Brain Growth and Connectivity
The billions of cells that make up the complex circuitry of the brain arise from a single cell at the beginning of development. Brain growth can be thought of simply as the coordinated output of cellular proliferation, survival and size, thus laying the scaffolding for synaptic development and function. Our work aims to gain insight into how this process is controlled by genetic and environmental factors during development, especially factors that are altered in neurodevelopmental disorders. The image at right is from the brain of a mouse, with neurons marked using green fluorescent protein to visualize the growth and connectivity of a specific population of cells.
Papers on brain growth, connectivity and evolution:
Horng S, Kreiman G, Ellsworth C, Page D, Blank M, Millen K and Sur M (2009) Differential Gene Expression in the Developing Lateral Geniculate Nucleus and Medial Geniculate Nucleus Reveals Novel Functional Roles for Zic4 and Foxp2 in Visual and Auditory Pathway Development. Journal of Neuroscience, 29: 13672-13683 (PubMed Link)
Page DT, Kuti O, Prestia C and Sur M (2009) Haploinsufficiency for Pten and Serotonin transporter cooperatively influences brain size and social behavior. PNAS, 106:1989-1994 (PubMed Link)
Page DT and Olofsson B (2008) Multiple roles for apoptosis facilitating condensation of the Drosophila ventral nerve cord. Genesis 46: 61-68 (PubMed Link)
Olofsson B and Page DT (2005) Condensation of the Central Nervous System in Embryonic Drosophila is Inhibited by Blocking Hemocyte Migration or Neural Activity. Developmental Biology 279: 233-243 (PubMed Link)
Page DT (2004) A mode of arthropod brain evolution suggested by Drosophila commissure development. Evolution & Development 6: 25-31 (PubMed Link)