During the development of the central nervous system, progenitors successively generate distinct types of neurons which assemble into the circuits that underlie our ability to interact with the environment. Spatial and temporal patterning mechanisms are partially evolutionarily conserved processes that allow generation of neuronal diversity from a limited set of progenitors. Here, we review examples of temporal patterning in neuronal progenitors in the Drosophila ventral nerve cord and in the mammalian cerebral cortex. We discuss cell-autonomous mechanisms and environmental influences on the temporal transitions of neuronal progenitors. Identifying the principles controlling the temporal specification of progenitors across species, as highlighted here, may help understand the evolutionary constraints over brain circuit design and function.

中文翻译：

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发育中的无脊椎动物和脊椎动物神经系统中祖细胞时间模式的原理。

在中枢神经系统发育过程中，祖先先后产生不同类型的神经元，这些神经元组装成回路，构成了我们与环境互动的基础。空间和时间模式机制是部分进化保守的过程，其允许从有限的祖细胞集合中产生神经元多样性。在这里，我们回顾在果蝇腹神经索和哺乳动物的大脑皮层神经元祖细胞的时间模式的示例。我们讨论了神经元祖细胞的时间过渡的细胞自主机制和环境影响。如此处强调的那样，确定控制跨物种祖细胞的时间规格的原理，可能有助于了解大脑回路设计和功能的进化限制。