DEVELOPMENT OF FOLDING IN THE FETAL CEREBRAL CORTEX – IDENTIFYING FUNDAMENTAL MECHANISMS AND THEIR SUSCEPTIBILITY TO DISRUPTION IN NORMAL AND ABNORMAL PREGNANCY

在怀孕期间，胎儿大脑的表面逐渐发育出脊、谷和褶皱，这是我们高度发育的大脑的特征。然而，如果早产发生，未出生的婴儿在子宫内缺氧，或者母亲饮酒，这个过程可能会受到干扰。在这个项目中，我们正在确定细胞迁移如何导致大脑表面折叠的发展，以及缺氧和母亲饮酒如何影响这些重要过程。

During pregnancy, the surface of the fetal brain gradually develops the ridges, valleys, and folds that are the characteristic feature of our highly developed brain. However, this process can be disturbed if birth occurs prematurely, the unborn baby suffers oxygen starvation in the uterus, or the mother consumes alcohol. In this project we are determining how cell migration results in the development of brain surface folding, and how hypoxia and maternal alcohol consumption affect these important processes.