
Neurulation
- In primary neurulation, the neural plate creases inward until the edges come in contact and fuse.
- In secondary neurulation, the tube forms by hollowing out of the interior of a solid precursor.
What happens during neurulation in vertebrates?
Neurulation in vertebrates results in the formation of the neural tube, which gives rise to both the spinal cord and the brain. Neural crest cells are also created during neurulation. Neural crest cells migrate away from the neural tube and give rise to a variety of cell types, including pigment cells and neurons.
What is the primary neurulation process?
The process of the flat neural plate folding into the cylindrical neural tube is termed primary neurulation. As a result of the cellular shape changes, the neural plate forms the medial hinge point (MHP).
How does neurulation occur in an embryo?
And what happens in neurulation is that the neural plate begins to rise up in it's lateral margins. And begins to close off in a process that will form a tube out of that neural plate. So this begins with the formation of a groove that runs the anterior to posterior length of the embryo just above the notochord.
What is neuromuscular neurulation?
Neurulation is the critical morphogenetic event occurring during the fourth week of human gestation, converting the previously developed neural plate into the ectoderm covered neural tube that will eventually differentiate into the brain and spinal cord.

What happens primary neurulation?
There are two major ways of forming a neural tube. In primary neurulation, the cells surrounding the neural plate direct the neural plate cells to proliferate, invaginate, and pinch off from the surface to form a hollow tube.
What is neurulation when in development does it occur?
It starts during the 3rd and 4th week of gestation. This process is called primary neurulation, and it begins with an open neural plate, then ends with the neural plate bending in specific, distinct steps. [1] These steps ultimately lead to the neural plate closing to form the neural tube.
What is the first step of neurulation?
At the tissue level, neurulation occurs in four stages (Figure 4-2): (i) transformation of the central portion of the embryonic ectoderm into a thickened neural plate (ii) shaping and elongation of the neural plate, (iii) bending of the neural plate around a medial groove followed by elevation of the lateral folds (iv) ...
What is the end result of neurulation?
Primary neurulation ends with the closure of the neuropores (rostral and caudal). After closure of the caudal neuropore, the spinal cord is not completely generated and the most caudal part of this anatomical region is produced by a different mechanism.
Why is neurulation important?
Neurulation accomplishes three major things in higher vertebrates: (1) It creates the neural tube, which gives rise the central nervous system. (2) It creates the neural crest, which migrates away from the dorsal surface of the neural tube, and gives rise to a diverse set of cell types.
What is neurulation quizlet?
What is neurulation? Period of development starting with formation of neural plate and ending with closure of neural tube.
Where does neurulation start and end?
During primary neurulation, the folds of the groove fuse to form the neural tube. The anterior portion of the tube forms the basal plate, the posterior portion forms the alar plate, and the center forms the neural canal. The ends of the neural tube close at the conclusion of the fourth week of gestation.
What happen to notochord at end of neurulation?
Some of the notochodral cells become incorporated into the center section neural plate to later form the floor plate of the neural tube. The notochord plate separates and forms the solid notochord. The folding of the neural tube to form an actual tube does not occur all at once.
What processes are involved before neurulation?
The process begins when the notochord induces the formation of the central nervous system (CNS) by signaling the ectoderm germ layer above it to form the thick and flat neural plate.
What is meant by neurulation?
The series of processes of transforming the neural plate into the neural tube is called neurulation. This process begins by the 3rd-4th week of fertilization. At this stage, the embryo is known as neurula. This process is a characteristic feature of vertebrates.
Does neurulation occur after gastrulation?
Following gastrulation, the next major development in the embryo is neurulation, which occurs during weeks three and four after fertilization. This is a process in which the embryo develops structures that will eventually become the nervous system. Neurulation is illustrated in Figure 23.3.
What is neurulation quizlet?
What is neurulation? Period of development starting with formation of neural plate and ending with closure of neural tube.
Is neurulation part of gastrulation?
Neurulation is the formation of the neural tube from the ectoderm of the embryo. It follows gastrulation in all vertebrates.
Overview
Neurulation refers to the folding process in vertebrate embryos, which includes the transformation of the neural plate into the neural tube. The embryo at this stage is termed the neurula.
The process begins when the notochord induces the formation of the central nervous system (CNS) by signaling the ectoderm germ layer above it to form th…
Primary neurulation
The concept of induction originated in work by Pandor in 1817. The first experiments proving induction were attributed by Viktor Hamburger to independent discoveries of both Hans Spemann of Germany in 1901 and Warren Lewis of the USA in 1904. It was Hans Spemann who first popularized the term “primary neural induction” in reference to the first differentiation of ectoderm i…
Secondary neurulation
Primary neurulation develops into secondary neurulation when the caudal neuropore undergoes final closure. The cavity of the spinal cord extends into the neural cord. In secondary neurulation, the neural ectoderm and some cells from the endoderm form the medullary cord. The medullary cord condenses, separates and then forms cavities. These cavities then merge to form a single tube. Secondary neurulation occurs in the posterior section of most animals but it is better expr…
Early brain development
The anterior portion of the neural tube forms the three main parts of the brain: the forebrain (prosencephalon), midbrain (mesencephalon), and the hindbrain (rhombencephalon). These structures initially appear just after neural tube closure as bulges called brain vesicles in a pattern specified by anterior-posterior patterning genes, including Hox genes, other transcription factors such as Emx, Otx, and Pax genes, and secreted signaling factors such as fibroblast growth factors (FGFs) …
Non-neural ectoderm tissue
Paraxial mesoderm surrounding the notochord at the sides will develop into the somites (future muscles, bones, and contributes to the formation of limbs of the vertebrate ).
Neural crest cells
Masses of tissue called the neural crest that are located at the very edges of the lateral plates of the folding neural tube separate from the neural tube and migrate to become a variety of different but important cells.
Neural crest cells will migrate through the embryo and will give rise to several cell populations, including pigment cells and the cells of the peripheral nervous system.
Neural tube defects
Failure of neurulation, especially failure of closure of the neural tube are among the most common and disabling birth defects in humans, occurring in roughly 1 in every 500 live births. Failure of the rostral end of the neural tube to close results in anencephaly, or lack of brain development, and is most often fatal. Failure of the caudal end of the neural tube to close causes a condition known as spina bifida, in which the spinal cord fails to close.
See also
• Embryonic differentiation waves
• Neural fold
• Neural plate
• Neural crest