Details

Autor(en) / Beteiligte

• Detrait, Eric R.
• George, Timothy M.
• Etchevers, Heather C.
• Gilbert, John R.
• Vekemans, Michel
• Speer, Marcy C.

Titel

Human neural tube defects: Developmental biology, epidemiology, and genetics

Ist Teil von

• Neurotoxicology and teratology, 2005-05, Vol.27 (3), p.515-524

Ort / Verlag

New York, NY: Elsevier Inc

Erscheinungsjahr

2005

Quelle

MEDLINE

Beschreibungen/Notizen

• Birth defects (congenital anomalies) are the leading cause of death in babies under 1 year of age. Neural tube defects (NTD), with a birth incidence of approximately 1/1000 in American Caucasians, are the second most common type of birth defect after congenital heart defects. The most common presentations of NTD are spina bifida and anencephaly. The etiologies of NTDs are complex, with both genetic and environmental factors implicated. In this manuscript, we review the evidence for genetic etiology and for environmental influences, and we present current views on the developmental processes involved in human neural tube closure.