Università Roma Tre

Main goal of the course is to provide advanced knowledge in developmental biology, with special reference to vertebrate nervous system. The cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying nervous tissue differentiation and morphogenesis will be addressed in different in vivo and in vitro models. Life-long functional implications of neurogenesis and plasticity will be emphasized.

Upon completion of the course, the student will acquire:
1) Knowledge of neurodevelopmental processes of vertebrate nervous system;
2) Knowledge of the principal molecular pathways of neurogenesis;
3) Ability to correlate ontogenetic abnormalities with specific neurological disturbances, including infantile diseases and age-related neurodegeneration;
4) Competence in recognizing mammalian neurodevelopmental stages, by observation of synthetic models or histological slides;
5) Competence in utilizing morphological techniques (immunohistochemistry, immunofluorescence, electron microscopy), to characterize mammalian brain at different stages.

Program of lectures and lab sessions
Overview of developmental processes of pluricellular organisms. Germ cell layers. Ectodermal derivation of neural tissue in invertebrates e vertebrates. Specification of neuroectoderm and neurulation process in vertebrates. Primary neurulation: cellular e molecular mechanisms of neural plate, folds, furrow, and tube formation. Secondary neurulation. Neural tube defects in mammals: genetic and environmental causes of anencephaly and spina bifida. Morphogenesis and differentiation of the encephalon and spinal cord. Role of cell death in the morphogenesis of the central nervous system: apoptotic and autophagic pathways. Neural crest: specification and regionalization. Cell migration and differentiation of cephalic, cardiac, trunk, vagal e sacral neural crest. Multipotency e plasticity of neural crest cells. Layering of cortical structures in the cerebrum and cerebellum. Congenital diseseases associated with defects to neuronal migration: the case of peroxisomal disorders. Neural stem cells: neuronal and glial differentiation. Adult neurogenesis in mammals: the subventricular and subgranular zones. The concept of stem cell niche. Regulatory pathways of the neurogenic niche. Neurogenesis and neurodegeneration in the senescent brain. Age-related neurodegenerative diseases: common and specific features. Protein aggregates, role of apoptotic and autophagic pathways, and stem cell-based therapies against neurodegeneration.

GILBERT: "DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY", SINAUER ASSOCIATES, INC.
SANES ET AL.: "DEVELOPMENT OF THE NERVOUS SYSTEM", ELSEVIER INC.