Adv Anat Embryol Cel
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Recent studies have demonstrated that antibodies against the calcium-binding proteins (CaBPs) parvalbumin (PV), calbindin (CB), and calretinin (CR) are appropriate tools for demonstrating transient features and developmental changes of human fetal brain organization as well as for detecting specific alterations in pathologically altered specimens. CB and CR are abundantly expressed in various nerve cell types of the subplate in the second half of gestation. The subplate being an outstandingly wide zone subjacent to the cortical plate, it is a "waiting compartment" for various cortical afferents that reside here prior to entering the cortical plate. ⋯ The latter are essential for the formation of mature projections. Detailed data on the normal organization of the transient structures are required for the evaluation of alterations occurring in the fetal and perinatal brain. The transient structures are sites of predilection for alteration caused by hypoxia-ischemia, hemorrhage, or hydrocephalus.