School of Anatomical Sciences

The School of Anatomical Sciences was established as the Department of Anatomy in 1919. The School includes the sub-disciplines of gross anatomy, histology, cell biology, developmental anatomy, developmental biology, physical anthropology including palaeo-anthroplogy, human variation and growth. The current research activities of the School are broad, covering both human and comparative anatomy and include palaeo-anthropology, developmental biology, as well as embryo implantation and reproductive biology, neurobiology, and thermoregulation in small mammals.

The School of Anatomical Sciences houses two significant skeletal Collections which entail research output on both human as well as animal material. The Raymond Dart Collection was started in the early 1920?s and houses one of the largest human skeletal collections in the world. It is the largest human skeletal collection within South Africa and comprises a total number of 2,605 documented skeletons (Dayal etal., 2009). The collection has a wide selection of ages that extends from 100 years to neonates, as well as a multitude of populations representing both sexes. In addition to this the collection has a few different identified pathologies. With this in mind it becomes obvious that the Dart collection is of significant importance for forensic anthropology, population biology, human variation, dentistry, medicine, clinical anatomy, forensic pathology and palaeo-anthropology to mention a few. Hence this collection not only has a deep history in terms of it?s relation to Wits Medical School and the School of Anatomical Sciences but also in terms of the research that it generates. The collection attracts researchers both nationally and internationally.

These Collections boast a large, diverse group of available specimens and make up one of the very few collections of this nature in the country.

NEUROSCIENCES AT WITS

Stripping away the myths of animal behaviour by studying how their brains are wired is all in a day's work for Prof. Paul Manger, Reader in the School of Anatomical Sciences. He specialises in the evolution of the brain by examining the brains of different mammals to answer the question: "As brains change in size, what changes and what stays the same?"

Understanding basic processes in the brains of different animals will lead to a greater understanding of how the human brain evolved. Africa is well placed for this type of research because of the rich diversity of animal species on the continent. South Africa alone has 85 species of rodent, allowing research on brains ranging in size from 100 milligrams to 35 grams to ascertain what changes occur as brain size increases.

"We mostly find that brains stay the same. This sounds like an anticlimax but it is important because by finding that animal brains are similar to humans, we can start to select appropriate animal models to study human illnesses," he says. "Knowing what animal models cannot be applied to humans in specific situations is equally important."

Adult Neurogenesis Research Group

Prof Amadi O. Ihunwo is the Group Leader for the comparative adult neurogenesis research on different animals and human brain. As the Principal Investigator under the prestigious Switzerland-South Africa Joint Research Programme (SSAJRP), his research is aimed at providing a database of active and potential neurogenic sites in adult mammalian brains including humans. The investigation focuses first on South African mammalian species for species-specific proliferation rate and time course of adult hippocampal neurogenesis during lifetime. The ultimate goal of this comparative approach is firstly to find a species that may match the human conditions, namely decent levels of hippocampal neurogenesis in the juvenile period, and much reduced rates at adulthood. Second, describe parametrically the time course of neuronal proliferation and differentiation in the human hippocampus from childhood to mid-life age (after which we do not expect any detectable adult hippocampal neurogenesis), and thirdly evaluate which periods may correspond best to the situation in the mouse. Several MSc and PhD students conduct their research under adult neurogenesis. The Collaborating Institution is the Division of Neuroanatomy and Brain Behaviour, Institute of Anatomy, University of Zurich, Switzerland.

Professor Margot Hosie?s interests are in reproductive biology. Her major project concerns the effects of ovarian hormones and in particular, hormone-analogues (receptor modulators both oestrogen and progeasterone receptor and aratomatase inhibitors) especially those used in fertility or anti-fertility treatments on the uterus. These molecules are known to have a profound impact on uterine epithelial cells and while use of such agents is mandatory in anovulatory patients, they paradoxically reduce implantation rates. The key to solving this problem is to understand how such molecules prevent implantation by altering uterine cellular organization. Her work focuses on visualizing the altered ultastructure of uterine epithelial and stromal cells as well as using molecular and immunohistochemical analyses of the key genes particularly those associated with the oestrogen and progesterone receptors and attachment of the blastocyst to uterine epithelial cells. The work has so far used a very successful animal model as well as human biopsy material. An extension of this work includes work on uterine cancer where paradoxically the same receptor modulators, (oestrogen, progesterone and aromatise) are used in breast cancer treatment.