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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2014 Aug 21.
Published in final edited form as: Neuroscientist. 2011 Jun 7;18(3):271–286. doi: 10.1177/1073858411404228

Figure 3. Distinct mechanisms and molecules for the migration of glutamatergic and GABAergic neurons.

Figure 3

(A) Migration of glutamatergic neurons in the cortex. Glutamatergic neurons are generated in the ventricular zone (VZ) of the embryonic pallium and move to their final location by radial migration (red arrows). For this, glutamatergic neurons attach to the processes of radial glial cells and move along them to the destination area. There, they detach from radial glia cells and migrate to their final location. The locomotion along radial glial cell processes and detachment from them are regulated by various guidance molecules.

(B) Migration of GABAergic neurons in the cortex. GABAergic interneurons are generated in the VZ of the embryonic subpallium and adopt tangential migration to reach the dorsal cortex (blue arrows). In the dorsal cortex, they also migrate by radial movement within the cortical wall (blue arrows). For GABAergic neuronal migration, guidance molecules play important roles; guidance cells like radial glial cells have not been identified. Motogenic and chemotactic molecules involved in the migration of GABAergic neurons are listed. VZ: ventricular zone, SVZ: subventricular zone, CP: cortical plate, MZ: marginal zone, LGE: lateral ganglionic eminence, MGE: medial ganglionic eminence, CGE: caudal ganglionic eminence, BDNF: brain-derived neurotrophic factor, NT-4: neurotrophin 4, HB-EGF: heparin-binding epidermal growth factor, TGFα: transforming growth factor alpha, SDF-1: stromal cell derived factor 1, HGF: hepatocyte growth factor, GDNF: glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor.