The new frontier in understanding human and mammalian brain development

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Nowakowski, Tomasz J.; Nano, Patricia R.; Matho, Katherine S.; Chen, Xiaoyin; Corrigan, Emily K.; Ding, Wubin; Gao, Yuan; Heffel, Matthew; Jayakumar, Jaikishan; Kaplan, Harris S.; Kronman, Fae N.; Kovner, Rothem; Mannens, Camiel C. A.; Song, Mengyi; Steyert, Marilyn R.; Venkatesan, Sridevi; Wallace, Jenelle L.; Wang, Li; Werner, Jonathan M.; Zhang, Di; Yuan, Guohua; Zuo, Guolong; Ament, Seth A.; Colantuoni, Carlo; Dulac, Catherine; Fan, Rong; Gillis, Jesse; Kriegstein, Arnold R.; Krienen, Fenna M.; Kim, Yongsoo; Linnarsson, Sten; Mitra, Partha P.; Pollen, Alex A.; Sestan, Nenad; Tward, Daniel J.; Van Velthoven, Cindy T. J.; Yao, Zizhen; Bhaduri, Aparna; Zeng, Hongkui
• 署名单位: University of California System; University of California San Francisco; University of California System; University of California San Francisco; University of California System; University of California San Francisco; University of California System; University of California San Francisco; University of California System; University of California San Francisco; University of California System; University of California San Francisco; University of California System; University of California Los Angeles; David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA; Children's Hospital Los Angeles; University of Southern California; Allen Institute for Brain Science; University of California System; University of California San Francisco; Salk Institute; University of California System; University of California Los Angeles; David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA; University of California System; University of California Los Angeles; Indian Institute of Technology System (IIT System); Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) - Madras; Harvard University; Harvard University; Howard Hughes Medical Institute; Pennsylvania Commonwealth System of Higher Education (PCSHE); Pennsylvania State University; Penn State Health; Yale University; Karolinska Institutet; Flanders Institute for Biotechnology (VIB); KU Leuven; University of Toronto; University of Toronto; University System of Maryland; University of Maryland Baltimore; Yale University; University System of Maryland; University of Maryland Baltimore; Johns Hopkins University; Johns Hopkins Medicine; Princeton University; Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory; University of California System; University of California Los Angeles; University of California System; University of California Los Angeles; David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA; University of Washington; University of Washington Seattle
• 刊物名称: NATURE
• ISSN/ISSBN: 0028-0836; 1476-4687
• DOI: 10.1038/s41586-025-09652-1
• 发表日期: 2025-11-06
• 页码: 51-59
• 关键词: single-cell; circuits; Heterogeneity; diversity; genomics; neurons; autism; fate

摘要

Neurodevelopmental disorders that cause cognitive, behavioural or motor impairments affect around 15% of children and adolescents worldwide1, with diagnoses of profound autism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder increasing in the USA and contributing to a major economic burden2,3. Yet the origins and mechanisms of these conditions remain poorly understood, limiting progress in therapies. Comprehensive cell atlases of the developing human brain, alongside those of model organisms such as mice and non-human primates, are now providing high-resolution measures of gene expression, cell-type abundance and spatial distribution. In this Perspective, we highlight recent studies that have identified novel developmental cell populations, revealed conserved and divergent patterns of cell genesis, migration and maturation across species, and begun testing hypotheses that link them to processes ranging from transcriptional control of cell fate specification to the emergence of complex behaviours. We present remaining conceptual and technical challenges and provide an outlook on how further studies of human and mammalian brain development can empower a deeper understanding of neurodevelopmental and neuropsychiatric disorders. Future efforts expanding to additional developmental stages, including adolescence, as well as whole-brain, multimodal and cross-species integration, will yield new insights into how development shapes the brain. These atlases promise to serve as essential references for unravelling mechanisms of brain function and disease vulnerability, and for advancing precision medicine.