Distinct signaling center and progenitor identity dynamics initiate human forebrain patterning
Year: 2026
Type: preprint
Abstract: At which developmental stage does the human brain start to differ from other mammals? We uncover human features of telencephalic patterning as early as the fourth post-conception week, comparing the early mouse and human forebrains using single-cell transcriptomics and 3D spatial multi-transcript imaging. In comparison to mice, the human telencephalon is delayed in ventral SHH signaling, accompanied by a human signature of anterior FGF signaling. These observations correlate with a less-resolved patterning and reduced progenitor diversity along the dorsoventral and anteroposterior axes, as well as a human early neurogenic signature. Our complementary approaches reveal a human divergence in allocation of telencephalic progenitor identities, propelled by temporal and qualitative differences in ventro-anterior signals following neural tube closure in the developing forebrain.
Institutions: King's College London, The Francis Crick Institute
Language: English
Subfield: Developmental Neuroscience
Field: Neuroscience
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7140648434