4 research outputs found
Mechanics of Morphogenesis in Neural Development: in vivo, in vitro, and in silico
Morphogenesis in the central nervous system has received intensive attention
as elucidating fundamental mechanisms of morphogenesis will shed light on the
physiology and pathophysiology of the developing central nervous system.
Morphogenesis of the central nervous system is of a vast topic that includes
important morphogenetic events such as neurulation and cortical folding. Here
we review three types of methods used to improve our understanding of
morphogenesis of the central nervous system: in vivo experiments, organoids (in
vitro), and computational models (in silico). The in vivo experiments are used
to explore cellular- and tissue-level mechanics and interpret them on the roles
of neurulation morphogenesis. Recent advances in human brain organoids have
provided new opportunities to study morphogenesis and neurogenesis to
compensate for the limitations of in vivo experiments, as organoid models are
able to recapitulate some critical neural morphogenetic processes during early
human brain development. Due to the complexity and costs of in vivo and in
vitro studies, a variety of computational models have been developed and used
to explain the formation and morphogenesis of brain structures. We review and
discuss the Pros and Cons of these methods and their usage in the studies on
morphogenesis of the central nervous system. Notably, none of these methods
alone is sufficient to unveil the biophysical mechanisms of morphogenesis, thus
calling for the interdisciplinary approaches using a combination of these
methods in order to test hypotheses and generate new insights on both normal
and abnormal development of the central nervous system
Synthetically Non-Hermitian Nonlinear Wave-like Behavior in a Topological Mechanical Metamaterial
Topological mechanical metamaterials have enabled new ways to control stress
and deformation propagation. Exemplified by Maxwell lattices, they have been
studied extensively using a linearized formalism. Herein, we study a
two-dimensional topological Maxwell lattice by exploring its large deformation
quasi-static response using geometric numerical simulations and experiments. We
observe spatial nonlinear wave-like phenomena such as harmonic generation,
localized domain switching, amplification-enhanced frequency conversion, and
solitary waves. We further map our linearized, homogenized system to a
non-Hermitian, non-reciprocal, one-dimensional wave equation, revealing an
equivalence between the deformation fields of two-dimensional topological
Maxwell lattices and nonlinear dynamical phenomena in one-dimensional active
systems. Our study opens a new regime for topological mechanical metamaterials
and expands their application potential in areas including adaptive and smart
materials, and mechanical logic, wherein concepts from nonlinear dynamics may
be used to create intricate, tailored spatial deformation and stress fields
greatly exceeding conventional elasticity.Comment: 12 pages, 7 figure
Mechanics of morphogenesis in neural development: In vivo, in vitro, and in silico
Morphogenesis in the central nervous system has received intensive attention as elucidating fundamental mechanisms of morphogenesis will shed light on the physiology and pathophysiology of the developing central nervous system. Morphogenesis of the central nervous system is of a vast topic that includes important morphogenetic events such as neurulation and cortical folding. Here we review three types of methods used to improve our understanding of morphogenesis of the central nervous system: in vivo experiments, organoids (in vivo), and computational models (in silico). The in vivo experiments are used to explore cellular- and tissue-level mechanics and interpret them on the roles of neurulation morphogenesis. Recent advances in human brain organoids have provided new opportunities to study morphogenesis and neurogenesis to compensate for the limitations of in vivo experiments, as organoid models are able to recapitulate some critical neural morphogenetic processes during early human brain development. Due to the complexity and costs of in vivo and in vitro studies, a variety of computational models have been developed and used to explain the formation and morphogenesis of brain structures. We review and discuss the advantages and disadvantages of these methods and their usage in the studies on morphogenesis of the central nervous system. Notably, none of these methods alone is sufficient to unveil the biophysical mechanisms of morphogenesis, thus calling for the interdisciplinary approaches using a combination of these methods in order to test hypotheses and generate new insights on both normal and abnormal development of the central nervous system