
pathogenesis of many neurological and psychiatric disorders that stem from aberrant regulation of embryonic
neurogenesis.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10042002
- **Project number:** 1R21NS117978-01
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA
- **Principal Investigator:** YASUSHI NAKAGAWA
- **Activity code:** R21 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $422,339
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2020-08-01 → 2022-07-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10042002

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10042002, Roles of the thalamic input and microglia in area-specific regulation of neocortical neurogenesis (1R21NS117978-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-21 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10042002. Licensed CC0.

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