APPENDIX A 



CONFERENCE ON PROBLEMS OF THE DEVELOPMENT OF 

 STRUCTURE AND FUNCTION OF THE NERVOUS SYSTEM 



This conference was arranged to survey 

 the state of genetic neurology, to outline 

 problems in need of investigation and to 

 indicate promising new lines of attack. It 

 met at the National Research Council 

 building on January 30 and 31, 1946. It 

 was attended by the members of the Com- 

 mittee on Neurobiology and the invited 

 speakers. 



LIST OF SPEAKERS AND TOPICS 



First Session 

 ( P. Weiss, presiding ) 



R. G. Harrison (Yale University): Research 

 on the living nerve fiber. 



Viktor Hamburger (Washington Univer- 

 sity ) : Embryonic differentiation of the 

 central nervous system (size, localization 

 and interconnection of nerve centers). 



E. J. Boell (Yale University): Biochemical 

 ontogeny of the nervous system. 



D. Bodian (Johns Hopkins University): 

 Growth, degeneration, reconstitution and 

 regeneration of the neuron. 



R. W. Sperry (Harvard University and 

 Yerkes Laboratories ) : Specificities in 

 the developmental relations between cen- 

 ters and periphery. 



Second Session 

 (K. S. Lashley, presiding) 



T. C. Schneirla (New York University): 

 Invertebrate nervous system and be- 

 havior. 



G. von Bonin ( University of Illinois ) : Evo- 

 lution of the vertebrate, nervous system 

 and behavior. 



Frank Beach (American Museum of Na- 

 tural History): Instinct and hormonal 

 activation. 



F. J. Kallmann (New York State Psychiat- 

 ric Institute): Heredity in behavior. 



Heinz Werner (Brooklyn College): Child 

 development. 



Leonard Carmichael (Tufts College): Em- 

 bryonic development of behavior. 



SYNOPSIS 



Harrison: Review of observations and 

 experiments on nerve fibers in the living 

 state. Outgrowth of axon. Mode of elon- 

 gation. Rate of advance. Problems of 

 anastomosis. Orientation of growth by 

 structures of the surroundings. No elec- 

 tric orientation. Rejection of chemotro- 

 pism. Role of Schwann cells. 



Hamburger: Early nerve structures an- 

 ticipating later functional needs. Em- 

 bryonic induction and morphogenesis of 

 neural plate. Interaction with non-ner- 

 vous tissues. Lability of determination. 

 Patterns of proliferation in central nervous 

 system. Final numbers of nerve cells. Age 

 difference between dorsal and ventral parts, 

 refl.ected in phosphatase distribution. Hy- 

 poplasia and hyperplasia of brain, spinal 

 cord and ganglia in accordance with mass 

 of peripheral tissue. Recruitment of nerve 

 cells. Developmental influences between 

 nerve centers. Specificity of nerve con- 

 nections. 



Boell: Biophysical and biochemical data 

 on neural tube formation. Changes in cell 

 form. Growth of the brain. Sex differ- 

 ences in growth. Change in water content 

 during growth. Lipid metabolism of the 

 developing nervous system. Increase of 

 phospholipids. Respiratory metabolism of 

 developing nervous tissue. Cytochrome ox- 

 idase. Resistance of developing central 

 nervous system to anoxia. Anaerobic metab- 

 olism of brain. Acetylcholine and chol- 

 inesterase during development. Correla- 

 tion between chemical activity and overt 

 behavior. 



Bodian: Correlation of enzyme activity 

 and cyto-morphological development. Re- 



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