Cortical Type: The Basis for a Modern Neurodevelopmental Synthesis (Ontogeny, Phylogeny, Synaptic Connectivity) of the Human Cerebral Cortex

The human cerebral cortex can be parceled into cortical areas according to particular physiological, clinico-pathological, and anatomical features. Alternatively, it can be parceled into cortical types based on laminar complexity. Cortical types are related to synaptic connectivity and are rooted in ontogeny and phylogeny. In this review, first, we summarize the history of human cortical type schemes and provide a Rosetta Stone to help identify the equivalences between them. Second, we review the developmental specification, phylogenesis, and embryogenesis of mammalian cortical types within the frame of the Prosomeric Model and the Hypothesis of the Dual Origin of the Neocortex and propose a causal model for human pallial patterning. Finally, we relate human cortical types to molecular features and synaptic connectivity according to the principles of the Structural Model. A Modern Neurodevelopmental Synthesis of the human cortex emerges, aiming to be a helpful framework for experimental design in basic and clinical neuroscience.