Nervous Comb

The neural crest (lat. crista neuralis) is a prominence along the middle of the dorsal side of the embryo of vertebrates. It is formed in the early stages of embryonic development from ectoderm cells and is the precursor of the central nervous system.

During development, neural crest cells form the neural tube, from which the brain and spinal cord are subsequently formed. The neural crest contains stem cells that give rise to neurons and glial cells. In addition, melanocytes develop from scallop cells, giving skin pigmentation.

Thus, the neural crest plays a key role in the development of the central nervous system and pigmentation of vertebrates.