TY - CHAP M1 - Book, Section TI - Chapter 531. The Adrenal Cortex A1 - Miller, Walter L. A2 - Rudolph, Colin D. A2 - Rudolph, Abraham M. A2 - Lister, George E. A2 - First, Lewis R. A2 - Gershon, Anne A. PY - 2011 T2 - Rudolph's Pediatrics, 22e AB - The cells of the adrenal cortex are of mesodermal origin, in contrast to the neuroectodermal cells of the adrenal medulla. Human embryonic adrenogonadal progenitor cells first appear at around the fourth week of gestation between the urogenital ridge and dorsal mesentery. These progenitor cells give rise to the steroidogenic cells of the gonads and to the adrenal cortex. The adrenal and gonadal cells then separate—the adrenal cells migrate retroperitoneally to the cranial pole of the mesonephros, and the gonadal cells migrate caudally. Between the seventh and eighth weeks of development, sympathetic cells from the neural crest invade the primitive adrenal and become the adrenal medulla. By the end of the eighth week, the rudimentary adrenal has become encapsulated and is associated with the upper pole of the kidney, which at this time is much smaller than the adrenal. SN - PB - The McGraw-Hill Companies CY - New York, NY Y2 - 2024/04/20 UR - accesspediatrics.mhmedical.com/content.aspx?aid=7053528 ER -