Cellular Anatomy of the Mouse Primary Motor Cortex
Abstract
An essential step toward understanding brain function is to establish a cellular-resolution structural framework upon which multi-scale and multi-modal information spanning molecules, cells, circuits and systems can be integrated and interpreted. Here, through a collaborative effort from the Brain Initiative Cell Census Network (BICCN), we derive a comprehensive cell type-based description of one brain structure - the primary motor cortex upper limb area (MOp-ul) of the mouse. Applying state-of-the-art labeling, imaging, computational, and neuroinformatics tools, we delineated the MOp-ul within the Mouse Brain 3D Common Coordinate Framework (CCF). We defined over two dozen MOp-ul projection neuron (PN) types by their anterograde targets; the spatial distribution of their somata defines 11 cortical sublayers, a significant refinement of the classic notion of cortical laminar organization. We further combine multiple complementary tracing methods (classic tract tracing, cell type-based anterograde, retrograde, and transsynaptic viral tracing, high-throughput BARseq, and complete single cell reconstruction) to systematically chart cell type-based MOp input-output streams. As PNs link distant brain regions at synapses as well as host cellular gene expression, our construction of a PN type resolution MOp-ul wiring diagram will facilitate an integrated analysis of motor control circuitry across the molecular, cellular, and systems levels. This work further provides a roadmap towards a cellular resolution description of mammalian brain architecture.
Competing Interest Statement
The authors have declared no competing interest.
Subject Area
- Biochemistry (11739)
- Bioengineering (8750)
- Bioinformatics (29189)
- Biophysics (14967)
- Cancer Biology (12093)
- Cell Biology (17409)
- Clinical Trials (138)
- Developmental Biology (9419)
- Ecology (14178)
- Epidemiology (2067)
- Evolutionary Biology (18301)
- Genetics (12238)
- Genomics (16797)
- Immunology (11865)
- Microbiology (28068)
- Molecular Biology (11583)
- Neuroscience (60953)
- Paleontology (451)
- Pathology (1870)
- Pharmacology and Toxicology (3238)
- Physiology (4957)
- Plant Biology (10425)
- Synthetic Biology (2884)
- Systems Biology (7338)
- Zoology (1651)