developmental neurobiology

• What is the focus of developmental neurobiology?

  Understanding neuronal circuit assembly
• What must be understood to study neuronal circuit assembly?

  Cell types and their spatial organization
• Why is embryogenesis important in neurobiology?

  It reveals how nerves and circuits are formed
• What are progenitor cells?

  Early cell types that give rise to neurons
• What directs the generation of neurons during embryogenesis?

  Specific genes and molecules
• When can early brain and spinal cord cells be observed in humans?

  Week 4-5 post fertilization
• Why are many nerve cells conserved throughout vertebrate evolution?

  They mediate essential life functions
• What are model organisms used for in neurobiology?

  To analyze generation and assembly of nerves
• What challenges do cells face during early embryonic development?

  Cell patterning, morphogenesis, differentiation
• How does development progress in cells?

  Cells gradually differentiate over time
• What is differentiation in developmental neurobiology?

  Process by which cells acquire specialized properties
• What governs the differentiation of cells?

  Changes in gene expression
• How do external and internal forces influence cell fate?

  They restrict what cells can become
• What do neural stem-like cells express?

  Genes regulating multipotent state
• What do progenitor cells express?

  Genes directing differentiation and migration
• What do committed differentiated cells express?

  Genes regulating cell cycle exit

  
• How do proteins affect cell behavior?

  They dictate how cells function and interact
• What do developmental neurobiologists study?

  How genes/proteins regulate neural cell behavior
• What is the significance of patterning in neurodevelopment?

  It helps differentiate cell types in specific patterns
• What are the two types of information guiding differentiation?

  Extrinsic and intrinsic information
• How does extrinsic information affect early cells?

  It alters their fate through chemical signals

  
• What is intrinsic information in cells?

  Information already present in the cell
• How do daughter cells inherit fate?

  Through fate-specifying molecules from mother cell

  
• What is the first approach in studying developing embryos?

  Identifying recognizable cell types over time
• How are cells characterized in developmental neurobiology?

  Through their mRNA and protein signatures
• What are gain of function and loss of function studies?

  Experiments to assess gene/protein importance

  
• What do most extrinsic and intrinsic instructions consist of?

  Proteins encoded by genes
• How does differential gene transcription affect cells?

  It results in cells with different functions
• How can gene expression be changed?

  Through extrinsic signals or intrinsic information
• What do fate-determining transcription factors do?

  They activate or repress gene transcription

  
• What happens when a transcription factor activates a new set of genes?

  New mRNAs code for proteins in the cell
• What is the role of secreted proteins in cell signaling?

  They activate signaling pathways in nearby cells
• What is neural induction?

  Process where ectodermal cells become neural cells

  
• When does neural induction occur in embryos?

  From week 3-4 in embryo development
• What is the BMP signaling pathway?

  Key pathway for neural induction
• What do bone morphogenetic proteins do?

  They trigger signal transduction cascades
• What do chordin and noggin do?

  They antagonize BMPs to prevent binding
• How do organizer cells influence ectoderm cells?

  By secreting BMP antagonists
• What happens when BMP signaling is inhibited in ectoderm cells?

  They start transcribing neural stem cell genes

  
• What is the significance of the organizer graft experiment?

  It shows organizer cells induce neural tissue