We will focus on describing our recent studies on the laminar and area patterning of the mammalian neocortex. We describe a novel IgCAM, MDGA1, that is a unique laminar and area specific marker, and functional studies showing its influence on radial migration. We also describe time-lapse imaging studies showing that the pre-plate and its derivative, the subplate, is a cellular protomap of the cortical ventricular zone, and the implications of this finding for mechanisms of arealization and development of area-specific TCA projections. We will summarize studies of each of the four transcription factors, Emx2, Pax6, Couptfl and Sp8, expressed by cortical progenitors and involved in specifying area patterning. Finally, we will describe studies showing that area size dictates performance at modality-specific behaviours.
