- Developmental issues in neural tube closure are one of the most common structural birth defects (1 in 1000 pregnancies worldwide) 
- Within the different regions of the neural tube, previous studies have found that 1/3 of all neural tube defects in humans are caused by folding issues within the cranial region 
- An inability to close the tube in this region causes a disease known as exencephaly, which is a terminal birth defect 

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- During the early development, the embryo will transform a flat plane of neuroepithelial cells into a closed tube, which will eventually develop/ differentiate into structures of the brain and spinal cord 
-  In order for this to occur, these neuroepithelial cells utilize specific genetic expression patterns to allow for closure across the head to tail axis, and allow for appropriate cell behavior in specific regions 
- There are also certain prerequisite processes that allow neural tube closure to happen, such as apical constriction 

Neural Tube Closure 

Brooks, E. R., Islam, M. T., Anderson, K. V., & Zallen, J. A. (2020). Sonic hedgehog signaling directs patterned cell remodeling during cranial neural tube closure. eLife, 9, e60234. https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.60234

Sonic hedgehog signaling directs patterned cell remodeling during cranial neural tube closure

Defects in Neural Tube Closure 

- Mechanism that precedes/ prepares for neural tube closure
- Changes rectangular epithelial cells into wedge shaped-cells by forcing the cells to contract (via protein actomyosin) 
- Ultimately leads to bending of tissue, creating "hinge points" that are required for neural tube closure 
- While apical constriction is a required prerequisite for neural tube closure, questions remain about whether this process is needed during the act of neural tube closure itself 
- Knowing that many of the processes that drive cranial neural tube closure are unknown, apical constriction is being investigated for its possible role in this process

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