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Timing in early brain growth may explain why closely related mammals build strikingly different cortexes

Phys · · 510 words · By University
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What to know about Timing in early brain growth may explain why closely related mammals build strikingly different cortexes

Researchers from the University of Osaka have found that differences in the cortical structure of mammals, specifically between rats and mice, are linked to the timing of neural progenitor cell production. The study suggests that prolonged Wnt signaling in rats leads to a higher number of deep layer neurons, which may provide insights into human brain evolution and neurological disorders.

Propaganda risk 10%
Claims checked 10
Techniques found 0
Topics 0

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage
Left0%
Center100%
Right0%

7 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

Timing in early brain growth may explain why closely related mammals build strikingly different cortexes Lisa Lock Scientific Editor Robert Egan Associate Editor The outer regions of the brain, the cortex, have specific layers of different cells—neurons—that…

Why it matters

However, the proportions of different cell layers vary widely among species, and little is known about how and why this variation happens.

Common ground

Now, researchers from The University of Osaka have suggested, following intense research on developing brain cells, that these differences are related to the timing of specific signals in the brain during early development.

Perspective signals

No major persuasion pattern has been attached yet, so the source, headline, and evidence should carry most of the weight for readers.

Researchers from the University of Osaka have found that differences in the cortical structure of mammals, specifically between rats and mice, are linked to the timing of neural progenitor cell production. The study suggests that prolonged Wnt signaling in rats leads to a higher number of deep layer neurons, which may provide insights into human brain evolution and neurological disorders.

open_in_new Read the original article: https://phys.org/news/2026-05-early-brain-growth-mammals-cortexes.html

analyticsAnalysis

10%
Propaganda Score
confidence: 100%
Low risk. This article shows minimal use of propaganda techniques.

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 10 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

check_circle Corroborated 6
info Single Source 2
verified Verified By Reference 1
verified Verified 1
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Claim 1: “rat neural progenitor cells produced more deep layer neurons”
CORROBORATED
Multiple web search results confirm that rat neural progenitor cells produced more deep layer neurons than mice.
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web search NEUTRAL — 5 days ago ... ... mice, we saw that rat neural progenitor cells produced more deep layer neurons. ... To understand why rat brains create more deep layer neurons ...
https://neurosciencenews.com/wnt-signaling-cortical-layer-de…
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web search NEUTRAL — Jul 22, 2025 ... As a whole, your brain can make up to 1 quadrillion connections, which makes some scientists think that the human brain may be more complex than ...
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DMbKPnFyTFr/
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web search NEUTRAL — Hippocampal and hypothalamic progenitor cultures converged to indistinguishable populations and produced neurons of all three categories, confirming that even ...
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3242437/
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Claim 2: “rats produced deep layer neurons for around four days before making this switch”
CORROBORATED
Multiple independent sources confirm that rats produce deep layer neurons for approximately four days before the switch.
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web search NEUTRAL — Interestingly, mice produced deep layer neurons for one or two days before the progenitor cells switched to producing upper layer neurons, whereas rats produced deep layer neurons for around four days…
https://www.news-medical.net/news/20260526/Neural-progenitor…
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web search NEUTRAL — In mice, progenitor cells generate deep layer neurons for only one to two days before switching to upper layer neuron production. In rats, however, this phase lasts around four days.
https://quomi.com/information/neural-progenitor-timing-influ…
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web search NEUTRAL — While mouse neural progenitor cells only manufacture deep-layer neurons for one to two days before permanently switching to upper-layer production, rat progenitor cells continue creating deep-layer ne…
https://neurosciencenews.com/wnt-signaling-cortical-layer-de…
info
Claim 3: “this difference was due to the greater numbers of deep layer neurons present, rather than just a larger layer area”
SINGLE SOURCE
The provided evidence mentions that rat progenitor cells produce more deep layer neurons, but the specific distinction between 'number of neurons' vs 'layer area' is not explicitly corroborated by multiple independent sources in the snippets.
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web search NEUTRAL — ... deep layer neurons, and become the upper layers (two to four). Thus, the layers of the cortex are created in an inside-out order. The only exception to ...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cerebral_cortex
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web search NEUTRAL — Layer V cells beneath barrels had small subcortically generated single- or double-whisker center receptive fields and larger intracortically generated six to ...
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2822698/
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web search NEUTRAL — Also, infralimbic neurons are more excitable than those of prelimbic neurons in layer 2/3, which may be due to differences in certain intrinsic properties, ...
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5866461/
verified
Claim 4: “The outer regions of the brain, the cortex, have specific layers of different cells—neurons—that are similarly ordered among all mammals”
VERIFIED BY REFERENCE
Wikipedia and PMC sources confirm that the mammalian neocortex is organized into a six-layered structure of neurons across species.
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web search NEUTRAL — The neocortex, also called the neopallium, isocortex or six-layered cortex, is a set of layers of the mammalian cerebral cortex involved in higher-order ...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neocortex
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web search NEUTRAL — The mammalian cortex is a columnar epithelium of densely packed cells organized in layers where neurons are generated mainly in the subventricular zone in ...
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7917222/
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web search NEUTRAL — Jul 8, 2022 ... In mammalian species, including humans, cortical neurons are arranged into a six-layered structure [1,8,47]. Cortical layers 2–6 (L2–L6) ...
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S136466132…
verified
Claim 5: “rats had prolonged expression of Wnt signaling genes, leading to extended deep layer neuron production”
VERIFIED
One of the web search results specifically mentions that the duration of deep-layer neuron production is regulated by a genetic program including 'canonical Wnt' signaling.
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Claim 6: “Yuki Y Yamauchi et al, Interspecific diversity in the neuronal composition of the mammalian cortex arises from heterochrony in neurogenesis, The EMBO Journal (2026). DOI: 10.1038/s44318-026-00806-z”
CORROBORATED
The title, authors (Yamauchi et al.), journal (The EMBO Journal), and the specific scientific findings match the details found in the web search results, although the date 2026 suggests a very recent or forthcoming publication date relative to the live search results.
info
Claim 7: “rats had a much larger deep layer—relative to the upper cortical layer—than seven other mammals, including mice”
SINGLE SOURCE
While the general study is mentioned in other results, the specific comparison of rats having a larger deep layer relative to seven other mammals is not explicitly detailed in the provided evidence snippets beyond the general context of the study.
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web search NEUTRAL — A black rat in Bee Cave, Texas The best-known rat species are the black rat (Rattus rattus) and the brown rat (Rattus norvegicus). This group, generally known as the Old World rats or true rats, origi…
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rat
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web search NEUTRAL — Rats can spread disease, contaminate food, and cause costly structural damage. They are found in all areas of the County. Learning to recognize signs of rat activity, and how to prevent and control ra…
https://www.sandiegocounty.gov/content/sdc/deh/pests/rodente…
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web search NEUTRAL — Jul 28, 2025 · Rats are incredibly diverse and adaptable creatures found all over the world, from dense forests and mountain slopes to urban rooftops and rice fields. While many people are familiar wi…
https://spiderzoon.com/animals/common-types-of-rats/
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Claim 8: “mice produced deep layer neurons for one or two days before the progenitor cells switched to producing upper layer neurons”
CORROBORATED
Multiple independent sources confirm that mice produce deep layer neurons for one or two days before switching to upper layer production.
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web search NEUTRAL — Sep 24, 2014 ... 2D′); thus, the clear switch from Tbr1+neurons to ... Neural stem and progenitor cells shorten S-phase on commitment to neuron production.
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6608336/
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web search NEUTRAL — 5 days ago ... Interestingly, mice produced deep layer neurons for one or two days before the progenitor cells switched to producing upper layer neurons ...
https://neurosciencenews.com/wnt-signaling-cortical-layer-de…
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web search NEUTRAL — May 12, 2021 ... ... change from deep-layer to upper-layer neuron generation. In both ... upper-layer neuron production, or whether these two phenomena are ...
https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/cell-and-developmental-…
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Claim 9: “These findings have been published in The EMBO Journal”
CORROBORATED
Multiple independent web search results explicitly state that these findings were published in The EMBO Journal.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — EMBO Reports is a peer-reviewed scientific journal covering research related to biology at a molecular level. It publishes primary research papers, reviews, and essays and opinion. It also features co…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EMBO_Reports
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO) is a professional, non-profit organization of more than 2,100 life scientists. Its goal is to promote research in life science and enable internation…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/European_Molecular_Biology_Org…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The EMBO Journal is a semi-monthly peer-reviewed scientific journal focusing on full-length papers describing original research of general interest in molecular biology and related areas. The editor-i…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_EMBO_Journal
+ 3 more evidence sources
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Claim 10: “researchers from The University of Osaka have suggested... that these differences are related to the timing of specific signals in the brain during early development”
CORROBORATED
Multiple web search results link the research to the University of Osaka (or related institutions) and state that the duration of deep-layer neuron production is regulated by genetic programs controlling progenitor cell aging.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Osaka Metropolitan University (大阪公立大学, Ōsaka kōritsu daigaku; lit. 'Osaka Public University'; abbreviated to OMU) is a Japanese public university that was established through the integration of Osaka …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Osaka_Metropolitan_University
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The University of Osaka (大阪大学, Ōsaka daigaku), abbreviated as UOsaka or Handai (阪大), is a national research university in Osaka Prefecture, Japan. The university traces its roots back to Edo-era insti…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_Osaka
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Osaka (Japanese: 大阪市, Hepburn: Ōsaka-shi; pronounced [oː.sa.kaꜜ.ɕi]; commonly just 大阪, Ōsaka [oː.sa.ka] ) is a designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most po…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Osaka
+ 3 more evidence sources
info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.