The development of a brain from its simple beginnings in the embryo to the extraordinarily complex fully-functional adult structure is a truly remarkable process. Understanding how it occurs remains a formidable challenge despite enormous advances over the last century and current intense world-wide scientific research. A greater knowledge of how nervous systems construct themselves will bring huge benefits for human health and future technologies. Unravelling the mechanisms that lead to the development of healthy brains should help scientists tackle currently incurable diseases of the nervous system such as autism, epilepsy and schizophrenia (to name but a few), discover more about the processes that cause the uncontrolled growth associated with cancer and develop possible treatments.
Building Brains provides a highly visual and readily accessible introduction to the main events that occur during neural development and the mechanisms by which they occur. Aimed at undergraduate students and postgraduates new to the field, who may not have a background in neuroscience and/or molecular genetics, it explains how cells in the early embryo first become neural, how their proliferation is controlled, what regulates the types of neural cells they become, how neurons connect to each other, how these connections are later refined under the influence of neural activity including that arising from experience, and why some neurons normally die.


CHAPTER 1: MODELS AND METHODS FOR STUDYING NEURAL DEVELOPMENT.
1.1 What is neural development?
1.2 Why research neural development?
1.3 Major breakthroughs that have contributed to understanding developmental mechanisms.
1.4 Invertebrate model organisms.
1.5 Vertebrate model organisms.
1.6 Other experimental methods for studying neural development and the use of formal theoretical models.

CHAPTER 2: THE ANATOMY OF DEVELOPING NERVOUS SYSTEMS.

2.1 The nervous system develops from the embryonic neuroectoderm.
2.2 Anatomical terms used to describe locations in embryos.
2.3 Development of the neuroectoderm of invertebrates.
2.4 Development of the neuroectoderm of vertebrates and the process of neurulation.
2.5 Secondary neurulation in vertebrates.
2.6 Formation of invertebrate and vertebrate peripheral nervous systems

CHAPTER 3: NEURAL INDUCTION; AN EARLY EXAMPLE OF HO.W INTERCELLULAR SIGNALLING DETERMINES CELL FATES.

3.1 What is neural induction?
3.2 Specification and commitment.
3.3 The discovery of neural induction.
3.4 A more recent breakthrough: identifying molecules that mediate neural induction.
3.5 Conservation of neural induction mechanisms in Drosophila.
3.6 Beyond the default model; other signalling pathways involved in neural induction.
3.7 Signal transduction: how cells respond to intercellular signals.
3.8 Intercellular signalling regulates gene expression.
3.9 The essence of development: a complex interplay of intercellular.

CHAPTER 4: PATTERNING THE NEUROECTODERM.

4.1 Regional patterning of the nervous system.
4.2 Patterning the anteroposterior (AP) axis of the Drosophila CNS.
4.3 Patterning the AP axis of the vertebrate CNS.
4.4 Refining AP axis information within regions and segments.
4.5 Patterning the dorsoventral (DV) axis of the nervous system.
4.6 Bringing it all together: coordinating pattern information in the Drosophila CNS.
4.7 Summary.

CHAPTER 5: NEUROGENESIS - GENERATING NEURAL CELLS.

5.1 Generating neurons.
5.2 Neurogenesis in Drosophila.
5.3 Neurogenesis in vertebrates.
5.4 The regulation of neuronal subtype identity.
5.5 The regulation of cell proliferation during neurogenesis.
5.6 Temporal regulation of neural identity.
5.7 Why do we need to know about neurogenesis?
5.8 Summary.

CHAPTER 6: NEURONAL MIGRATION.

6.1 Many neurons migrate long distances during formation of the nervous system.
6.2 How can neuronal migration be observed.
6.3 Major modes of migration.
6.4 Initiation of migration.
6.5 How are migrating cells guided to their destinations?
6.6 Locomotion.
6.7 Journey's end - termination of migration.
6.8 The mechanisms governing migration of important populations of cortical neurons remain unknown.
6.9 Conclusion.

CHAPTER 7: HOW NEURONS DEVELOP THEIR SHAPES.

7.1 Neurons form two specialised types of outgrowth.
7.2 The growing neurite.
7.3 Stages of neurite outgrowth.
7.4 Neurite outgrowth is influenced by a neuron's surroundings.
7.5 Molecular responses in the growth cone.
7.6 Active transport along the axon is important for outgrowth.
7.7 The development of neuronal polarity.
7.8 Dendrites.
7.9 Summary.

CHAPTER 8: AXON PATHFINDING - THE LONG AND WINDING ROAD.

8.1 Many axons navigate long and complex routes.
8.2 The growth cone.
8.3 How might axons be guided to their targets?
8.4 Breaking the journey - intermediate targets.
8.5 Contact guidance.
8.6 Guidance of axons by diffusible cues - chemotropism.
8.7 How do axons change their behaviour at choice points?
8.8 How can such a small number of cues guide such a large number of axons?
8.9 Some axons form specific connections over very short distances, likely using different mechanisms.
8.10 The growth cone has autonomy in its ability to respond to guidance cues.
8.11 Transcription factors regulate axon guidance decisions.
8.12 Summary.

CHAPTER 9: MAP FORMATION.

9.1 What are maps?
9.2 Types of maps.
9.3 Principles of map formation.
9.4 Development of coarse maps: cortical areas.
9.5 Development of fine maps: topographic.
9.6 Inputs from multiple structures: When maps collide.
9.7 Development of feature maps.
9.8 Summary.

CHAPTER 10: MATURATION OF FUNCTIONAL PROPERTIES.

10.1 Neurons are excitable cells.
10.2 Neuronal excitability during development.
10.3 Developmental processes regulated by neuronal excitability.
10.4 Synaptogenesis.
10.5 Spinogenesis.
10.6 Summary.

CHAPTER 11: LIFE AND DEATH IN THE DEVELOPING NERVOUS SYSTEM.

11.1 The frequency and function of cell death during normal development.
11.2 Cells die in one of two main ways: apoptosis and necrosis.
11.3 Studies in invertebrates have provided much of our knowledge of how cells kill themselves.
11.4 Most of the genes that regulate programmed cell death in C. elegans are conserved in vertebrates.
11.5 Examples of developmental processes in which programmed cell death plays a prominent role.
11.6 Neurotrophic factors are important regulators of cell survival and death.
11.7 A role for electrical activity in regulating programmed cell death.
11.8 Summary.

CHAPTER 12: EXPERIENCE-DEPENDENT DEVELOPMENT.

12.1 Effects of experience on visual system development.
12.2 How does experience change functional connectivity?
12.3 Cellular basis of plasticity: development of inhibitory networks.
12.4 Homeostatic Plasticity.
12.5 Structural plasticity and the role of the extracellular matrix.
12.6 Summary