WEEK 5:

GROWTH,
DIFFERENTIATION
AND EVOLUTION
OF THE BRAIN
Presented by:
De Lemos, Alyssa Michelle
Paninsoro, Daniella
Tedding, Alsie Mai
GROWTH OF THE NERVOUS SYSTEM

-The cell formed by the merger

of egg and sperm is known as
a zygote.

-The developing individual is

known as an embryo.

- After the eighth week until

birth, the individual is a fetus.
Fertilization
-A week after conception, the human zygote has already formed
three differentiated bands of cells known as germ layers.
-The outer layer is the ectoderm, which will develop
into the nervous system, skin, and hair.

-The middle layer is the mesoderm, which forms

connective tissue, muscles, blood vessels, bone,
and the urogenital systems.

-The final layer is the endoderm, which will develop

many of the internal organs, including the stomach
and intestines.
-During the third week following
conception, cells in the
ectoderm located along the
dorsal midline begin to
differentiate into a new layer
known as the neural plate.

-Remaining cells in the

ectoderm will form the skin.
Cells differentiate in response
to a combination of genes and
inducing factors, or chemical
signals from other cells.
-In 1924, Hans Spemann
and Hilde Mangold
demonstrated that the
inducing factors responsible
for the differentiation of
neural tissue from future
skin tissue originated in an
area of the embryo called
the organizer region of the
mesoderm.
-As the ectodermal cells begin to differentiate, a groove
or depression forms along the midline of the neural
plate.

-further cell divisions produce two ridges of tissue on

either side of the groove that eventually join to form the
neural tube.

-The interior of the neural tube will be retained in the

adult brain as the system of ventricles and the central
canal of the spinal cord. The surrounding neural tissue
will form the brain and spinal cord.
-Once the neural tube has been formed, development of
the mature nervous system proceeds in a series of six
distinct stages:

(1) continued birth of neurons and glia;

(2) migration of cells to their eventual locations in the
nervous system;
(3) differentiation of neurons into distinctive types;
(4) formation of connections between neurons;
(5) death of particular neurons; and
(6) rearrangement of neural connections.
 THE FORMATION OF NEURONS AND GLIA

-Neurons and glia originate from cells located in the

ventricular zone, a layer of cells lining the inner surface
of the neural tube.

-These progenitor (reproducing) cells in the ventricular

zone divide by mitosis, producing two identical
“daughter” cells.
-progenitor cells producing two additional progenitor cells divide along a cleavage line that
lies perpendicular to the surface of the ventricular zone.

-In contrast, progenitor cells that produce an additional progenitor cell and a migrating cell
divide along a cleavage line that is parallel to the ventricular zone surface.

-The parallel cleavage line means that the daughter cell to the outside will not be attached
to the ventricular zone once the division is complete. This cell will be free to migrate.

-In humans, up to 250,000 new neural cells per minute might be born at the peak of this
cell formation process.

- The Closing of the Neural Tube Early in development (18 days to 23 days in the human),
the developing ectoderm begins to fold and form the neural tube. The tube itself will be
retained in the adult brain in the form of the ventricles and central canal of the spinal cord.
The surrounding tissue will become the brain and spinal cord.
CELL MIGRATION
-The journey of early migrating
cells lasts just a few hours. In
contrast, cells migrating to the
outermost levels of the cerebral
cortex face a journey of up to
two weeks.

-Because of the regularity of

migration, researchers are able
to determine the timing of
certain brain abnormalities with
some accuracy and precision.
For instance, the disarray found in the hippocampus in
some patients with schizophrenia might result from a
disruption of migration during the second trimester of
pregnancy.
DIFFERENTIATION
OF THE NERVOUS
SYSTEM
 !!RECAP!!
There are 3 types of Germ Layers:
1. Ectoderm – outer layer
2. Mesoderm – middle layer
3. Endoderm – final layer
- Vertebrate nervous system
arises from ectodermal
tissue of the embryo, which
also gives rise to the skin.
All ectoderm cells have the
ability to develop into neural
tissue and skin.
 DIFFERENTIATION
- The process by which an
embryonic precursor cell develops
into a specialized mature cell.
- There are three processes occur in
differentiation namely, the neural
plate, neural fold and neural tube.
 NEURAL PLATE
- the first process in the genesis of the nervous
system is called the neural plate. It is formed
from the rapidly dividing ectodorm.
 NEURAL FOLD

- the second process in the genesis of the

nervous system is called the neural fold
- Continued the propagation of these cells,
forces the side of the plate to curve upward.
 NEURAL TUBE
- The side of the ectodermal cells
grow over and serve as the shield
from the external environment which would
result as the skin to overlie the spinal cord
Embryonic Neural Tube Concentric
Zones
1.Ventricular Zone
2.Sub-Ventricular Zone
3.Intermediate Zone
4.Marginal Zone
 1. Ventricular zone
- Neurons and glia originate from cells located in the ventricular
zone, a layer of cells lining in the inner surface of the neural
tube
- Known as the lamina of the to-and-fro nuclear movement
 Ventricular zone
CONT.
- The nucleus of each ventricular
zone migrates but before it
migrates, it should undergo
mitotic
division.

- After dividing, the nuclei of the

daughter cells migrate to the
apical portions where the
replication of its DNA occurs
Ventricular zone CONT.

- The total hours of mitotic and

nuclear migration cycle last up to 5
to 24 hours.
 2. Sub-ventricular zone
- Composed of small cells which
proliferate by mitosis but do not
exhibit the to-and fro nuclear
movements during the mitotic
cycles

- Generates certain classes of

neurons and macroglia of the
CNS
 3. Intermediate
zone
- Evolves into the gray matter of
the CNS with its complex
neural organization

4. Marginal zone
- Cell- sparse layer with no primary cells of
its own
- Invaded by axons, both myelinated
and unmyelinated
- The white matter/ area is made up of
macroglia
EVOLUTION OF
THE NERVOUS
SYSTEM AND
THE HUMAN
BRAIN
 WHAT IS EVOLUTION?
■Evolution is defined by modern
biologists as “descent with
modification from a common
ancestor”.
 TIMELINE OF THE EVOLUTION OF THE
NERVOUS SYSTEM AND THE HUMAN
BRAIN
■ Single-cell organisms appeared about 3.5 million
years ago
■ Animals with very simple nerve nets first developed
about 700 Million years ago
■ More complex animals with the first rudimentary
brain appeared about 250 Million Years ago.
■ The first human brain probably appeared about 7
Million Years ago
 TIMELINE OF
THE EVOLUTION
OF THE
NERVOUS
SYSTEM AND
THE HUMAN
BRAIN
■ Ganglia – First neural network that developed
that is consisted with collection of cells.

■ Chordates – Also referred to as vertebrates.

These are animals/species that is considered
to have a real brain and they have a spinal
column.
 STRUCTURE COMPARISON OF
CHORDATE AND NONCHORDATE
■ Human beings are members of the primate
order. We are further classified as being in
the suborder of apes, the family of
hominids, and the species of Homo
sapiens.
■ What we can notice in the evolution of the
human brain is the change in the brain size
and the behavior that corresponds to it. It
is also one of the outstanding feature of
modern humans.
 HOMO SPECIES AND THE
EVOLUTION OF THEIR BRAIN
■ There have been a number of hominid species
over the past 7 million years, beginning with
Sahelanthropus tchadensis and including several
Australopithecus species.
■ Homo Habilis – lived about 2 million years ago.
Analysis of their fossilized skulls suggested a well-
developed Broca’s area, indicating that speech
was a possibility.
 HOMO SPECIES AND THE EVOLUTION
OF THEIR BRAIN
■ Homo Erectus – lived from about 1.5 million to
perhaps 300,000 years ago. A species with a
nearly modern brain size and has an upright
posture. They have an increased brain size
compared to the Homo Habilis, which also showed
an improvement in their behavior and intellect
such as using advanced tools and the controlled
use of fire. The size of their brain is about 700
cubic cm.
 HOMO SPECIES AND THE EVOLUTION
OF THEIR BRAIN
■ Homo Sapiens – The species of modern humans.
Appeared approximately 200,000 years ago. The
tools that they use appear quite sophisticated, they
can hunt efficiently, and they already developed
culture (an example is the ritual burial of the dead).
A modern human brain is around 1,400 cubic cm.
Brain development then appears to have leveled
off.
 COMPARISON OF HUMAN BRAIN
DEVELOPMENT

HOMO HOMO HOMO

HABILIS ERECTUS SAPIENS
■ The brain development appeared to have
occurred quickly among the hominid species. It
is argued that the availability of high-protein
food sources made it possible to develop larger
brains. Also, it is likely that the new skills such
as tool use, language, social behavior and the
ability to plan for the future drove much of the
increase in the brain size among humans.
■ Although human brain development depended on
the brain size, it doesn’t correlate well with
intelligence within a species. However, it does
correlate with the differences in intelligence
between species, although we need to consider
adjustments for the body size.