Two stages in the development of the neural crest in the human embryo.
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|Latin
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|colspan="2"|[subject #184 ]
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|System
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|Carnegie stage
|colspan="2"|[9]
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|Days
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|Precursor
|colspan="2"|ectoderm
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|Gives rise to
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|MeSH
|colspan="2"|[A16.254.600]
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|Dorlands/Elsevier
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The neural crest, a component of the ectoderm, is one of several ridgelike clusters of cells found on either side of the neural tube in vertebrateembryos.
It has been referred to as the fourth germ layer, due to its great importance.
Products
During development (at the stage of neurulation), these cells migrate extensively to yield a wide range of cell types and structures:
Proximal to the spinal cord and line up symmetrically to form the dorsal root ganglia.
Into the developing heart and form the spiral septum.
The nomenclature of these cells derives from avian studies which demonstrate migration from the neural crest which forms on the rostral region of the ectoderm in the trilaminar disc. In humans, the cells actually migrate from the lateral margins of the neural tube however the use of 'crest cells' in this regard is retained.
