In the anterior vertebrate head, a population of neural crest cells (NCCs) migrates to the periocular mesenchyme and makes critical contributions to the developing eye and orbit. Improper migration and differentiation of these NCCs have been implicated in human diseases such as congenital glaucoma and anterior segment dysgenesis syndromes. The mechanisms by which these cells migrate to their target tissues within and around the eye are not well understood. We present a fate map of zebrafish diencephalic and mesencephalic NCC contributions to the eye and orbit. The fate map closely resembles that in chick and mice, demonstrating evolutionary conservation. To gain insight into the mechanisms of anterior NCC guidance, we used the eyeless mutant chokh/rx3. We show that, in chokh mutants, dorsal anterior NCC migration is severely disorganized. Time-lapse analysis shows that NCCs have significantly reduced migration rates and directionality in chokh mutants.

As many as 30% of incarcerated juveniles have a history of traumatic brain injury (TBI). Moderate or severe TBI is associated with a high risk of impairment in language comprehension and expression, which may have profound effects on juveniles' ability to understand and express themselves in criminal proceedings. In this article, we review common language impairments in youths with TBI and discuss potential effects of these impairments on 3 stages of US criminal proceedings: (1) initial encounter with law enforcement; (2) interrogation and Miranda rights; and (3) competence to undergo trial proceedings. We then describe language assessment tools and procedures that may be helpful in legal contexts. Our aim was to inform clinicians and legal staff working with juvenile defendants with TBI, with the long-term goal of developing empirically based guidelines to ensure that juvenile defendants with TBI can fully and effectively participate in criminal proceedings.

Because numerous standards and ethics rules underscore the importance of language and communication within the legal process, the inability to successfully comprehend legal language is a pressing concern, particularly because many populations that are overrepresented within legal systems typically show problems with language and communication. In order to better describe the nexus between language comprehension and the law, therefore, I identify four hierarchical aspects of legal language and concepts that may challenge the language-comprehension processes and impede comprehension: (1) the challenge to “lower level” cognitive functions; (2) the demand for inferences; (3) the need for complex situation models; and (4) the idiosyncratic nature of legal language’s text “genre.” Using common examples of black-letter law, I examine how these four aspects might create legal problems and ethical concerns for both the adjudicated individual and the representing attorney. This analysis should be a valuable first step in allowing the neurolaw and bioethics fields to better identify and research these important ethical dilemmas.

Adults with TBI underperformed their uninjured peers in both accuracy and speed on a task of legal-language comprehension, and these differences were attributable in part to differences in working memory and reading fluency. Results highlight the potential costs of TBI-related communication problems in criminal proceedings and the need to formally evaluate language comprehension in individuals with TBI who are in the criminal justice system.