SCO-ping Out the Mechanisms Underlying the Etiology of Hydrocephalus

Michael S. Huh 1 ,* , Matthew A. M. Todd 2 ,* and David J. Picketts 2 1 Regenerative Medicine Program, Ottawa Health Research Institute, and 2 Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology, and Immunology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada dpicketts{at}ohri.ca The heterogeneous nature of congenital hydrocephalus has hampered our understanding of the molecular basis of this common clinical problem. However, disease gene identification and characterization of multiple transgenic mouse models has highlighted the importance of the subcommissural organ (SCO) and the ventricular ependymal (vel) cells. Here, we review how altered development and function of the SCO and vel cells contributes to hydrocephalus. * M. S. Huh and M. A. M. Todd contributed equally to this manuscript.