In about one out of every 1,000 pregnancies, the neural tube, a key nervous system structure, fails to close properly.

How does the neural tube close? A new study uses physics-based modeling to reveal the actin "purse-string" mechanism and cellular coordination that prevents spina bifida.

The development of vertebrates from the zygote follows a specific sequence of events: (i) division of the zygote into undifferentiated blastula cells, (ii) formation of three progenitor cell layers in ...

Neural tube formation was compromised in frog embryos treated with the widely-used antiepileptic drug valproic acid and led to defects. Disclaimer: AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the ...

The brain's complex tangle of interconnected nerve cells processes visual images, recalls memories, controls motor function, and coordinates countless other functions. A major goal of neuroscience is ...

Scientists have developed a mouse model that could be a promising model system for research into factors affecting mammalian embryonic development and disease. The National Institute of Health (NIH) ...

In the human embryo, the neural tube forms between the 22nd and 26th day of pregnancy. Later, the brain and spinal cord will develop from this tube. The neural tube forms when an elongated flat tissue ...

Researchers have identified a gene that plays a key role in the formation of neural tube defects, a problem commonly found in infants of pregnant women with diabetes. This is the first time the gene ...

Last year, researchers at the University of California, Riverside, identified the early origins of neural crest cells -- embryonic cells in vertebrates that travel throughout the body and generate ...

Children born to women who have low blood levels of vitamin B12 shortly before and after conception may have an increased risk of a neural tube defect, according to a new analysis. Vegans and ...