2010 Foundations Lecture - Introduction to Human Development

Introduction

Dr Mark Hill

Human development is one of the most exciting topics to study not only as a medical student, but also for our fundamental understanding of the human body. This lecture is going to take you briefly through key concepts in human development, these will later be explored in more detail through the BGD course. The lecture will be followed by a practical class introducing online resources for independent study and working through similar embryology concepts.

Aims

Purpose of learning embryology
Basic facts about early human development
Appreciate differences between the conceptus, embryo and fetus
General understanding of the term “critical periods” of development

Concepts: Fertilization, Early conceptus, Germ layers, Embryo, Tissue origins, Timetable/stages of development, Fetus, Placenta

Background Lectures: Cell Structure (structure and function), Cell Division (mitosis, meiosis, lifespan, cell death), 4 Basic Tissues (Epithelial, Connective, Muscular, Nervous)

2009 Lecture: http://embryology.med.unsw.edu.au/Medicine/FlectureEmbryo.htm | Lecture Slides

Animated overview

<Flowplayer height="400" width="360" autoplay="true">Human development 001.flv</Flowplayer>

This animation begins at the two cell (blastomere) stage following fertilization and takes you through an overview of the entire 9 months of human development in just over a minute!

Note that in this animation specific features are neither labeled or identified,at this stage in your studies the many terms and concepts will not yet make sense.

Remember the control bar features can control the movie playback.

(More? movie on separate page | annotated movie on separate page])

Notes

Don't confuse "germ cell layers" (ectoderm, mesoderm, endoderm) with "germ cells" (egg, spermatazoa).
Remember the difference between "clinical weeks" (last menstral period) and "embryonic weeks" (from fertilization, 2 weeks later).
Revise meiosis and the difference between mechanism and timecourse for oogenesis and spermatogenesis in generating haploid gametes.
With abnormalities, think about the types of prenatal dianostic techniques that are now available, the 2 major types (genetic and environmental) and the effect of maternal age/lifestyle.