Definition
Chromosomes are threadlike structures made of proteins and nucleic acids. They are found in the nucleus of eukaryotic cells and carry genetic information along their length in the form of genes. In the early 1900s, Walter Sutton and Theodor Boveri argued that the understanding of chromosomes was consistent with Mendelian genetics, and the result of their thinking is called the chromosome theory of heredity. A part of that theory is that Mendelian genes have specific locations (or loci) on chromosomes - a topic under heavy research since that time.
Chromosomes differ in overall length and the length of their parts, and they have distinctive banding patterns that allow them to be recognized. Humans have 23 pairs or 46 chromosomes. Of those 23 pairs, one pair is called the sex chromosomes, and the remaining 22 pairs are called autosomes.
Cross-References
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2018 Springer International Publishing AG, part of Springer Nature
About this entry
Cite this entry
Hahn, M., Palmer, R. (2018). Chromosome. In: Kreutzer, J.S., DeLuca, J., Caplan, B. (eds) Encyclopedia of Clinical Neuropsychology. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-57111-9_1856
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-57111-9_1856
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-319-57110-2
Online ISBN: 978-3-319-57111-9
eBook Packages: Behavioral Science and PsychologyReference Module Humanities and Social SciencesReference Module Business, Economics and Social Sciences