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Our paper is a review of the modern knowledge on the antenatal development of the central nervous system. In our era the developmental anatomy is no more the exclusive field of the embryologist or anatomist. Clinicians usually are interested in those aspects of the development that could explain the mechanism of some congenital anomalies. The human central nervous system is the highest level of organization and perfecting of the nervous tissue in animals. In our paper we focus on the essential aspects of the development of the central nervous system: formation of the neural tube by the primary and secondary neurulation, and then the differentiation of the neural tube considering the cranio-caudal and the dorso-ventral axes respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The influence of intrauterine hypobaric hypoxia on prooxidant/antioxidant balance of occipital cortex, corpus callosum and retina of 40 Wistar offspring rats was investigated. Malondialdehyde, thyol groups and reduced glutathione levels were assessed accordingly to each experimental group, as follows: control group - pregnant rats unexposed to hypobaric hypoxia and unprotected with α-lipoic acid; pregnant rats exposed to hypobaric hypoxia; pregnant rats exposed to hypobaric hypoxia and protected with α-lipoic acid; pregnant rats unexposed to hypobaric hypoxia but protected with α-lipoic acid. It was noticed a significant increase (p<0.01) in malondialdehyde levels in group exposed to hypobaric hypoxia as compared to control and to hypobaric hypoxia and α-lipoic acid treated group. Thyol groups had a lower concentration in hypobaric hypoxia group as compared to control group. Also, it was noticed a significant difference between hypobaric hypoxia group and hypobaric hypoxia and α-lipoic acid treated group in all analyzed tissues. On the other hand, glutathione level registered significant differences between hypobaric hypoxia group as compared to control group (p<0.01) and hypobaric hypoxia group as compared to α-lipoic acid treated group (p<0.05) in all analyzed tissues. Hypobaric hypoxia led to an increase in malondialdehyde levels and to a decrease of antioxidant defense (thyol groups and reduced glutathione) in occipital cortex, corpus callosum and retina. α-lipoic acid administration, previously to hypobaric hypoxia exposure, protected thyol groups and reduced glutahione. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]