The role of folic acid in the prevention of neural tube defects

Neural tube defects are among the most significant congenital causes of morbidity and mortality in infants, occurring in over one quarter of a million newborns per year, worldwide. The discovery that folic acid intervention can prevent neural tube defects has offered the prospect of essentially eliminating these common congenital defects, if public health efforts to increase intake of folic acid/folate are successful. The discovery also initiated intense efforts in developmental biology, biochemistry and genetics to identify folic acid related mechanisms that might be crucial during the period of closure of the neural tube.