In the lumbar region, neural crest cells differentiate into the cells of the adrenal medulla, the inner part of the adrenal gland that sits atop the kidneys.
And from a very tiny, underused part of my brain — probably located at the base of my medulla oblongata where my subconscious dwells — comes the thought: he's here to see you.
Once your brain receives sensory information, it sends a motor signal down the upper motor neurons through the corticospinal tract in the midbrain, and cross to the opposite side at the medulla before continuing down the spinal cord.
That sensory input gets relayed to the hypothalamus, which stimulates the medulla oblongata, which then taps the parasympathetic fibers in the vagus nerve.
The 2nd order neuron then sends off an axon that crosses over to the opposite side of the medulla, and travels up to the ventral posterior nucleus of the thalamus to synapse with a 3rd order neuron.
Together, the sympathetic chain and adrenal medulla form the sympathetic nervous system, connecting the brain and central nervous system to various organs including the heart and blood vessels.
The medulla is made up of 10 to 18 renal pyramids with the base of the pyramids facing the renal cortex and the tips of the pyramids, called renal papilla—or nipples, pointing towards the center of the kidney.
Each nephron consists of a round renal corpuscle that resides up in the cortex, followed by a long and winding renal tubule that loops around between the cortex and the medulla.
The sympathetic neurons releases norepinephrine, also called noradrenaline, and the cells of the adrenal medulla release norepinephrine and epinephrine, also called adrenaline.
Alright, as a quick recap, neuroblastoma is a condition where neural crest cells of the developing sympathetic nervous system and adrenal medulla do not differentiate normally.