Keep calm and make neurons: The effects of glucocorticoids on human cortical neurogenesis

Abstract

Maternal well-being is important for the development of the fetus, with a key influence on its nervous system. In this issue of Neuron, Krontira et al.¹ implicate glucocorticoids, the stress hormones, in the regulation of neural stem cell identity and proliferation, with long-lasting consequences on brain architecture and educational attainment.