Transcription Factors in Development of the Cerebral Cortex

The molecular mechanisms that control development of the cerebral cortex are now beginning to be delineated. In particular, a variety of transcription factors have recently been identified that are expressed in the cortex. The factors that have been characterized have overlapping distributions, so it is likely that they form a network that controls the development of the laminar architecture of the cortex and the differentiation of the many types of cortical neurons. The Neuroscientist 2:7–11, 1996