Cortical Development Flashcards
Stages of Brain Development
- 0-4 weeks: Neurolation
- 4-8 weeks: Neuronal Proliferation
- 12-Birth: Neural Migration
- 16/18 weeks – late childhood: Apotosis
- 18 weeks – Late childhood: Synaptogenesis
- 30 weeks – Adulthood: Myelination
Neuronal Proliferation
Neurons destined for the neocortex are produced in the proliferative zone near the cerebral ventricle (ventricular zone)
(proliferation means cells greatly increase in #)
organizer controls pattern of proliferation via chemical signals in neural tube
Neurolation
Folding & fusion of the ectoderm to create the neural tube
Neural tube becomes the CNS
Happens week 0-4;
Week 5: ecotoderm differentiated into different brain structures
Neural Migration
Neurons migrate along radial glial cells to the relevant layer of the cortex
phase 3 of prenatal development
cells need to migrate from ventricular zone and aggregate in this process
Brain volume growth
Total: Peak = 10 (females) & 14 (Males)
Grey: Peak = 10 (males) & 8 (females)
WM: steep increase in first year; Then less rapid growth up to young adulthood
Grey Matter in adolesence
So despite global changes in GM – we can see that it the thickness that is showing the most marked reduction
Change in grey matter volume refers to a change in:
Thickness
Surface area
Sulcation
Process of brain growth in the 2nd – 3rd trimester
Abnormality = Lissencephaly (smooth brain)
Abnormality of sulcation
Lissencephaly (smooth brain)
Gyrification
development of the surface folds
Sulcation development
13-17 gestational weeks - appearance of the first sulcus
18-19 gestational weeks - development of the periinsular sulci
20-22 gestational weeks - central sulci and opercularization of the insula
24-26 gestational weeks - covering of the posterior insula
27-28 gestational weeks - closure of the lateral sulcus (Sylvian fissure or lateral fissure)
3 types of sulci
Primary
Consistently located
Easily recognisable
Central and Superior Frontal
2) Secondary
Branches of the Primary Sulci
3) Tertiary
Branches of the secondary Sulci
Individual differences
8/9month of pregnancy and into first year of life
Theories of Gyrification
- Skull preventing the brain growing
- Axonal Tension Theory
- Differential Radial Growth – Richman 1975
- Differential Tangential Growth – Ronan 2014
- Constrained cortical expansion - Tallinen 2014, 2016
Axonal Tension Theory
Axons connecting two areas are pulling on cortex and this causes them to fold. BUT: Axonal tension does exist but it quite weak; there are more gyri than sulci
Constrained Cortical Expansion
Grey matter is expanding rapidly
White matter isn’t
Based on this theory:
Polymicrogyria based on Constrained Cortical Expansion Theory
Poly microgryia = thin cortex but large surface area so it folds more