Study: the brain is actually two separate organs, forebrain and hindbrain

Stanford researchers found that the brain forms from two distinct cell populations — forebrain and hindbrain — that split during gastrulation. The discovery could open new treatments for ALS and spinal muscular atrophy.

• Forebrain and hindbrain cells diverge within days of embryonic development
• The split is governed by chromatin and the genes Otx2 and Gbx2
• Hindbrain progenitors were grown in a lab for the first time
• The same pattern appears in mice, chickens, zebrafish and acorn worms