Building an asymmetric brain: development of the zebrafish epithalamus.
The human brain exhibits notable asymmetries. Little is known about these symmetry deviations; however scientists are beginning to understand them by employing the lateralized zebrafish epithalamus as a model. The zebrafish epithalamus consists of the pineal and parapineal organs and paired habenular nuclei located bilateral to the pineal complex. While zebrafish pineal and parapineal organs arise from a common population of cells, parapineal cells undergo a separate program that allows them to migrate left of the pineal anlage. Studying the processes that lead to brain laterality in zebrafish will allow a better understanding of how human brain laterality is established.
Snelson
Corey D
CD
Department of Biological Sciences, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37235, USA. c.snelson@vanderbilt.edu
Gamse
Joshua T
JT
D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000196:embryology*; D047108:Embryonic Development; D019261:Epithalamus / Q000196:embryology*; D007839:Functional Laterality; D015027:Zebrafish