Morphometry of the Human Ventral Germinal Matrix during Fetal Development

The most important transient structures in human brain are the lateral ventricle eminences, or ganglionic eminences (eminentia ventricularis lateralis), the ventral part of germinal matrix. We performed quantitative analysis of the lateral ventricle eminences to clarify the spatial and temporal dynamic of the human prenatal brain development. Serial brain sections from 9 human fetuses at gestational weeks 12-30 were examined using a morphometric method. The volume of ganglionic eminences increased during the first and early second trimesters, reached maximum at weeks 20-21, and then gradual involution of the ventral germinal matrix was observed. The obtained data are comparable with the results from noninvasive imaging techniques, but have a higher resolution.