Dr. Heather Brown -- The Brain and Spinal Cord Ask a Scientist

Have you ever wondered how your brain and spinal cord form? What happens before you are born that makes your brain and spinal cord develop? In this episode, Dr. Heather Brown, from the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, talks to us all about the development of the brain and spinal cord. She discovered that one gene in particular is very important for making sure the spinal cord and brain form correctly. This gene acts like  “school bus” inside of a cell and it moves around the cell to pick up and drop off proteins at different places inside the cell, similar to how a school bus picks up and drops off students at home and at school.  Without this gene, our brain and spinal cord wouldn't grow! In this episode, we will learn all about this school bus gene, how it works, and how it helps the brain and spinal cord to form correctly. So grab your backpacks, hop on your school bus, and get ready to learn all about how your brain formed!