Mechanisms of Cortical Development

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Summary: Mechanisms of Cortical Development
Review: The Mechanisms of Cortical Development describes current thinking about both the general principles and the specific stages of corticogenesis in an order that parallels their occurrence in development. The book begins by describing how cortical precursor cells in the ventricular zone know when to divide and when to migrate; where to migrate and where to stop; and what cell-type and which cortical layer to differentiate into. The book then discusses how the complex network of efferent and afferent connections between cortical and subcortical structures is formed, and the mechanisms that regulate naturally occurring cell death, which is an integral part of this process. The book finishes by considering the genesis of sensory 'maps' and the receptive field properties of the sensory neurones therein. The text is clear and well written. The figures presented in each section are simple but informative. The general terms and principles used in the text are explicitly defined, and tables are provided that describe the many factors (e.g., trophic, extracellular matrix, and gene transcription factors) that have been implicated in cortical development - information that in of itself makes this book significant among neuroscience texts.

While it is clear from reading The Mechanisms of Cortical Development that much progress over the last few decades has been made towards understanding how the cortex forms, including the cellular, chemical and molecular processes involved, we may never completely understand how these different processes come together to create the complexity of the cortex. Where there is still little understanding, Price and Willshaw also consider the questions researchers in the field are currently studying, the hypotheses that have been proposed as answers to them, and an analyses of the techniques that are being used to test these hypotheses.

In short, this book should prove eminently useful to both specialists and students of neuroscience alike, especially given its unique perspective, which, reflecting the expertise of the authors, includes both biology and biological modeling. Instead of making the text too diverse, rather this dual perspective facilitates a more thorough consideration of the complex processes by which the cortex forms.

(From the British Neuroscience Association Newsletter)