Development of the Cerebral Cortex (Ciba Foundation Symposia) - Hardcover

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Research on the development of the cerebral cortex is advancing rapidly. It has long been an area attracting scientists with diverse interests because of the range of the problems posed. Many different approaches are now achieving considerable success, so that older hypotheses are being replaced by new concepts of cortical organization and development. This book presents and evaluates these new approaches. It includes a review of a variety of techniques, such as the analysis of cell growth in culture and specific cell transplantation experiments, that have been invaluable for the analysis of neuronal proliferation and specification. These studies have established that environmental cues participate in the regulation of neuronal differentiation. In addition, ablation of certain neurons at particular developmental stages results in the failure of specific axons to innervate their targets, highlighting the importance of cellular interactions within the developing neural network. The development of labelling techniques using retroviral vectors that express marker genes has also facilitated the analysis of the pattern of cell migration and cell lineage. These new areas of research have important implications for our concepts of structurally differentiated cortical regions and our understanding of brain malformations. Indeed, recent neuropathological investigations and magnetic resonance imaging studies have suggested that abnormalities of cortical development may be associated with neuropsychiatric disorders such as epilepsy and schizophrenia. The relationship between the type and location of the developmental abnormalities and the consequent implications for our understanding of the aetiology of these disorders are also discussed in this book. Related Ciba Foundation Symposia: No. 184 Higher-order processing in the visual system Chairman: Michael Morgan 1994 ISBN 0 471 94412 2 No. 182 Germline development Chairwoman: Anne McLaren 1994 ISBN 0 471 94264 2 No. 181 Neural tube defects Chairwoman: Judith Hall 1994 ISBN 0 471 94172 7