neural crest

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

1. n. The part of the ectoderm in a vertebrate embryo that lies on either side of the neural tube and develops into the cranial, spinal, and autonomic ganglia.

Wiktionary

1. n. embryology A strip of ectodermal material in the early vertebrate embryo inserted between the prospective neural plate and the epidermis.