Towards a New Neuromorphology

(6) By using appropriate molecular markers, all neuron types in the adult CNS can be traced back to a specific progenitor zone within a specific FMU, and the progeny of any FMU can be traced to their final positions with the help of selective labeling approaches. (7) Early outgrowing axons form bundles, which tend to pass close to the border zones of the radial units. By means of their molecularly diversely tuned growth cones, these extending axons decide how to behave at each boundary they encounter, sometimes even reorienting at right angles. Collectively these early axonal bundles form a checkerboard-like scaffold, which accentuates the molecular regionalization of the CNS and leads to the formation of topographically ordered synaptic fields.The book covers all of these aspects in detail, providing a morphologic model (blueprint) that highlights the natural coordinates of CNS structure resulting from the conserved molecularly controlled shaping phenomena within morphogenetic fields.

Presents and incorporates new molecular evidence concerning the fundamental processes of CNS development

1. From classic to modern neuromorphology, an introductory overview.-2. The neural plate.-3. From neural plate to neural tube.-4. The neural tube.-5. The axis of the brain, its flexures and correlates.-6. The (complex) rostral part of the brain.-Summary.-7. The natural coordinate system of the CNS.-8. The fundamental morphological units (FMUs) of the CNS.-9. The structural pattern, 'Bauplan' or 'blueprint' of the CNS.-10. The development of grisea.-11. The 'wiring' of the brain.-12. General summary, conclusions and perspective.-References.-Index.