The study, presented by two researchers from the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in the United States, has discovered how cells migrate at the developing brain stage and how other types of cells may travel inside the body. A critical stage of human development is how cells manage their migratory patterns in the human body. Another critical element is the process by which they differentiate or evolve from less specialised cells into more specialised cell types. According to researchers, bad coordination could trigger abnormal development, and in turn lead to cancer.

The results could provide major insight into neurological development and help elucidate cancer metastasis. Part of this study was backed with a Marie Curie Fellowship grant via the EU. 

In order to reach this conclusion, researchers studied the migration of cells in the cerebral cortex of the developing brain. The cerebral cortex, which is the grey matter of the cerebrum, plays a significant role in the human body, specifically controlling memory, attention, perceptual awareness, language, consciousness and thought.

In the study, they explained that if we take a look at a human foetus, the cortex grows 'from the inside out' through the addition of new nerve cells. These neurons move from the inside and pass between neurons already located in intermediate layers. They then create new layers on the outside. The researchers found a number of signals that control a specific stage in a cortical neuron's trip. According to them, new nerve cells start moving from the inside to the outside in a straight line until they reach a layer known as the 'intermediate zone', which is a niche for some neurons but a major spot for many axons (connecting fibres).

During their research, they identified a signalling protein called Reelin, which is created by cells found in the cortex's most outer layer. Mutations in the Reelin gene trigger significant abnormalities in cortical layers. Until now no one has been able to figure out when cell migration goes awry in the absence of Reelin. The findings indicate that new nerve cells respond to Reelin as they emerge from the intermediate zone. The membrane protein N-cadherin swells on the surface of the cells when Reelin enters the picture. This boost enables the neuron to select the appropriate direction for its next migration stage.