Neurulation is the stage of organogenesis in vertebrate embryos, during which the neural tube is transformed into the primitive structures that will later develop into the central nervous system.
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. The neural plate folds in upon itself to form the neural tube, which will later differentiate into the spinal cord and the brain, eventually forming the central nervous system.
Different portions of the neural tube formed by two different processes, called primary and secondary neurulation, in different species.
- 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.
Read more about Neurulation: Secondary Neurulation, Early Brain Development, Non-neural Ectoderm Tissue, Neural Crest Cells, Neural Tube Defects