Lecture 4-Development of the nervous system Flashcards
What does the embryo look like about 2 weeks after fertilisation?
-at that stage the embryo is indistinguishable from a flat disk of cells -sits in this layer between two spaces that are like bubbles -the embryo is in between, no organs, no recognisable parts -trilaminar embryo
What are the three layers of the trilaminar embryo called?
-ectoderm -mesoderm -endoderm
What is the process of neuralation?
-patch of tissue at the tip of the ectoderm (the neural plate) starts to specialise and becomes neuroepithelium (=, the stem cells of the nervous system, basic type of tissue, associated with the skin and gut, this is as the nervous system in evolutionary terms is modified patch of skin -reflects the fact that in the past skin used to be the endophase between the organism and the outside
What does the neural plate develop into?
-neural groove and then neural tube
How does the neural tube form?
-at about 2-3 weeks of age, the first signs of structure -tissue made of three layers, inwards fold of the ectoderm into the mesoderm and endoderm -this forms a groove and the sides start to bend towards each other -then forms a tube (derived from ectoderm) -the tube becomes free from ectoderm and floats beneath it amongst the mesoderm and endoderm -this tube= neural tube and it will become the CNS -only a cell thick
What is the process of neural tube formation along the lengths of the embryo?
-the invagination runs from the head end towards the tail end, so the head end is a bit older in terms of development -rostral to caudal gradient in formation of nervous system -rostral is older
What are the 5 stages of the neural fold closure?
-happens in stages 1.the back and goes in both directions 2. the head 3. face 4. nape of the neck 5. the lower part of the back
What is spina bifida?
-lesion in the lower back of the baby where the neural tube failed to close -brings problem in spinal development, problems with motor skills -failure in stage 5
What is anecephaly?
-failure in stage 2 of neural fold closure -no upper part of the brain and head, no higher centers -stillborn
What happens in segmentation of the neural tube?
-the rostral end starts swelling (vessiculation) -forms 3 distinct vesicles 1.Prosencephalon (forebrain) 2. Mesencephalon (midbrain) 3. Rhombencephalon (hindbrain) -what is left of the tube will form the spinal cord
What happens in further segmentation of the neural tube?
-the three vesicles divide further -the Prosencephalon splits into= telencephalon and diencephalon -Rombencelphalon- divides into 7 segments -rets is spinal cord -looks like a worm and it points to the evolutionary history
What is the third stage in segmentation?
-what was just straight folds and double backs on itself -rombencephelon splits into metencephalon and myelencephalon these will be pons and medulla respectivelly -telencephalon is at the front will become cortex -diencephalon= deep cortex -mesencephalon= midbrain -in diencephalon there are two outgrows= will become retinae, (optic vesicles) (eyes are also part of the brain) -telencephalon= already forming two hemispheres
What does the Prosencephalon (forebrain) develop into?
Five vesicle stage= Telencephalon and Diencephalon -Mature brain= 1. Telencephalon=cortex,basal ganglia, hippocampus 2.Diencephalon=Thalamus and hypothalamus
What does the Mesencephalon (midbrain) develop into?
-five vesicle stage: Mesencephalon -mature brain= midbrain
What does the Rhombencephalon (hindbrain) develop into?
-five vesicle stage: Metencephalon, Myelencephalon -mature brain 1. Metencephalon= Pons and cerebellum 2. Myelencephalon= Medulla
What does the caudal neural tube develop into?
-five vesicle stage: caudal neural tube -mature: spinal cord
What is the brain like after the segmentation process?
-series of thin-walled bubbles
What is the neural crest?
-cells at the top of neural tube form neural crest -at around the time the tube is being sealed -migrate away from neural tube to form a wide range of structures
What are the neural crest derivatives?
-PNS- dorsal root ganglia, sympathetic and parasympathetic ganglia, enteric ganglia, Schwann cells -Melanocytes (pigment cells) -Muscle cartilage and bone of skull, jaws, face and pharynx -Dentine cells (teeth- partly)
How do the neural crest cells migrate?
-from neural crest 1.laterally under the skin(melanocytes) 2. to site of dorsal root ganglia 3-Through somite to sympathetic ganglia -the migration occurs from top of the neural tube -neural crest cells follow specific paths through the embryo
What happens if the neural crest cells fail to migrate?
-born without a face (everything on it is formed from those cells) -milder version= cleft palate, some failure, the neural crest cells didn’t finish the job
What can you see forming in the second embryo?
-big change of size in a day -green= neural crest cells -older embryo can see the migrated cells and how they form what will be the PNS
How does the enteric system arise?
-neural crest cell migration from what will be the hindbrain down what will be the vagus nerve into the gut -the longest migration in the body and goes on for the longest period of time -9m long gut on avg.
How does the neuroepithelium add layers to generate the cortex?
-the brain is still mostly empty space, needs to be filled with neurons -cortex is a structure with different cells from top to bottom= formed: - single cell layer, cells dividing quickly, the spin off daughter cells that start to differentiate and turn into neurons -first neurons that are born are right at the bottom of the neuroepithelium -then they migrate up to form multiple layers in the cortex or else -cell bodies sink to the lower level -inside out process = building of the cortex