Abstract
Differences in histological appearance between the cranial and caudal parts of the spinal cord and associated axial organs were analyzed in 9- and 15-week-old human dysraphic fetuses and compared with normal fetuses. In human development the cranial part of the neural tube down to the lumbosacral level forms during primary neurulation, while its caudal part results from secondary neurulation. In the 9-week fetus with cervical spina bifida, the cranial spinal cord displayed a variety of morphological changes along the cranio-caudal axis. Spinal cord in the upper cervical region transformed into the area cerebrovasculosa, while the lower cervical and thoracic levels showed only disturbed differentiation of the cell layers and roof plate. The degree of the cranial spinal cord dysmorphogenesis correlated with anomalies of the underlying notochord and vertebral column. The caudal to lumbosacral region of the spinal cord appeared normal. In the case of the 15-week-old fetus with complete dysraphia, the area cerebrovasculosa was found along the whole extent of the cranial spinal cord, while more caudally, all axial organs showed a normal histological structure. Our findings confirmed a different origin for the cranial and caudal parts of the human spinal cord. The appearance of dysraphic disorders corresponded to the time of primary neurulation; therefore, they resulted in the faulty formation of the cranial spinal cord. Normally formed caudal spinal cord appears during secondary neurulation at later developmental stages.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Baldwin CT, Hoth CF, Amos JA, DaSilva EO, Milunsky A (1992) An exonic mutation in the Hup2 paired domain causes Waardenburg’s syndrome. Nature 355: 637–638
Barson AJ (1970) Spina bifida: the significance of the level and extent of the defect to the morphogenesis. Dev Med Child Neurol 12: 129–144
Dressier GR, Gruss P (1988) Do multigene families regulate vertebrate development? Trends Genet 4: 214–219
Gajovic S, Kostovic-Knezevic LJ, Svajger A (1989) Origin of the notochord in the rat embryo tail. Anat Embryol 179: 305–310
Gruss P, Walther C (1992) Pax in development. Cell 69: 719–722
Kessel M, Gruss P (1990) Murine developmental control genes. Science 249: 374–379
Lamire TJ (1969) Variations in development of the caudal neural tube in human embryos. Teratology 2: 361–370
Marin-Padilla M (1966) Study of the vertebral column in human craniorachischisis. The significance of notochordal alterations. Acta Anat (Basel) 63: 32–48
Marin-Padilla M (1979) Notochordal-basichondrocranium relationship: abnormalities in experimental axial skeletal (dysraphic) disorders. J Embryol Exp Morphol 53: 15–38
Marin-Padilla M (1991) Cephalic axial skeletal neural dysraphic disorders: embryology and pathology. Can J Neurol Sci 18: 153–169
Moore KL, Persaud TVN (1993) The nervous system. In: McGrew L, Kilmer L (eds) The developing human. Clinically oriented embryology. Saunders, Philadelphia, pp 385–422
Müller F, O’Rahilly R (1987) The development of the human brain, the closure of the caudal neuropore, and the beginning of the secondary neurulation at stage 12. Anat Embryol 176: 413–430
Nievelstein RAJ, Hartwug NG, Vermelj-Kerrs CJ, Valk J (1993) Embryonic development of the mammalian caudal neural tube. Teratology 48: 21–31
Placzek M, Tessier-Lavigne M, Yamada T, Jessell T, Dodd J (1991) Mesodermal control of neural cell identity: floor plate induction by the notochord. Science 250: 985–988
Saraga-Babic M (1991) Development of the notochord in normal and malformed human embryos and fetuses. Int J Dev Biol 35: 345–352
Saraga-Babic M, Saraga M (1993) Role of the notochord in the development of cephalic structures in normal and anencephalic human fetuses. Virchows Arch [A] 422: 161–168
Saraga-Babic M, Sapunar D, Stefanovic V (1993) Histological features of axial structures during embryonic and fetal stages of human craniorachischisis. Acta Neuropathol 86: 289–294
Saraga-Babic M, Stefanovic V, Wartiovaara J, Lehtonen E (1993) Spinal cord-notochord relationship in normal human embryos and in a human embryo with double spinal cord. Acta Neuropathol 86: 509–514
Saraga-Babic M, Lehtonen E, Svajger A, Wartiovaara J (1994) Morphological and immunohistochemical characteristics of axial structures in the transitory human tail. Ann Anat 176: 277–286
Saraga-Babic M, Sapunar D, Wartiovaara J (1995) Variations in the formation of the human caudal spinal cord. J Hirnforsch 36: 341–347
Schoenwolf GC (1977) Tail (end) bud contributions to the posterior region of the chick embryo. J Exp Zool 201: 227–246
Schoenwolf GC (1978) An SEM of posterior spinal cord development in the chick embryo. Scanning Electron Microsc II: 739–746
Schoenwolf GC (1984) Histological and ultrastructural studies of secondary neurulation in mouse embryos. Am J Anat 169: 361–376
Schoenwolf GC, Delongo J (1980) Ultrastructure of secondary neurulation in the chick embryo. Am J Anat 158: 43–63
Schoenwolf GC, Desmond ME (1984) Descriptive studies of occlusion and reopening of the spinal canal of the early chick embryo. Anat Rec 209: 251–263
Schoenwolf GC, Franks MV (1984) Quantitative analysis of changes in cell shapes during banding of the avian neural plate. Dev Biol 105: 257–272
Schoenwolf GC, Smith JL (1990) Mechanisms of neurulation: traditional viewpoint and recent advances. Development 109: 243–270
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Saraga-Babic, M., Krolo, M., Sapunar, D. et al. Differences in origin and fate between the cranial and caudal spinal cord during normal and disturbed human development. Acta Neuropathol 91, 194–199 (1996). https://doi.org/10.1007/s004010050413
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s004010050413