Investigating the role of embryonic neural progenitor diversity in the formation and function of striatal neural circuits

Specialised cells in the embryonic brain, termed neural progenitors, give rise to all mature neurons in the brain, including the striatum,a brain region which plays a critical role in the control of many motor and cognitive behaviours. These embryonic neural progenitor cells come in many shapes and sizes and can differ in many aspects including their location, how fast they divide to produce daughter neurons and their morphologies. It remains unclear why so many different types of progenitors exist and how they relate to the neurons and neural circuits in the brain in adulthood. This DPhil Research Proposal aims to determine the genes which are expressed in the mature neurons derived from these different progenitors and to trace their synaptic connections to other neurons in the brain. It also aims to characterise the electrical properties of the connections between these neurons in the striatum and neurons in another brain region, named the thalamus, which is known to relay sensory information. Finally, this DPhil Research Proposal aims to selectively silence mature neurons derived from different embryonic neural progenitors and establish their role in motor and cognitive behaviours. Together, the results from these experiments will uncover how the embryonic origin of mature neurons in the striatum shapes their identity, connectivity and function.