Morphogenesis of the brain as studied by 3-D computer graphics simulation

Morphogenesis of the brain is analysed by 3-D computer graphics simulation. The initial form of the brain, i.e. a neural tube, is created in the computer as a small tubular figure in 3-D Cartesian coordinates which are subsequently transformed into curvilinear coordinates by a set of growth functions. By this method the morphological development of the human brain is simulated. The same computer program can be applied to simulate the development of the brains of mouse, rat and monkey simply by changing the parameters slightly. The result of the analysis reveals that the smaller brains are produced by faster growth of the matrix cell population at the onset of development, coupled with faster rate of retardation of the growth during ontogeny. Thus, smaller brains in smaller animals are produced in a shorter period during their ontogeny.