Contralateral organization of the forebrain and the axial twist hypothesis of the vertebrate body (AxialTwist)

Basic data for this project

Description

One of the great mysteries of the brain is the contralateral organization of the forebrain, and the crossings of its major afferent and efferent connections. An open question of the vertebrate body is the consistent asymmetric orientation of the bowels. The axial twist hypothesis explains these phenomena as the result of two opposite compensations to a side turn of the body. These developmental compensations restore bilateral symmetry in the exterior body, whereas internal organs remain turned on the left side. The external compensations are opposite in the forehead (face) to those in the rest of the body, resulting in a twist. Consequently the forebrain shows inverted left and right, as well as inverted anterior and posterior (occipital-frontal).