BACKGROUND During early mammalian brain development, transient neurons and circuits
form the scaffold for the development of neuronal networks. In the immature cerebral cortex …

The role of the prefrontal cortex (PFC) takes center stage among unanswered questions in
modern neuroscience. The PFC has a Janus-faced nature: it enables sophisticated cognitive …

Adult cortical areas consist of specialized cell types and circuits that support unique higher-
order cognitive functions. How this regional diversity develops from an initially uniform …

Develo** sensory circuits exhibit different patterns of spontaneous activity, patterns that
are related to the construction and refinement of functional networks. During the …

The delayed and prolonged postmitotic maturation of human neurons, compared with
neurons from other species, may contribute to human-specific cognitive abilities and …

Self-organized criticality (SOC) refers to the ability of complex systems to evolve toward a
second-order phase transition at which interactions between system components lead to …

In order to deal with a complex environment, animals form a diverse range of neural
representations that vary across cortical areas, ranging from largely unimodal sensory input …

Mammalian cortical networks are active before synaptogenesis begins in earnest, before
neuronal migration is complete, and well before an animal opens its eyes and begins to …

A defining feature of early infancy is the immense neural plasticity that enables animals to
develop a brain that is functionally integrated with a growing body. Early infancy is also …

Though rarely included in studies of parent–infant interactions, affectionate touch plays a
unique and vital role in infant development. Previous studies in human and rodent models …