Chinese scientists have discovered the basic rules of brain development in primates, which is expected to open up new lines of thinking in treating brain diseases such as epilepsy and autism.

After more than three years of research, Yang Zhengang from the Institute of Brain Science at Fudan University and his research team found that the cerebral cortical inhibitory neurons of humans and macaques - both primates - generate from the embryonic ganglionic eminences, rather than being produced by the cortex itself, a long-held belief.

The study was published in the international scientific journal Nature Neuroscience online earlier this month.