Home » Development and Differentiation

Development and Differentiation

The complex diversity of nervous cells and functional interconnections in circuits are laid down early in development and mature appropriately over time. Neurogenesis, Migration, Axon Guidance, Synaptogenesis, Formation and Myelin Maintenance, Plasticity and Learning, are some of the most important processes that constitute neurodevelopment from early embryonic stages to postnatal life, childhood and adolescence. Growth factors, Neurotransmitters and Signaling Pathways are some of the neurochemical and molecular elements that contribute to brain development and differentiation. In this section you will find information about how these different processes that participate in development and differentiation are impaired in diverse neuropaediatric disorders.

IN PARTICULAR DISORDERS

Rett syndrome and GABAertic maturation

ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS

Adequate care for children protects their brain development

15 posts published about Development and differentiation

Rett syndrome: an over-50-years journey

December 13, 2017December 5, 2017 Luca Maggioni Development and differentiation, Neuropaediatric diseases and synapsis

In 1966, an Austrian neurologist named Andreas Rett first described more than 20 young female patients which shared similar characteristics, starting from the observation of identical stereotypic hand movements. In 1983, the Swedish pediatrician Bengt Hagberg gave for the first time the name of Rett syndrome (RTT) to the symptoms he detected in a group […]

A gene therapy approach for the Rett Syndrome

November 22, 2017November 21, 2017 Luca Maggioni Development and differentiation

The gene therapy is likely to become an important tool in the fight against pediatric rare diseases, especially those derived by the alteration of one single gene. This is the case of the Rett Syndrome (RTT), caused by the loss of function of MECP2, a gene involved in the control of the transcription of different […]

STXBP1 protein as a therapeutic target for Epileptic Encephalopathy

November 8, 2017November 4, 2017 Luca Maggioni Development and differentiation, Intracellular signaling

The epileptic encephalopathies (EEs) are characterized by frequent seizures and cognitive and behavioral impairment. The presence of the mental handicap is a signal that the EEs origin during the neuronal development, so that, even if the seizure can be controlled by using available anti-epileptic drugs, the cognitive impairment cannot be stopped with the current treatments. […]

Genetic strategies to repair brain circuits with altered MECP2

October 25, 2017October 24, 2017 Luca Maggioni Brain networks, Development and differentiation

The Rett syndrome (RTT) and the Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) are neurodevelopmental disorders which, although presenting different symptoms and evolution, are linked by a common factor: mutations in the same gene, called MECP2. But the answers on how and why the same gene could have a key role in the development of both diseases have […]

The MECP2 gene and its role in the Rett syndrome

April 26, 2017May 1, 2017 Luca Maggioni Development and differentiation, Neuropaediatric diseases and synapsis

The Rett syndrome (RTT) is a neurological disorder caused by mutations which occur in the gene MECP2 (methyl-CpG-binding protein 2). This gene is located on the X chromosome, and the RTT affects only females – 1 every 10,000 – because the mutation of MECP2 in males is not viable. However, some isolated cases of boys […]

Page 1 of 3