Neural crest cells contribute to which peripheral nervous system structure?

Neural crest cells contribute to which peripheral nervous system structure?

• A. Spinal cord gray matter
• B. Pontine nuclei
• C. Dorsal root ganglia
• D. Cerebral cortex

Answer: (C)

Neural crest cells are migratory, multipotent cells that form many peripheral nervous system components. They specifically give rise to the dorsal root ganglia, which house the cell bodies of sensory neurons that carry information from the body to the central nervous system. The other structures listed—spinal cord gray matter, pontine nuclei, and the cerebral cortex—develop from the neural tube and are CNS components, not neural crest derivatives. So the dorsal root ganglia best fit as a peripheral nervous system structure arising from neural crest cells.

Neural crest cells are migratory, multipotent cells that form many peripheral nervous system components. They specifically give rise to the dorsal root ganglia, which house the cell bodies of sensory neurons that carry information from the body to the central nervous system. The other structures listed—spinal cord gray matter, pontine nuclei, and the cerebral cortex—develop from the neural tube and are CNS components, not neural crest derivatives. So the dorsal root ganglia best fit as a peripheral nervous system structure arising from neural crest cells.