The roles of endocannabinoid signaling during central nervous system development are unknown. We report that CB ₁ cannabinoid receptors (CB ₁ Rs) are enriched in the axonal growth cones of γ-aminobutyric acid–containing (GABAergic) interneurons in the rodent cortex during late gestation. Endocannabinoids trigger CB ₁ R internalization and elimination from filopodia and induce chemorepulsion and collapse of axonal growth cones of these GABAergic interneurons by activating RhoA. Similarly, endocannabinoids diminish the galvanotropism of Xenopus laevis spinal neurons. These findings, together with the impaired target selection of cortical GABAergic interneurons lacking CB ₁ Rs, identify endocannabinoids as axon guidance cues and demonstrate that endocannabinoid signaling regulates synaptogenesis and target selection in vivo.

Primary cilia are present on mammalian neurons and glia, but their function is largely unknown. We generated conditional homozygous mutant mice for a gene we termed Stumpy . Mutants lack cilia and have conspicuous abnormalities in postnatally developing brain regions, including a hypoplasic hippocampus characterized by a primary deficiency in neural stem cells known as astrocyte-like neural precursors (ALNPs). Previous studies suggested that primary cilia mediate sonic hedgehog (Shh) signaling. Here, we find that loss of ALNP cilia leads to abrogated Shh activity, increased cell cycle exit, and morphological abnormalities in ALNPs. Processing of Gli3, a mediator of Shh signaling, is also altered in the absence of cilia. Further, key mediators of the Shh pathway localize to ALNP cilia. Thus, selective targeting of Shh machinery to primary cilia confers to ALNPs the ability to differentially respond to Shh mitogenic signals compared to neighboring cells. Our data suggest these organelles are cellular “antennae” critically required to modulate ALNP behavior.

The proliferative ventricular zone (VZ) is the main source of projection neurons for the overlying cerebral neocortex. The number and diversity of neocortical neurons is determined, in part, by factors controlling the proliferation and specification of VZ cells during embryonic development. We used a variety of methods, includingin uteroelectroporation with specific cellular markers, computer-assisted serial EM cell reconstruction, and time-lapse multiphoton imaging to characterize the molecular and morphological characteristics of the VZ constituents and to capture their behavior during cell division. Our analyses reveal at least two types of dividing cells in the VZ: (1) radial glial cells (RGCs) that span the entire neocortical wall and maintain contact both at the ventricular and pial surfaces throughout mitotic division, and (2) short neural precursors (SNPs) that possess a ventricular endfoot and a basal process of variable length that is retracted during mitotic division. These two precursor cell classes are present concomitantly in the VZ, but their relative number changes over the course of cortical neurogenesis. Moreover, the SNPs are morphologically, ultrastructurally and molecularly distinct from dividing RGCs. For example, SNPs are marked by their preferential expression of the tubulin α-1 promoter whereas RGCs instead express the glutamate–aspartate transporter and brain lipid binding protein promoters. In contrast to recent studies that suggest that RGCs are the sole type of VZ precursor, the present study indicates that the VZ in murine dorsal telencephalon is similar to that in human and nonhuman primates, because it contains multiple types of neuronal precursors.

The brains of humans and other mammals are highly vulnerable to interruptions in blood flow and decreases in oxygen levels. Here we describe the restoration and maintenance of microcirculation and molecular and cellular functions of the intact pig brain under ex vivo normothermic conditions up to four hours post-mortem. We have developed an extracorporeal pulsatile-perfusion system and a haemoglobin-based, acellular, non-coagulative, echogenic, and cytoprotective perfusate that promotes recovery from anoxia, reduces reperfusion injury, prevents oedema, and metabolically supports the energy requirements of the brain. With this system, we observed preservation of cytoarchitecture; attenuation of cell death; and restoration of vascular dilatory and glial inflammatory responses, spontaneous synaptic activity, and active cerebral metabolism in the absence of global electrocorticographic activity. These findings demonstrate that under appropriate conditions the isolated, intact large mammalian brain possesses an underappreciated capacity for restoration of microcirculation and molecular and cellular activity after a prolonged post-mortem interval.