Wiktionary
n. (context anatomy English) hollow longitudinal dorsal tube formed in the folding and subsequent fusion of the opposite ectodermal folds in the embryo that gives rise to the brain and spinal cord
WordNet
n. a tube of ectodermal tissue in the embryo from which the brain and spinal cord develop
Wikipedia
In the developing chordate (including vertebrates), the neural tube is the embryo's precursor to the central nervous system, which comprises the brain and spinal cord. The neural groove gradually deepens as the neural folds become elevated, and ultimately the folds meet and coalesce in the middle line and convert the groove into the closed neural tube. The ectodermal wall of the tube forms the rudiment of the nervous system. The centre of the tube is the neural canal.
Usage examples of "neural tube".
The neural folds have closed to form the neural tube, but there is no nerve tissue within it.
The embryo's neural tube, which develops into the brain, spinal cord, and vertebral column, fails to form properly, leading to varying degrees of permanent damage.
The front end of the neural tube blossomed into the vesicles that would become the brain.