[Verse 1]
In the early embryonic haze
Medial pallium sets the stage
Cortical hem whispers Wnt3a's name
BMP and Lhx2 join the game
Emx2, Foxg1 stake their claim
While Lef1 and Prox1 fan the flame
Field specification draws the map
Where hippocampus will unwrap
[Chorus]
From E14 to postnatal days
Eight stages in the neural maze
CA pyramids migrate inside-out
DG granules take the scenic route
Perforant paths and mossy trails
GABA switches, never fails
By weaning time the circuit's prime
Dancing through developmental time
[Verse 2]
Mid-gestation brings the birth
CA3 and CA1 prove their worth
Radial glia scaffold the ascent
Reelin guides where pyramids went
Cajal-Retzius cells direct the flow
Inside-out migration's grand show
E14 to 16 peaks the wave
Neural architects bold and brave
[Chorus]
From E14 to postnatal days
Eight stages in the neural maze
CA pyramids migrate inside-out
DG granules take the scenic route
Perforant paths and mossy trails
GABA switches, never fails
By weaning time the circuit's prime
Dancing through developmental time
[Verse 3]
Late embryonic DG starts its dance
Primary matrix takes its chance
Secondary, tertiary matrices unfold
Granule cell stories yet untold
SGZ niche persists through life
Prox1 cuts through neural strife
Postnatal waves keep flowing free
Adult neurogenesis key
[Bridge]
Prenatal EC axons creep inside
Laminar guideposts as their guide
Eph ephrin semaphorin show the way
Postnatal mossy fibers come to play
Week one to three they find their mark
Stratum lucidum lights the dark
[Verse 4]
First postnatal week arrives with flair
Depolarizing GABA fills the air
NKCC1 high and KCC2 low
GDPs and calcium waves flow
P7 to 14 brings the switch
KCC2 flips the neural pitch
GABA turns inhibitory
AMPAR insertion tells the story
[Verse 5]
Critical periods shape the form
Synaptic scaling rides the storm
Homeostatic plasticity reigns
LTP and LTD in the chains
Schaffer collaterals make connections
Memory circuits in reflections
Trisynaptic loops complete their arc
Place cells fire with temporal mark
[Chorus]
From E14 to postnatal days
Eight stages in the neural maze
CA pyramids migrate inside-out
DG granules take the scenic route
Perforant paths and mossy trails
GABA switches, never fails
By weaning time the circuit's prime
Dancing through developmental time
[Outro]
After weaning circuits shine complete
Theta gamma SWR beat
Experience sculpts the plastic brain
Hippocampal formation's reign