Embryonic development of the Human Heart
This article gives information about the development of the Human heart right from its first beat to the changes in the heart till the birth of the child.
The Heart is the first functional organ in the human body and the developing and growing fetus in the mother's womb and the development of the heart undergoes 5 stages of development.
Click here to read about The Heart - A Human Life Line - The basics of the Human Heart.Embryonic development of the Human Heart
The zygote which is forms from the fertilization of the Sperm and the Ovum form the 3 germ layers which arrange themselves in specific orders and forms various areas in the layers of which the Lateral plate Mesoderm delaminates and then forms two layers, namely, the Dorsal Somatic Mesoderm and the Ventral Splanchnic Mesoderm. The Dorsal Somatic Mesoderm is also known as the Parietal Mesoderm and the Ventral Splanchnic Mesoderm is also known as the Visceral mesoderm.
Cardiac Precursor cells
The Splanchnic Mesoderm as discussed above has two regions from which develop the Heart Precursor cells which are also called as the Cardiogenic Mesoderm.
The cells developing from the Cardiogenic Mesoderm form the Endocardium which forms the lining of the Chambers of the Heart and the Valves of the Heart and the Myocardium which forms the Musculature of the Atria and the Ventricles of the Heart.