大脑异常由于基因改变或发展暴露于环境因素

大脑的结构和功能发展改变遗传因素和各种环境因素,如药物、化工原料、营养、感染、辐照,产前的压力,和母亲分离。这些因素可以影响各种神经发育事件,例如,neurogenesis, neural differentiation, neural migration, apoptosis, axonal connections, and synaptogenesis; these effects can be direct and/or via epigenetic dysregulation, and can often cause irreversible changes to the brain. Typically, mice and rats are used as experimental animals for investigating the effects of gene and environmental factors on brain development. Mice with spontaneous gene mutations and gene manipulations serve as models for human neurodevelopmental disorders, and they are often useful for investigating the roles played by specific genes in key neurodevelopmental events. In many cases, environmental factors affect the developing cerebral cortex, which is known to be a brain region particularly susceptible to such factors, sometimes causing distinctive microcephaly and hydrocephaly. In addition, animal models of human neurodevelopmental disorders can be produced via developmental exposure to environmental factors. For example, mice and rat models of autism spectrum disorder can be produced by prenatal exposure of the animals to valproic acid or lippopolysaccaride.

这个研究课题集中在先天性大脑异常引起的遗传和环境改变所有脊椎动物;因此,它并不局限于哺乳动物如啮齿动物。这种方法可以提高理解大脑的进化发展的各种遗传和环境因素。研究还集中在化学和物理的神经毒性和表观遗传效应代理大脑发育和考虑了大脑的结构和组织学特征总值自发种基因和gene-manipulated动物。这类研究提供新的信息,这将帮助评估大脑异常由遗传和环境因素引起的。我们鼓励提交的研究和评论文章,定量调查先天性大脑异常使用传统等多方面的方法和功能性核磁共振,分布形态测量学,扩散张量成像、histomorphometry,体视学和评估的认知和行为的结果。有利的结果的讨论将包括特定的角色由遗传和环境因素在大脑发育和新发现的见解先天性大脑异常。