Steve C. answered • 12/23/22
University of Florida Grad For Biology, Microbiology, & Anatomy
During embryonic development, the nervous system is one of the first systems to begin forming. The early stages of neural development involve the formation of the neural tube, which is a structure that will eventually give rise to the central nervous system (CNS).
The neural tube is formed through a process called neurulation, which begins around the third week of development in humans. The neural tube starts as a flat plate of cells called the neural plate, which begins to fold inward and form a tube. The neural tube is divided into three primary regions: the forebrain, midbrain, and hindbrain.
As the neural tube develops, it begins to differentiate into different cell types and structures, including neurons, glial cells, and various types of neural tissue. The neural tube also begins to form the brain and spinal cord, which are the primary structures of the CNS.
The critical features of these early steps in neural development are the processes of cell differentiation and patterning, which determine the types of cells that are formed and the specific functions they will perform. These processes are controlled by various genetic and environmental signals, and they are essential for the proper development of the nervous system.
The central nervous system and the peripheral nervous system (PNS) are closely related, as the PNS develops from the neural crest cells that form along the sides of the neural tube. The neural crest cells give rise to various types of cells, including sensory neurons, which are responsible for transmitting sensory information to the CNS, and motor neurons, which are responsible for controlling muscle movement. The PNS also includes a variety of other structures, such as the ganglia and nerves, which transmit information between the CNS and the rest of the body.
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