Human Embryology and Developmental Biology

Fetal Period and Birth

After the eighth week of pregnancy, the period of organogenesis (embryonic period) is largely completed, and the fetal period begins. By the end of the embryonic period, almost all the organs are present in a grossly recognizable form. The external…

Cardiovascular System

This chapter follows the development of the heart from a simple tubular structure to the four-chambered organ that can assume the full burden of maintaining independent circulation at birth. Similarly, the pattern of blood vessels is traced from their first…

Urogenital System

The urogenital system arises from the intermediate mesoderm of the early embryo (see Figure 6.11 ). Several major themes underlie the development of urinary and genital structures from this common precursor. The first is the interconnectedness of urinary and genital development,…

Head and Neck

Among the earliest vertebrates, the cranial region consisted of two principal components: (1) a chondrocranium, associated with the brain and the major sense organs (nose, eye, ear); and (2) a viscerocranium , a series of branchial (pharyngeal) arches associated with…

Sense Organs

The major sense organs arise in large measure from the thickened ectodermal placodes that appear lateral to the neural plate in the early embryo (see Figure 6.10 ). The following descriptions begin with the most cranial placodes and continue to the…

Neural Crest

The neural crest, the existence of which has been recognized for more than a century, forms an exceptionally wide range of cell types and structures, including several types of nerves and glia, connective tissue, bones, and pigment cells. Its importance…

Nervous System

Many fundamental developmental processes are involved in the formation of the nervous system. Some of these dominate certain stages of embryogenesis; others occur only at limited times and in restricted locations. The major processes are as follows: 1. induction ,…

Limb Development

Limbs are remarkable structures that are designed almost solely for mechanical functions: motion and force. These functions are achieved through the coordinated development of various tissue components. No single tissue in the limb takes shape without reference to the other…