Brain size and function depend on the generation of the appropriate number of neurons during development and their proper assembly into neural circuits. Our lab is dedicated to the study of neurogenesis (i.e., the generation of new neurons) in the mammalian brain, in general, and in the cerebral cortex, in particular. Specifically, we want to know how neurogenesis is controlled during development and why it persists in only a few particular brain regions in adulthood. To address these issues, we are applying molecular, cellular and anatomical techniques to a variety of mammalian models. Knowing the mechanisms that govern neurogenesis can further our understanding of the developmental basis of both the generation of neural diversity across species as well as the pathogenesis of abnormalities in humans. Moreover, continued neuronal production may have implications for plasticity in the adult brain – particularly for enhancing the brain’s own capacity for self-repair after neuronal loss due to injury or neurodegenerative disease.

Kornack, D.R. and Giger, R.J. 2005, Probing microtubule +TIPs: regulation of axon branching. Curr. Opin. Neurobiol. 15: XXX-XXX (in press).

Kornack, D.R. 2004, Adult neurogenesis in the primate forebrain. In: The Cognitive Neurosciences, 3rd ed. Gazzaniga, M.S. ed. Cambridge: MIT Press, pp.23-32.

Kornack, D.R. and Rakic, P. 2001, Cell proliferation without neurogenesis in adult primate neocortex. Science, 294: 2127-2130.

Kornack, D.R. and Rakic, P. 2001, The generation, migration, and differentiation of olfactory neurons in the adult primate brain.Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 98: 4752-4757.

Rakic P. and Kornack, D.R. 2001, Neocortical expansion and elaboration during primate evolution: a view from neuroembryology. In: Falk, D. and Gibson, K. eds. Evolutionary Anatomy of the Primate Cerebral Cortex. Cambridge University Press.

Kornack, D.R. 2000, Neurogenesis and the evolution of cortical diversity: mode, tempo, and partitioning during development and persistence in adulthood. Brain Behav. Evol. 55: 336-344.

Haydar, T.H., Kornack, D.R., Rakic, P. 2000, Differences in the corticogenic cell cycle between primates and rodents persist in vitro: evidence for intrinsic regulation of neocortical diversity. Soc. Neurosci. Abstr. 26: 608.

Kornack, D.R. and Rakic, P. 1999, Continuation of neurogenesis in the hippocampus of the adult macaque monkey. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA96 : 5768-5773.

Kornack, D.R. and Rakic, P. 1998, Changes in cell-cycle kinetics during the development and evolution of primate neocortex. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 95:1242-1246.

Kornack, D.R. and Rakic, P. 1995, Radial and horizontal deployment of clonally related cells in the primate neocortex: relationship to distinct mitotic lineages. Neuron 15: 311-321.