Early patterns of activity in the developing cortex: Focus on the sensorimotor system

Roustem Khazipov (1, 2, 3) , Mathieu Milh (4)

1 Epilepsie et Ischemie Cerebrale
2 KFU - Kazan Federal University
3 INMED - INSERM U1249 - Institut de Neurobiologie de la Méditerranée [Aix-Marseille Université]
4 Service de pédiatrie et neurologie pédiatrique

Early development of somatotopic cortical maps occurs during the fetal period in humans and during the postnatal period in rodents. During this period, the sensorimotor cortex expresses transient patterns of correlated neuronal activity including delta waves, gamma-and spindle-burst oscillations. These early activity patterns are largely driven by the thalamus and triggered, in a topographic manner, by sensory feedback resulting from spontaneous movements. Early cortical activities are instrumental for competitive interactions between sensory inputs for the cortical territories, they prevent cortical neurons from apoptosis and their alteration may lead to disturbances in cortical network development in a number of neurodevelopmental diseases.

Keywords: Fetal movement; Sensorimotor cortex; Neonate; Development; Neuronal networks; Electroencelography

Domains: Life Sciences [q-bio]; Neurons and Cognition [q-bio.NC]

Roustem Khazipov, Mathieu Milh. Early patterns of activity in the developing cortex: Focus on the sensorimotor system. Seminars in Cell and Developmental Biology, 2018, 76, pp.120-129. ⟨10.1016/j.semcdb.2017.09.014⟩. ⟨hal-01963785⟩