Böcker av Gerhard Schlosser

Most of the cranial sense organs of vertebrates arise from embryonic structures known as cranial placodes. Such placodes also give rise to sensory neurons that transmit information to the brain as well as to many neurosecretory cells. This book focuses on the development of sensory and neurosecretory cell types from cranial placodes by introducing the vertebrate head with its sense organs and neurosecretory organs and providing an overview of the various cranial placodes and their derivatives, including evidence of common embryonic primordia. Schlosser discusses how these primordia are established in the early embryo and how individual placodes develop. The latter chapters explain how various placodally derived sensory and neurosecretory cell types differentiate into discrete structures.

Most vertebrate cranial sense organs arise from placodes. These placodes give rise to sensory neurons that transmit information to the brain and neurosecretory cells. This book reviews the evolutionary origin of the sensory and neurosecretory cell types. It summarizes our current understanding of vertebrate evolution, clarifies conceptual issues relating to homology and evolutionary innovation of cell types, compares the sensory and neurosecretory cell types with similar cell types in other animals, and addresses the question of how cranial placodes evolved as novel structures in vertebrates by redeploying pre-existing and sometimes evolutionarily ancient cell types.

Most of the cranial sense organs of vertebrates arise from embryonic structures known as cranial placodes. Schlosser discusses how these primordia are established in the early embryo, how individual placodes develop, and how various placodally derived sensory and neurosecretory cell types differentiate into discrete structures.