Our understanding of the molecular mechanisms involved in mammalian brain development remains limited. However, the last few years have wit nessed a quantum leap in our knowledge, due to technological improve ments, particularly in molecular genetics. Despite this progress, the available body of data remains mostly phenomenological and reveals very little about the grammar that organizes the molecular dictionary to articulate a pheno type. Nevertheless, the recent progress in genetics will allow us to contem plate, for the first time, the integration of observation into a coherent view of brain development. Clearly, this may be a major challenge for the next century, and arguably is the most important task of contemporary develop mental biology. The purpose of the present book is to provide an overview that syn thesizes up-to-date information on selected aspects of mouse brain devel opment. Given the format, it was not possible to cover all aspects of brain development, and many important subjects are missing. The selected themes are, to a certain extent, subjective and reflect the interests of the contributing authors. Examples of major themes that are not covered are peripheral nervous system development, including myelination, the development of the hippocampus and several other CNS structures, as well as the developmental function of some important morphoregulatory molecules.

This book is the first to focus on brain development in the mouse, which is fast becoming the model of choice for mammalian development studies Includes supplementary material: sn.pub/extras

Klappentext

With the enormous development of human and mouse genomics and the availability of a variety of transgenic techniques, the mouse has become the most widely used animal for basic studies of brain development and as a model for human developmental disorders. The topics are addressed using a diversity of techniques, from genetic, biochemical and cell biological to morphological and functional. The conceptual approaches also provide a framework for studies of other problems and point the way towards future research.

Inhalt
Introduction.- Mapping Genes that Modulate Mouse Brain Development.- Genetic Interactions During Hindbrain Segmentation in the Mouse Embryo.- Neurogenetic Compartments of the Mouse Diencephalon and Some Characteristic Gene Expression Patterns.- Neuronogenesis and the Early Events of Neocortical Histogenesis.- Programmed Cell Death in Mouse Brain Development.- Neurotrophic Factors: Versatile Signals for Cell-Cell Communication in the Nervous System.- Growth Factors' Influences on the Production and Migration of Cortical Neurons.- Signalling From Tyrosine Kinases in the Developing Neurons and Glia of the Mammalian Brain.- The Role of the p35/cdk5 Kinase in Cortical Development.- The Reelin Signalling Pathway and Mouse Brain Development.- The Subpial Granular Layer in the Developing Cerebral Cortex of Rodents.- Development of Thalamocortical Projections in Normal and Mutant Mice.