title: Using the neurofibromatosis tumor predisposition syndromes to understand normal nervous system development.
abstract: Development is a tightly regulated process that involves stem cell self-renewal, differentiation, cell-to-cell communication, apoptosis, and blood vessel formation. These coordinated processes ensure that tissues maintain a size and architecture that is appropriate for normal tissue function. As such, tumors arise when cells acquire genetic mutations that allow them to escape the normal growth constraints. In this regard, the study of tumor predisposition syndromes affords a unique platform to better understand normal development and the process by which normal cells transform into cancers. Herein, we review the processes governing normal brain development, discuss how brain cancer represents a disruption of these normal processes, and highlight insights into both normal development and cancer made possible by the study of tumor predisposition syndromes.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Washington University School of Medicine, Box 8111, 660 South Euclid Avenue, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA.
authors.forename: Cynthia
authors.identifier: 0000-0003-4731-7964
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Garcia
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Washington University School of Medicine, Box 8111, 660 South Euclid Avenue, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA.
authors.forename: David H
authors.initials: DH
authors.lastname: Gutmann