Here is the synopsis of our sample research paper on SONIC HEDGEHOG SIGNALING IN THE DEVELOPING BRAIN
. Have the paper e-mailed to you 24/7/365.
Essay / Research Paper Abstract
This 12 page paper discusses the advances in brain research, especially the specific functions of sonic hedgehog on the developing embryonic brain. Bibliography lists 6 sources.
Page Count:
12 pages (~225 words per page)
File: D0_MBsonic.rtf
Buy This Term Paper »
Unformatted sample text from the term paper:
within man, himself. The total functioning of the brain and how it operates are still unknown. The critical role that the sonic hedgehog plays in the developing brain is only
now being realized. As a baby develops, the brain in particular is a veritable beehive of activity. During this time the brain is working quickly to segment itself into
highly specialized groups of neurons or brain nuclei, each expressing its own set of genes and having very specific functions. Little is known, however, about how brain nuclei of the
appropriate size, shape and location are generated. Currently, researchers are finding that this process is coordinated by the secretion of a single molecule, Sonic Hedgehog, that operates as a positional
signal. Consider the problem faced by the tiny neurons destined to become part of the cerebral cortex. Because they are developed relatively late in a mammalian brain, billions of these
cells must push and shove their way through dense colonies established by earlier neurons. But of all the problems the growing nervous system must solve, the most daunting is posed
by the wiring itself. After birth, when the number of connections explodes, each of the brains billions of neurons will forge links to thousands of others. First they must spin
out a web of wirelike fibers known as axons (which transmit signals) and dendrites (which receive them). The objective is to form a synapse, the gap-like structure over which the
axon of one neuron beams a signal to the dendrites of another. Before this can happen, axons and dendrites must almost touch. And while the short, bushy dendrites dont have
to travel very far, axons--the heavy-duty cables of the nervous system--must traverse distances that are the microscopic equivalent of miles. Depending on the cells location and proximity to the signaling,
...