MERFISH on developing thalamus

The thalamus plays a central coordinating role in the brain. Thalamic
neurons are organized into spatially-distinct nuclei, but the molecular
architecture of thalamic development is poorly understood, especially in
humans. To begin to delineate the molecular trajectories of cell fate
specification and organization in the developing human thalamus, we used
single-cell and multiplexed spatial transcriptomics. Here we show that
molecularly-defined thalamic neurons differentiate in the second trimester
of human development and that these neurons organize into spatially and
molecularly distinct nuclei. We identify major subtypes of glutamatergic
neuron subtypes that are differentially enriched in anatomically distinct
nuclei. In addition, we identify six subtypes of GABAergic neurons that
are shared and distinct across thalamic nuclei.