¹û¶³Ó°Ôº

The course will cover early development of the nervous system (including induction and initial patterning of the CNS, neural progenitors, and genetic analysis of laterality in the developing CNS), origin of neural phenotypes (including organizer patterning in the CNS, migration of neurons and motor circuitry in the developing spinal cord and the plasticity of neural circuits), peripheral development (including neurogenesis and neuron-glial switch, and regulation of Schwann cell development and differentiation), and axons, synapses and circuits (including axon guidance in the visual system of Drosophila, axon outgrowth and Ca2+ in growth cones).

The students will become familiar with the cutting-edge research done at ¹û¶³Ó°Ôº into Developmental Neurobiology. They will grasp and understand the knowledge of the research in this field as it progresses. They will learn about the initial patterning of the nervous system, neuronal differentiation and specification, axon guidance mechanisms and the initial formation of synapses during development and the plasticity of neural circuits. The module will be organized roughly in accordance with the ontogeny of development itself.

Indicative lecture titles

Week 1: Early development

• Neurogenesis Paula Alexandre Zebrafish
• Laterality in the CNS Steve Wilson Zebrafish
• Neurulation Gabriel Galea Mouse

Week 2: Mid development

• Neuronal cell fate & plasticity Richard Poole C.elegans
• Neurogenesis & glia William Richardson Mouse
• Ear sensory system Nicolas Daudet Mouse

Week 3: Late development

• Synapse formation Patricia Salinas Mouse
• Schwann cell development Kristjan Jessen Mouse
• Axon guidance Christiana Ruhrburg Mouse

Week 4: The visual system and neural circuits

• Neuron-glia interaction Ryan Macdonald Zebrafish
• Neuron-glia interaction Vil Fernandes Drosophila
• Neural circuit & modulation Arantza Barrios C. elegans