Subplate zone of the human brain: historical perspective and new concepts

Kostović, Ivica and Jovanov-Milošević, Nataša (2008) Subplate zone of the human brain: historical perspective and new concepts. Collegium Antropologicum, 32 (Suppl.). pp. 3-8. ISSN 0350-6134

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Abstract

Subplate zone (SP) is prominent, transient laminar compartment of the human fetal cerebral wall. The SP develops around 13 and gradually disappears after 32-34 postovulatory weeks. The SP neurons can be found as late as nine postnatal months, while remnants of the SP neurons can be traced until adult age in the form of interstitial neurons of the gyral white matter. SP is composed of postmigratory and migratory neurons, growth cones, loosely arranged axons, dendrites, glial cell and synapses. The remarkable feature of the SP is the presence of large amount of extracellular matrix. This feature can be used for delineation of SP in magnetic resonance images (MRI) of both, in vivo and post mortem brains. The importance of SP as the main synaptic zone of the human fetal cortex is based on the rich input of ,waiting,< afferents from thalamus and cortex, during the crucial phase of cortical target area selection. SP increases during mammalian evolution and culminates in human brain concomitantly with increase in number and diversity of cortico-cortical fibers. The recent neurobiological evidence shows that SP is important site of spontaneous endogeneous activity, building a framework for development of cortical columnar organization. The SP which can be readily visualized on conventional and DTI (diffusion-tensor-imaging) MRI in vivo, today is in the focus of interest of pediatric neurology due to the following facts: (1) SP is the site of early neural activity, (2) SP is the major substrate for functional plasticity, and (3) selective vulnerability of SP may lead to cognitive impairment.

Abstract in Croatian

Zona pod kortikalnom pločom (subplate zona, SP) je istaknuti, prolazni, pločasti odjeljak fetalnog ljudskog mozga. SP se razvija oko 13. tjedna i postepeno nestaje nakon 32–34. tjedna poslije ovulacije. Neuroni SP mogu se naći i 9 mjeseci postnatalno, a kasnije sve do odrasle dobi su prisutni kao intersticijski neuroni bijele tvari moždanih vijuga. SP se sastoji od: migrirajućih i post-migrirajućih neurona, rastućih čunjića aksona, rijetko položenih aksona, dendrita i različitih glija stanica te sinapsi. Istaknuto obilježje SP je prisutnost velike količine međustanične tvari (ekstracelularnog matriksa). Ovo obilježje omogućava vizualizaciju SP na slikovnim prikazima mozga magnetskom rezonancijom (MRI) in vivo i postmortalno. Važnost SP kao sinaptičke zone ljudskog fetalnog mozga, temelji se na obilju »čekajućih« vlakana iz talamusa i moždane kore, tijekom faze odabira cilja u arejama moždane kore. Tijekom evolucije SP se povećava, a njena veličina doseže najveće vrijednosti u ljudskom mozgu što se podudara s povećanjem broja i složenosti kortiko-kortikalnih veza. Najnoviji neurobiološki dokazi ističu SP kao važno mjesto spontane neuralne endogene aktivnosti, te je time neophodna za razvitak kolumnarne organizacije moždane kore. Subplate zona, koja se može lako prikazati primjenom konvencionalnog MRI ili DTI (diffusion-tensor-imaging) in vivo, danas je u žiži interesa pedijatrijske neurologije zahvaljujući njenim sljedećim obilježjima: (1) SP je temelj rane neuralne aktivnosti, (2) SP je u podlozi funkcionalne plastičnosti, (3) SP je selektivno ranjiva, što može voditi do oštećenja kognitivnih funkcija.

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