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Human prenatal craniofacial development related to brain development under normal and pathologic conditions
1Department of Orthodontics, School of Dentistry, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Denmark.
Insights
Human facial, cranial, and brain development are closely interconnected. This relationship is crucial for understanding craniofacial development and associated birth defects.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Biology
- Human Anatomy
- Medical Genetics
Background:
- Facial, cranial, and brain development are complex processes.
- Understanding their interrelationships is key to diagnosing and treating craniofacial anomalies.
- Existing knowledge requires synthesis and expansion, particularly regarding pathological conditions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To survey current knowledge on the interrelationship between human facial, cranial, and brain development.
- To illustrate these developmental interrelationships under normal and pathological conditions.
- To propose new theories and observations regarding craniofacial development and associated syndromes.
Main Methods:
- Review and synthesis of existing literature on normal and pathological craniofacial and brain development.
- Detailed description of new observations in specific conditions like cleft palate fetuses.
- Presentation of new etiological theories for conditions such as holoprosencephaly and tooth agenesis.
Main Results:
- A close interconnection between facial, craniofacial skeleton, and brain development is confirmed.
- New insights into the etiology of holoprosencephaly and tooth agenesis are presented.
- The significance of the face and cranial base in endocrine development is highlighted.
Conclusions:
- The intricate relationship between craniofacial structures and brain development is fundamental.
- Further research into the developmental origins of craniofacial regions is needed to elucidate syndrome etiologies.
- This survey provides a foundation for future investigations into craniofacial development and related disorders.
Abstract:
A survey is given of current knowledge of the interrelationship between facial, cranial and brain development in humans. First, normal facial, cranial (mandible, maxilla, palatine bone, cranial base, theca cranii, dentition), and brain development are described separately. Then, developmental interrelationships are illustrated under normal and pathologic conditions (cleft lip and palate, holoprosencephaly, anencephaly, amniotic band sequence). New observations are described in detail, and references are given to previously published articles. A close interconnection exists between the development of the face, the craniofacial skeleton, and the brain. This is illustrated by new observations in cleft palate fetuses and new theories about the etiology of holoprosencephaly and tooth agenesis. The survey focuses, moreover, on the importance of the face and the cranial base in endocrine development. Borderlines between face regions and cranial regions with different developmental origin are set up for future elucidation of the etiology behind syndromes involving the craniofacial regions.