Embryonic development of the head and neck: part 5, the brain and cranium

Abstract

The development of the brain is presented with respect to closure of the neural tube, the formation of the five vesicles of the brain and their derivatives, and the cranial flexures. The cranial nerves, meninges, choroid plexuses, and cerebral vasculature are also discussed. The origin and ossification of the bony elements of the head and neck, including the neurocranium, viscerocranium, and cervical vertebrae, are described, as well as major congenital defects of the brain and the cranium.