Cortical Plate Gene Expression During Gyrification in Sheep

During the process of folding of the cerebral cortex during development –called gyrification due to the presence of gyri (outward folds) and sulci (inward folds)– the cortical plate appears to play a fundamental role. However, genetic differences in the cortical plate defining the identity of gyri and sulci have not been addressed. In this work, we have identified and validated a number of genes differentially expressed between gyri and sulci during gyrification, and correlated them to the maturation of neurons in the cortex, which appears to be central for defining regional architecture of the cortex during gyrification.