Open AccessGanglionic eminence of the human fetal brain—new vistas
Author(s) -
Ulfig Norbert
Publication year - 2002
Publication title -
the anatomical record
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1097-0185
pISSN - 0003-276X
DOI - 10.1002/ar.10104
Subject(s) - ganglionic eminence , neuroscience , thalamus , cortex (anatomy) , basal ganglia , biology , population , neuropathology , cerebral cortex , median eminence , anatomy , medicine , central nervous system , pathology , cerebrum , disease , environmental health
This review deals with recent findings concerning the complex functions of the ganglionic eminence (GE), which represents a conspicuous domain of the telencephalic proliferative zone and persists nearly throughout fetal life. The GE not only contains precursor neurons of the basal ganglia, it also contributes significantly to the population of interneurons in the cerebral cortex and to a population of thalamic neurons. The latter migrate through a distinct transient structure, the gangliothalamic body (GTB). The GE also represents an intermediate target for growing thalamic axons (on their way to the cerebral cortex) and cortical axons (on their way to the thalamus). In developmental neuropathology the GE plays an important role in prematurely born infants. The pathogenesis of GE bleedings is discussed with regard to the abundant expression of interleukin‐6 (IL‐6) receptors on GE cells. The consequences of such bleedings are discussed in view of cellular responses, such as the induction of leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF) expression in GE cells after hemorrhage. Anat Rec 267:191–195, 2002. © 2002 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.