The relevance of symmetric and asymmetric cell divisions to human central nervous system diseases.

During development of the embryonic central nervous system (CNS), large numbers of neurons and glia are generated from the neuroepithelium and its progenitor derivatives as a result of symmetric and asymmetric cell divisions. We describe the biology of symmetric and asymmetric cell divisions in the CNS as gleaned from animal models, and discuss the relevance of these processes to human CNS development and disease.