ABSTRACT
Vascular development in the embryonic and fetal central nervous system (CNS) is a highly stereotypical process that begins at the cervical levels of the neural tube (NT) and progresses towards the caudal and cephalic poles of the embryo following the process of neurulation. Until a few years ago, the ontogeny of blood vessels within the nervous system was believed to be a “passive” process subordinated to the metabolic demands of the neural tissue (Park et al. 2003). An increasing body of evidence, however, shows that vascularization in the developing brain proceeds through a relatively autonomous process. The vascular network guarantees proper neuronal
1 Laboratorio de Nutrición Experimental, Instituto Nacional de Pediatría, Secretaria de Salud, México D.F., 04530, México.
