Morphogenesis of Lateral Choroid Plexus During Human Embryonic Period

The morphological and histological changes of the choroid plexus (CP) during Carnegie stage (CS) 18 and CS23 were presented, based on magnetic resonance imaging data and histological serial section of human embryos from the Kyoto Collection of Human Embryos. The primordium of the CP was initially detected as a small lump at CS19 that grew caudally, so that the CP became crescent shaped. It developed in all directions after CS21, as the dorsal and frontal growth also became prominent. The CP formed a number of undulating surfaces at CS20, irregular bulges at CS21, and then three large clusters with two deep fissures on the caudal surface at CS23. The mean volume of the CP was 0.282±0.141 mm³ at CS19; it reached 16.8±8.77 mm³ at CS23. Additionally, the histology was different depending on the regions of the CP at all stages after CS20. The epithelium and angioblasts in the center of the stroma were proliferated in the proximal region, whereas the epithelium was differentiated and lobulated in the distal region where the blood vascular system was organized. The histological differentiation was mapped on the CP reconstructed from histological serial sections. The data suggested the correlation between morphological information obtained from magnetic resonance data sets and distribution of the differentiation. With the help of morphological analysis and histological findings, we have been able to categorize each CP into specific stages. These findings will be useful in clinical evaluation of development during the embryonic period. Anat Rec, 296:692–700, 2013. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.