There is good reason to believe that the extraordinary complexity of the adult brain is the product of a set of somewhat simpler developmental programs, each of which is accessible to study. Washington University neuroscientists are investigating each of these issues. The most remarkable examples of cell differentiation in biology occur in the nervous system, which has thousands of classes of nerve cells, each with a distinct morphology, function and biochemistry. It is no surprise that a sizable portion of the genome is concerned primarily or exclusively with the nervous system. Unlocking the way this remarkable cellular and molecular differentiation of the brain comes about is a central theme of modern biology.
Developmental neurobiology has a distinguished history here.
Nerve growth factor, the first and best characterized neuronal trophic factor, was discovered in the laboratories of Victor Hamburger and Rita Levi-Montalcini. Since then many outstanding developmental neurobiologists have worked at Washington University, particularly on the cellular and molecular aspects of neural development.