Morphological aspects of the development of hydrocephalus in a mouse mutant (SUMS/NP)

The SUMS/NP is a mouse mutant with a recessive gene for congenital hydrocephalus. The condition is detectable outwardly at 3 days after birth and affected animals die soon after weaning. The heads of fetuses from 14 to 20 days gestation and at 1, 4, 5, 12 and 18 days after birth have been sectioned for light microscopy and the volume of the lateral ventricles measured in all but the three oldest ages. At 16 days gestation and earlier all fetuses had a relatively large lateral ventricle volume. Hydrocephalus was first detected from volume measurements at 18 days gestation and generally became progressively more severe with age. Hydrocephalic animals, in addition to lateral and third ventricle dilatation, always showed a reduction in the cross-sectional area of the cerebral aqueduct or a total absence of the aqueduct. All hydrocephalics, with the exception of two fetuses, also had cystic cavitation of the forebrain around the lateral ventricles. Electron microscopy of animals with a reduced aqueduct showed the ventral part to be absent in hydrocephalics.