Lecture 11; Brain development Lecture 3 Flashcards
Define neuraldevelopmental disorders;
•Impairments in growth and development of the CNS
–Can occur in prenatal or postnatal life
What are some examples of NDD?
–Neural tube defects, neuronal migration/proliferation disorders, synaptic disorders (e.g. Autism), myelin disorders (Leukodystrophies)
What are some causes of disorders?
Multiple causes
What are genetic disorders?
•Variation or a mutation in a gene–Random gene mutations, environmental exposure, inherited
Neural tube defects
Neural migrational disorders
White matter myelin disorders
Whats the most common birth defect?
Neural tube defects 1;500-1000 births
What is a neural tube defect?
•Brain and/or spinal cord exposed at birth
–Defect in skull or vertebrae
–Incomplete closure of the neural tube
What are the types of disorders from neural tube defects?
•Anencephaly, Encephaloceles, Hydranencephaly, Spina bifida
What is a strong cause of neural tube closure failure?
•Folic acid (vitamin B9) deficiency
What is folate required for?
– Folate required for cell production and maintenance during neural tube development (neurulation)
–Folate prior to and during pregnancy
What is anencephaly?
No brain
What is Encephaloceles?
‐ protrusion of brain through skull in a sac like membrane. Surgery effec9ve. Intellectual disability
What is Hydranencephaly ?
missing cerebral hemispheres, replaced by sacs of fluid
What is spina bifida?
opening of the spinal cord. Meninges or spinal cord herination
Most common NTD (~50%)
What is a cruicial determinate of insut and outcome?
timing during development
When does majority of neural migration occur?
12-24 weeks
What does failure of migration usually cause?
•Failure of normal neuroblast migration often causes neurons to accumulate in unusual areas (heterotopias)
What are some types of heterotopias?
–Focal (nodular heterotopias), Basically ‘clumps’ of neurons located in the wrong part of the brain
•All levels of the migration pathway (VZ to CP)–Diffuse band heterotopias
•Band of neurons formed in the WM beneath the cortex
What are some examples of disorders from migration interruption?
Lissencephaly, polymicrogyria, focal cortical dysplasia, schizencephaly
What are some effects from neural migration interruption?
Epilepsy, intellectual disabilities
What does migration completion depend on?
Completion depends on GABAergic neurons
What is Lissencephaly?
Absent (agyria) or decreased (pachygyria) cortical folding
Describe type one l Lissencephaly?
E.g. Type 1 LIS
–Migratory defect occurs 12-16 weeks gestation
–Very thick 4-layered cortex
–Hypotonia (muscle weakness) at birth, develop progressive spasticity
–Seizures start within first few months of life
What do most Lissencephaly result from?
Most cases results from LIS1 gene disruption
–Encodes B-acetylhydrolase
–Degrades platelet activating factor (PAF)
•Accumulation of PAF impairs neuronal migration
What are the side effects of LIS?
•Early developmental delay, early diffuse hypotonia, spastic quadriplegia, seizures, severe intellectual disability
What are subcortical Band Heterotopia ?
Bands of neurons are located in the white matter between the cortex and the lateral ventricles
What causes majority ofsubcortical Band Heterotopia?
•Majority of cases due to mutations of the doublecortin (DCX) gene
–Encodes the DCX protein expressed in migrating neuroblasts
–Regulates cytoskeletal dynamics and neuroblast migration
DCX is important in growth cones and radial glial movement
What is focal cortical dysplasia?
Spectrum of abnormalities of the laminar structure of the cortex