The first neural systems in evolutionary history were simple nerve nets
Evolutionary and neurobiological literature widely supports the view that the earliest neural systems were simple, diffuse nerve nets found in basal metazoans.
The retrieved papers uniformly discuss nerve nets as the foundational and earliest form of nervous system organization in early metazoans (such as cnidarians and ctenophores) prior to the evolution of centralization and complex brains. There is no evidence refuting this standard evolutionary view among the provided literature.
R. Montgomery. The Evolution of Nervous Systems: From Nerve Nets to Tripartite Synapses - A Mathematical and Biophysical Analysis. 2025. https://doi.org/10.62162/sssp117222
The paper outlines the evolutionary trajectory of nervous systems, beginning with simple nerve nets in early metazoans.
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Kei Jokura, Gáspár Jékely. Revisiting nerve nets: functional organization and evolutionary implications.. 2026. https://doi.org/10.1038/s44318-026-00879-w
The paper discusses how nerve nets represent a foundational and widespread organization of nervous tissue in early animals.
Félix Leroy, P. Gimenez, Quirin Krabichler, V. Grinevich. Evolution of neuropeptides: From diffusing molecules to modulators of synaptic transmission.. 2026. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pneurobio.2026.102920
The paper notes that decentralized nerve nets in early metazoans represent an initial organizational principle before neural centralization.
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