Quantitative development of choroid plexuses in chick embryo cerebral ventricles

Quantitative development of choroid plexuses in cerebral ventricles of chick embryos was investigated by means of the planary projection of the choroid plexuses from the time the plexuses reached a consistent flattened structure. Choroid plexuses in the lateral cerbral ventricles were studied from day 6, the plexus in the third cerebral ventricle from day 8, and the plexus in the fourth cerebral ventricle from day 11 of incubation. Regardless of the microscopic origin of these choroid plexuses, their development reached a growth maximum on day 15 of incubation, after which there was a slight regression. The regression was gradual in the plexus of the third cerebral ventricle but a transient enlargement of plexuses in the laternal and in the fourth cerebral ventricle was observed between days 18 and 19. The enlargement of choroid plexuses in the lateral cerebral ventricles was caused by a flattening of the villi, whereas that of the plexus in the fourth cerebral ventricle was caused by thinning and yawning of the villi. The area of choroid plexuses in the lateral cerebral ventricles was six or seven times larger than the sum of the areas of the remaining choroid plexuses.