Towards a New Neuromorphology

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This book illustrates how the systematic study of gene expression patterns in embryonic and adult brains, alongside selected earlier data, can lead to a new understanding of neuromorphology. Key features include: (1) Causal analysis reveals that the CNS is organized into transverse segments or neuromeres and longitudinal zones along the brain's curved axis. (2) FMUs start as thin neuroepithelial fields and develop into three-dimensional radial units extending from the ventricular to the meningeal surface. (3) Key histogenetic processes like cellular proliferation, migration, and differentiation occur within these radial units, governed by specific developmental regulatory genes. (4) While most neurons migrate radially within their FMUs, some neuroblasts migrate tangentially to other territories, colonizing different FMUs. (5) Adult brain structures, including the cerebral and cerebellar cortices, arise from the radial and tangential mingling of these migrated cells. (6) Using molecular markers, all neuron types in the adult CNS can be traced back to specific progenitor zones within FMUs, with selective labeling revealing their final positions. (7) Early axons form bundles that navigate boundary zones of radial units, guided by diverse growth cones that influence their behavior at each boundary. These bundles create a checkerboard-like scaffold, enhancing the molecular regionalization of the CNS and forming topographically orde