title: Development of the cerebellum: simple steps to make a 'little brain'.
abstract: The cerebellum is a pre-eminent model for the study of neurogenesis and circuit assembly. Increasing interest in the cerebellum as a participant in higher cognitive processes and as a locus for a range of disorders and diseases make this simple yet elusive structure an important model in a number of fields. In recent years, our understanding of some of the more familiar aspects of cerebellar growth, such as its territorial allocation and the origin of its various cell types, has undergone major recalibration. Furthermore, owing to its stereotyped circuitry across a range of species, insights from a variety of species have contributed to an increasingly rich picture of how this system develops. Here, we review these recent advances and explore three distinct aspects of cerebellar development - allocation of the cerebellar anlage, the significance of transit amplification and the generation of neuronal diversity - each defined by distinct regulatory mechanisms and each with special significance for health and disease.
authors.affiliation: MRC Centre for Developmental Neurobiology, King's College London, London SE1 1UL, UK School of Biological and Chemical Sciences, Queen Mary, University of London, London E1 4NS, UK.
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Butts
authors.affiliation: National Institute for Medical Research, Mill Hill, London NW7 1AA, UK.
authors.forename: Mary J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Green
authors.affiliation: MRC Centre for Developmental Neurobiology, King's College London, London SE1 1UL, UK richard.wingate@kcl.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Richard J T
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Wingate
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000166:cytology / Q000196:embryology*; D002531:Cerebellum / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000166:cytology / Q000196:embryology*; D002659:Child Development Disorders, Pervasive / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D008527:Medulloblastoma / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D008954:Models, Biological; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D014157:Transcription Factors; C062602:transcription factor PTF1
keywords: Atoh1; Autistic spectrum disorder; Granule cell; Medulloblastoma; Ptf1a; Purkinje cell