In humans, the notochord forms in week 3, is eventually lost from vertebral regions and contributes to the nucleus pulposus of the intervertebral disc during the formation of the vertebral column.
The central region of the ectoderm forms a columnar epithelium described as the neural plate. This epithelium will fold dorsally to form the neural groove , which then fuses to form an initially open at either end hollow neural tube . The neural tube forms the central nervous system (brain and spinal cord).