Higher-order thalamocortical circuits are specified by embryonic cortical progenitor types in the mouse brain.

The sensory cortex receives synaptic inputs from both first-order and higher-order thalamic nuclei. First-order inputs relay simple stimulus properties from the periphery, whereas higher-order inputs relay more complex response properties, provide contextual feedback, and modulate plasticity. Here, we reveal that a cortical neuron's higher-order input is determined by the type of progenitor from which it is derived during embryonic development.

Long Non-coding RNAs Associated With Neurodegeneration-Linked Genes Are Reduced in Parkinson's Disease Patients.

Transcriptome analysis has identified a plethora of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) expressed in the human brain and associated with neurological diseases. However, whether lncRNAs expression levels correlate with Parkinson's disease (PD) pathogenesis remains unknown. Herein, we show that a number of lncRNA genes encompassing transcriptional units in close proximity to PD-linked protein-coding genes, including , , , , , and , are expressed in human dopaminergic cells and post-mortem material, such as cortex, and cerebellum.