Two processes are key to the development of a properly fully functional nervous system, proliferation and differentiation. Proliferation is when the cells multiply to provide the needed starting materials for a fully functional nervous system. Differentiation is when those starting materials develop into fully function neurons. The balance between both proliferation and differentiation is pivotal. If one develops too much starting material , proliferation, a tumor could form, and if one develops too little, he or she will not have a properly function nervous system. The gene GSK-3 (glycogen synthase kinase 3) is responsible for adequate proliferation and proper differentiation. Without this gene, the human body would not be able to develop a fully function nervous system.
It has been found that GSK-3 controls the signaling pathways that ultimately determine how many neurons the human brain will be comprised of. Researchers at University of North Carolina School of Medicine have studied this gene in depth and have proposed this idea that GSK-3 is responsible for the ultimate outcome of the brain. They determine this by what is called "conditional knock out". This is when a scientist decides on a gene of interest (in this case GSK-3), and knock out that gene from the genome of an animal, at various stages of development, to see what impact the absence of the gene has. It was shown that at all stages of development, the lack of the GSK-3 gene, led to complication and improper development of the nervous system.
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