Marion Betizeau, Brain Research Institute - University of Zurich

Scuola di Dottorato in Scienze della Vita e della Salute
Dottorato in Neuroscienze, Università di Torino

Friday, 27th October - h. 14:00
Seminars Room, NICO

Marion Betizeau
Brain Research Institute, University of Zurich - Switzerland

Higher diversity of primate cortical precursors revealed by unsupervised lineage-based classification

The development of the primate cortex is characterized by the diversity of cortical precursors and the complexity of their lineage relationships. Previous manual classifications of precursors relied only on morphological parameters. In this talk I will present an unsupervised lineage-based clustering method using Hidden Markov Tree (HMT) models. 

Applied to a database of macaque cortical lineage trees, the algorithm automatically extracts precursor types based on their morphology, proliferative behavior and originally also based on the fate of their progeny. This approach highlights a higher diversity of macaque precursor types than previously assumed and stochastic lineage relationships between these types. Moreover, the HMT model is a valuable tool to investigate fundamental questions in development, namely the number of precursor types and the directionality of the differentiation process.

Host: Annalisa Buffo