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The human brain at stage 16, including the initial evagination of the neurohypophysis

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Summary

Thirty-nine sectioned embryos of stage 16 were studied. Up to this stage the amygdaloid body is derived entirely from the medial eminence, which was purely diencephalic in stage 14, but now extends also to the telencephalon. The area of the future olfactory bulb is indicated by the presence of olfactory fibres entering the brain wall; the future olfactory tubercle is characterized by cellular islands. The presence of the hippocampal thickening and various histological features make it possible to outline the main, future cortical areas already at this early stage: archi-, paleo-, and neopallium. Hippocampus and area dentata correspond to the areas identified by Hines (1922) and Bartelmez and Dekaban (1962) but not to those identified by Humphrey (1966). The interventricular foramen is wide. The cerebral hemispheres grow rostrally and dorsally, thereby forming the beginning of the longitudinal fissure. Apart from the commissure of the superior colliculi, which began to appear in advanced embryos of stage 14, fibres of the posterior commissure are now present in some specimens. The neurohypophysis is apparent in fewer than half of the embryos. The marginal ridge (zona limitans intrathalamica) separates the dorsal from the ventral thalamus. Cranial nerve 3 emerges from M2. M1 has become shorter. Important pathways are beginning: the olfactory route by the olfactory fibres and the medial forebrain bundle; the vestibular by vestibulocerebellar and vestibulospinal fibres; gustatory by chorda tympani, nervus intermedius, and tractus solitarius. Fibres of the cochlear nerve are noted. The first parasympathetic ganglia, submandibular and ciliary, are identifiable. Asymmetry of the cerebral hemispheres was noted in one specimen.

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Abbreviations

Aff. :

Common afferent tract

A.-H. :

Adenohypophysial pouch

Amyg. :

Area of the future amygdaloid body

Aq. :

Aqueduct

Bas. :

Basilar artery

bm.S. :

Basal mesencephalic sulcus

Cer. :

Cerebellum

Ch. :

Chiasmatic plate

Comm. :

Commissural plate

X P :

Posterior commissure

X 4 :

Commissure of the trochlear nerve

X s.C. :

Commissure of the superior colliculi

Cr. :

Terminal-vomeronasal neural crest

D :

caudalmost rhombomere

De :

Area dentata

Di. :

Diencephalon

d.F. :

dorsal funiculus

d. Th. :

dorsal thalamus

E :

Area epithelialis

Ep.:

Epiphysis

Hab. :

Habenular nucleus

Hab-I :

Habenulo-interpeduncular tract

Hem. :

Cerebral hemisphere

Hip. :

Hippocampus

Hyp.S. :

Hypothalamic sulcus

H-th. :

Hypothalamus

Hyp.C. :

Hypothalamic cell cord

I.c. :

Indernal carotid artery

Is. :

Isthmic segment

Is.n. :

Isthmic nucleus

I.-v.F. :

Interventricular foramen

LLF :

Lateral longitudinal fasciculus

Lat.E. :

Lateral ventricular eminence

L.t. :

Lamina terminalis

M :

Mesencephalon

(MI :

rostral part

M2 :

caudal part)

Marg. :

Marginal ridge

MaT :

Mamillo-tegmental tract

Med.E. :

Medial ventricular eminence

MLF :

Medial longitudinal fasciculus

Mes :

Mesocortex

M.Ev. :

Mesencephalic evagination

MFB :

Medial forebrain bundle

MR5 :

Mesencephlic root of trigeminal nerve

MTB :

Medial tectobulbar tract

mot. :

motor

n. :

Nucleus

Nas. :

Nasal pit

N.-H. :

Neurohypophysis

Not. :

Notochord

Olf. :

Olfactory fibres

Olf. E. :

Olfactory eminence

Opt. :

Optic cup

Opt.G. :

Optic groove

Opt.V. :

Optic ventricle

Ot. :

Otic vesicle (vestibulocochlear pouch)

P.c. :

Posterior communicating artery

Pr.-H.T. :

Preoptico-hypothalamotegmental tract

Pr.R. :

Preoptic recess

Ret.F. :

Retinal fissure

Rh :

Rhombomere

Rh.l. :

Future rhombic lip

SE :

Mediolateral cell column

S.l. :

Sulcus limitans

S-th. :

Subthalamus

T :

Primordium of tentorium cerebelli

T. cer. :

Trigeminocerebellar tract

Tel. :

Telencephalon

T. hem. :

Torus hemisphericus

v.Th. :

ventral thalamus

Ve. :

Vertebral artery

V.cer. :

Vestibulocerebellar tract

VE :

medioventral cell column

Vel. :

Velum transversum. Numbers 1 to 12 indicate cranial nerves

7i :

Intermediate nerve. Where cranial nerves and rhombomeres are labelled in the same figure, the latter are in bold-face numbers. The asterisks in Gigs. 1, 2, and 9 mark the junction of rhombencephalon and spinal cord. The bars in figures 1, 2, 3, 9, and 12 represent 0.2 mm

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  1. Department of Human Anatomy and Neurology, Carnegie Laboratories of Embryology, California Primate Research Center, 95616, Davis, CA, USA

    F. Müller & R. O'Rahilly

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  1. F. Müller
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Supported by research grant No. HD-16702, Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health (USA)

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Müller, F., O'Rahilly, R. The human brain at stage 16, including the initial evagination of the neurohypophysis. Anat Embryol 179, 551–569 (1989). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00315698

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