Neck Neck The neck is the part of the body, on many vertebrates, that separates the head from the torso. It contains blood vessels and nerves that supply structures in the head to the body. These in humans include part of the esophagus, the larynx, trachea, and thyroid gland, major blood vessels including the carotid arteries and jugular veins, and the top part of the spinal cord. In anatomy, the neck is also called by its Latin names, cervix or collum, although when used alone, in context, the word "cervix" more often refers to the uterine cervix, the neck of the
Face and neck development of the human embryo Face and neck development of the human embryo The face and neck development of the human embryo refers to the development of the structures from the third to eighth week that give rise to the future head and neck. They consist of three layers, the ectoderm, mesoderm and endoderm, which from the mesenchyme (derived form the lateral plate mesoderm and paraxial mesoderm), neural crest and neural placodes (from the ectoderm). The paraxial mesoderm forms structures named somites and somitomeres that contribute to the development of the floor of the brain and voluntary muscles of the craniofacial region. The lateral plate