In the article in PNAS, Eva Anton’s laboratory describes how specific guidance mechanisms involving netrin-integrin interactions modulate distinct routes of interneuronal migration and the consequent positioning of groups of cortical interneurons in the developing cerebral cortex. The emerging evidence for interneuronal subtype–specific dysfunction in a variety of neurodevelopmental disorders highlights the importance of understanding the mechanisms underlying interneuron subtype development. This study demonstrates that the differential regulation of interneuronal subtype migration by directional guidance molecules, such as netrin-1, ultimately may modulate the placement and connectivity of interneuronal subpopulations in distinct regions of the cerebral cortex and contribute to normal cortical function.
The first author of this article, Amelia Stanco, was a graduate student in Anton lab. Currently, She is a post- doctoral fellow at UCSF.