UNIVERSITY OF HERTFORDSHIRE
		 COMPUTER SCIENCE RESEARCH COLLOQUIUM

			      presents

		      "Spots before the Eyes:
		     Tracking Brain Development"

	                Dr. Samantha England
	  (Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience,
			University of Cambridge)


		       5 December 2007 (Wednesday)

			  Lecture Theatre E350
		       Hatfield, College Lane Campus
			       3 - 4 pm

	       Coffee/tea and biscuits will be available.

		    Everyone is Welcome to Attend



Abstract:

Understanding biological development presents significant challenges for
data visualization.  During neurulation (the process of brain formation)
the two-dimensional forebrain neural plate must fold into a tube whilst
evaginating two eyes from a single contiguous domain contained within it.
However the mechanisms by which this morphogenetic feat is achieved are
poorly understood.  To accurately address this problem I have utilized
the optically transparent zebrafish embryo and have devised a method to
collect 3D movies spanning the period of neural development.  From these
movies I have tracked the paths of many hundreds of cells representing
the numerous cell territories of the brain to construct a dynamic,
high-resolution fate map of development, which can be visualised in 3D 
using Blender.  The work shows that forebrain morphogenesis differs 
significantly from prior hypotheses and I will present a new model for 
forebrain neurulation. I will also demonstrate how mutations affecting 
two signalling pathways can generate cyclopic phenotypes that mimic the 
human neural tube defect of Holoprosencephaly by disrupting normal cell 
movements or introducing new erroneous behaviours.

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Hertfordshire Computer Science Research Colloquium
http://homepages.feis.herts.ac.uk/~nehaniv/colloq