Physical biology of human brain development

Budday, S., Steinmann, P. and Kuhl, E. (2015) Physical biology of human brain development. Frontiers in Cellular Neuroscience, 9, 257. (doi: 10.3389/fncel.2015.00257) (PMID:26217183) (PMCID:PMC4495345)

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Abstract

Neurodevelopment is a complex, dynamic process that involves a precisely orchestrated sequence of genetic, environmental, biochemical, and physical events. Developmental biology and genetics have shaped our understanding of the molecular and cellular mechanisms during neurodevelopment. Recent studies suggest that physical forces play a central role in translating these cellular mechanisms into the complex surface morphology of the human brain. However, the precise impact of neuronal differentiation, migration, and connection on the physical forces during cortical folding remains unknown. Here we review the cellular mechanisms of neurodevelopment with a view toward surface morphogenesis, pattern selection, and evolution of shape. We revisit cortical folding as the instability problem of constrained differential growth in a multi-layered system. To identify the contributing factors of differential growth, we map out the timeline of neurodevelopment in humans and highlight the cellular events associated with extreme radial and tangential expansion. We demonstrate how computational modeling of differential growth can bridge the scales-from phenomena on the cellular level toward form and function on the organ level-to make quantitative, personalized predictions. Physics-based models can quantify cortical stresses, identify critical folding conditions, rationalize pattern selection, and predict gyral wavelengths and gyrification indices. We illustrate that physical forces can explain cortical malformations as emergent properties of developmental disorders. Combining biology and physics holds promise to advance our understanding of human brain development and enable early diagnostics of cortical malformations with the ultimate goal to improve treatment of neurodevelopmental disorders including epilepsy, autism spectrum disorders, and schizophrenia.

Item Type:Articles
Additional Information:This study was supported by the German National Science Foundation grant STE 544/50-1 to SB and PS and by the Bio-X IIP seed grant “Understanding gyrification dynamics in the human brain” to EK.
Status:Published
Refereed:Yes
Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID:Steinmann, Professor Paul
Authors: Budday, S., Steinmann, P., and Kuhl, E.
College/School:College of Science and Engineering > School of Engineering > Infrastructure and Environment
Journal Name:Frontiers in Cellular Neuroscience
Publisher:Frontiers Media
ISSN:1662-5102
ISSN (Online):1662-5102
Copyright Holders:Copyright © 2015 Budday, Steinmann and Kuhl.
First Published:First published in Frontiers in Cellular Neuroscience 9:257
Publisher Policy:Reproduced under a creative commons licence
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