Elsevier

Neuroscience

Volume 39, Issue 2, 1990, Pages 451-458
Neuroscience

Naturally occurring cell death in the cerebral cortex of the rat and removal of dead cells by transitory phagocytes

https://doi.org/10.1016/0306-4522(90)90281-8Get rights and content

Abstract

Regressive phenomena are common during the development of the nervous tissue. Among them, naturally occurring cell death has been observed in several regions of the nervous system. Cell death in the somatosensory cortex and medial cortical regions (hind limb, frontal cortex 1, frontal cortex 2, retrosplenial agranular, retrosplenial granular [Zilles K. et al. (1980) Anat. Embryol.159, 335–360]) as well as in the cortical subplate (future subcortical white matter) in the rat mainly occurs during the first 10 days of postnatal life with peak values of 3.1 dead cells per 1000 live neurons at the end of the first week. Cell death progresses from birth to day 7 with a predominance of dead cells in the subplate and in layers II–III. Later, dead cells are more dispersed in the cerebral cortex, but a significant amount is still present in the subcortical white matter. This pattern correlates with the arrival and settlement of cortical afferents at the different cortical levels, as described in other studies, and points to the likelihood that transitory cellular populations are important clues in the modelling of the cerebral cortex during normal development.

Transitory populations of macrophages (amoeboid or nascent microglial cells) that appear in great numbers during the same period and in the same regions are involved in the removal of dead cells.

Reference (44)

  • AngevineJ.B. et al.

    Autoradiographic study of cell migration during histogenesis of the cerebral cortex in the mouse

    Nature

    (1961)
  • BerryM. et al.

    The migration of neuroblasts in the developing cerebral cortex

    J. Anat., Lond.

    (1965)
  • ChunJ.J.M. et al.

    Transient cells of the developing mammalian telencephalon are peptide immunoreactive neurons

    Nature

    (1987)
  • ChunJ.J.M. et al.

    Interstitial cells of the adult neocortical white matter are the remnant of the early generated subplate neuron population

    J. comp. Neurol.

    (1989)
  • D'AmatoR.J. et al.

    Ontogeny of the serotoninergic projection to rat neocortex: transient expression of a dense innervation to primary sensory areas

  • FerrerI. et al.

    Formation and growth of the cerebral convolutions. I. Postnatal development of the median-suprasylvian gyrus and adjoining sulci in the cat

    J. Anat., Lond.

    (1988)
  • FerrerI. et al.

    Nascent microglia in the developing brain

    Acta neuropath., Berl.

    (1980)
  • FinlayB.L. et al.

    Local differences in the amount of early cell death in neocortex predict adult local specializations

    Science

    (1983)
  • HeumanD. et al.

    Neuronal death in the development and aging of the cerebral cortex of the mouse

    Neuropath. appl. Neurobiol.

    (1983)
  • HicksS.P. et al.

    Cell migration to the isocortex in the rat

    Anat. Rec.

    (1968)
  • ImamotoK.

    Origin of microglia: cell transformation from blood monocytes into macrophagic ameboid cells and microglia

  • InnocentiG.M.

    Growth and reshaping of axons in the establishment of visual callosal connections

    Science

    (1981)
  • Cited by (288)

    • Caspases orchestrate microglia instrumental functions

      2018, Progress in Neurobiology
      Citation Excerpt :

      In the healthy brain, microglial cells are able to rapidly detect any disturbance in the brain. Moreover, microglia are well known for their capacity of engulfing apoptotic cells in the developing brain (Ferrer et al., 1990). Microglia are not only capable of cleaning the brain but also supporting cell survival and proliferation.

    • The microbiota influences cell death and microglial colonization in the perinatal mouse brain

      2018, Brain, Behavior, and Immunity
      Citation Excerpt :

      The discrepancies may be related to species differences or differences in the developmental time points analyzed. Microglia have long been associated with neuronal cell death (Marín-Teva et al., 2011), and dying neurons are often found in close contact with microglia, which phagocytose cell corpses (Ashwell, 1990; Ferrer et al., 1990). Recently, a more active role for microglia in controlling cell death has been suggested.

    View all citing articles on Scopus
    View full text