Acting as project managers, Cajal-Retzius cells guide young neurons to their permanent homes in the brain. But they don’t stick around for long — they die soon after birth, once their work is done.
Brain Bytes showcase essential facts about neuroscience.
Design by Adrienne Tong.
Image "Optogenetic Activation of Cajal-Retzius Cells" by Quattrocolo et al., 2014, JNeurosci, 34 (39) 13018-13032
About the Author
Calli McMurray is the Media & Science Writing Associate at SfN. She graduated from the University of Texas at Austin in 2019 with a Bachelor of Science in Neuroscience.
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References
Villar-Cerviño, V., & Marín, O. (n.d.). Cajal-Retzius cells. Retrieved from https://www.cell.com/current-biology/pdf/S0960-9822(12)00017-6.pdf
Soriano, E., & del Río, J. A. (2005). The Cells of Cajal-Retzius: Still a Mystery One Century After. Neuron, 46(3), 389–394. doi: 10.1016/j.neuron.2005.04.019
