Resumen de Top to tail: anterior-posterior patterning precedes regional nervous system identity

Claire S. Simon, Anna-Katerina Hadjantonakis

• In this issue, Metzis et al., demonstrate that in the development of the central nervous system, patterning along the anterior-posterior axis precedes acquisition of neural identity. This contrasts with the prevailing view that neural identity comes first, providing a new window on the origins of the brain and spinal cord.