Neural Tube and Spinal Cord Development

• The neural tube and spinal cord are derived from a single cell layer of ectoderm.
• The neuroepithelial cells that form the neural tube divide and move towards the periphery of the tube.
• The neuroblasts that form in the neuroepithelial cells differentiate into neurons and grey matter.
• The outer white matter of the CNS is called the marginal zone.
• The grey matter of the CNS is called the mantle zone.
• The mantle zone can be divided into a dorsal alar plate (which will become the dorsal horn, which contains mostly second-order sensory neuron cell bodies) and a ventral basal plate (which will become the ventral horn, and contains the cell bodies of somatic motor neurons (= lower motor neurons).
• At the T1-L2 spinal levels, the basal plate will also give rise to a lateral horn, which contains the cell bodies of preganglionic sympathetic neurons.
• The ventricular layer is the deepest layer, and surrounds the central canal.
• The ventricular layer is also referred to as the ependymal zone.
• After the CNS is mature, the ventricular layer will differentiate into ependymal cells.

Test your knowledge of the development of the neural tube and spinal cord in the central nervous system (CNS). Covering topics such as neuroepithelial cell differentiation, grey and white matter, and the differentiation of the ventricular layer into ependymal cells.