The neural tube forms the spinal cord and brain.
Mistakes in the formation of these structures seems to be more common in folate deficiency. Women who may become pregnant are advised to take folate to prevent these birth defects.
In the embryo the neural tube forms the central nervous system in the fetus, which is the brain and spinal cord. The reason pregnant women are given folic acid supplementation is to help prevent neural tube defects, which can range from fairly benign all the way to anencephaly (where the baby is born without a brain).
In the 3rd week of pregnancy called gastrulation, specialized cells on the dorsal side of the fetus begin to change shape and form the neural tube.
The neural tube is the embryonic predecessor of the brain and spinal cord. Which means, most of what it "does" is develop into a brain and spinal cord. The neural tube is initially formed almost exclusively of stem and progenitor cells. Over time, these stem and progenitor cells adopt specific identities and begin to differentiate neurons and later glial cells and these cells begin forming neural circuits. By the time the neural tube has developed to a point where it is capable of carrying out rudimentary neurological functions, the nomenclature is generally changed to brain and spinal cord rather than neural tube.
if measurement of neural tube is greater than 2.5mm indicates down syndrome
Neural tube.
The neural tube closes around the 28th day of gestation, so that would be at the end of the fourth week.
Nervous Tissue
The Epiderm
The neural tube
Neural Tube
Neural Tube Defect
Myelodysplasia, or Neural Tube Defect