Pontine flexure

The pontine flexure is a bend in the axis of the embryological central nervous system (the neuraxis). This flexure marks the junction between the metencephalon and the myelencephalon. The division of the rhombencephalon (the early hindbrain) into the metencephalon and the myelencephalon occurs at the 7th week of development. In the mature brain, the metencephalon forms the pons and cerebellum, whilst the myelencephalon forms the medulla oblongata.