In spite of the high metabolic cost of cellular production, the brain contains only a fraction of the neurons generated during embryonic development. In the rodent cerebral cortex, a first wave of programmed cell death surges at embryonic stages and affects primarily progenitor cells. A second, larger wave unfolds during early postnatal development and ultimately determines the final number of cortical neurons. Programmed cell death in the developing cortex is particularly dependent on neuronal activity and unfolds in a cell-specific manner with precise temporal control. Pyramidal cells and interneurons adjust their numbers in sync, which is likely crucial for the establishment of balanced networks of excitatory and inhibitory neurons. In contrast, several other neuronal populations are almost completely eliminated through apoptosis during the first two weeks of postnatal development, highlighting the importance of programmed cell death in sculpting the mature cerebral cortex.

中文翻译：

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脑皮质中的发育性细胞死亡。

尽管细胞生产的新陈代谢成本很高，但大脑仅包含胚胎发育过程中产生的神经元的一小部分。在啮齿动物的大脑皮层中，程序化细胞死亡的第一波在胚胎期激增，并主要影响祖细胞。第二个更大的波浪在出生后早期发育过程中展开，并最终决定了皮层神经元的最终数量。发育中的皮质中的程序性细胞死亡特别依赖于神经元活动，并以精确的时间控制以细胞特异性方式展开。金字塔形细胞和中间神经元同步调节其数量，这对于建立兴奋性和抑制性神经元的平衡网络可能至关重要。相比之下，