Chick Embryo Atlases

This series of atlases depicts the developing brain and spinal cord of white leghorn chick embryos.  The incubation period for chick embryos is 20 to 21 days at the optimal temperature of 37.5oC and these atlases show development of the central and peripheral nervous system at 4.5, 6.5 and 10.5 days of incubation (E or embryonic days).  Nomenclature of segmental regions, nuclei and tracts has been adopted from Puelles et al. (2007).  Please note that Puelles et al. also contains useful information on homologies of chick and mammalian embryonic brain regions.

The work was carried out under ethical approval from the University of New South Wales Animal Ethical Committee.

Prior to embedding, embryos were staged according to the Hamburger and Hamilton system.  Details of this system can be found at: https://embryology.med.unsw.edu.au/embryology/index.php/Hamburger_Hamilton_Stages

Details of how staging is performed can also be found in the original article by Hamburger and Hamilton (1951).

References

Hamburger V, Hamilton HL (1951) A series of normal stages in the development of the chick embryo. Journal of Morphology 88: 49-92.

Puelles L, Martinez-de-la-Torre M, Paxinos G, Watson C, Martínez S. (2007) The Chick Brain in Stereotaxic Co-ordinates. An Atlas featuring Neuromeric Subdivisions and Mammalian Homologies. Academic Press.