Visual Abstract

GABAergic inhibitory neurons in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) play a crucial role in higher cognitive functions. Although disruption of their normal development is linked to a number of psychiatric disorders, cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying the normal development of these neurons are poorly understood. Here we found that during postnatal mouse development, Cyp26b1, a gene encoding a retinoic acid-degrading enzyme, is strongly expressed in the PFC and that medial ganglionic eminence (MGE)- show that the thalamus regulates the development of PFC interneurons both by cortexwide and area-specific mechanisms.