Gabriel
Corfas, PhD
Associate Professor
of Neurology
Harvard Medical School/Children's Hospital
Department of Neurology (Neuroscience)
MRRC Project(s)
R01 NS35884-04
Molecular
Basis of Neuron-Glia Interactions in the CNS
Neuronal migration, the process by which neurons move from the germinal layers of the brain to their final destination in the cortex, is a critical step in the formation of the brain. Failure of this migration results in several disease states, including mental retardation and epilepsy. The earlier work of Rakic in this MRRC showed that neurons migrate in close association with glial cells, and it is apparent that interactions between these cell types are crucial for this process. We hypothesized that extracellular signaling molecules produced by neurons or glia could be involved in mediating interactions between migrating neurons and the associated glia, thus regulating the process of migration. The initial phases of this work were supported by this MRRC during the period since the last renewal as a New Program Development Project.
