NCAM is a membrane-bound glycoprotein that plays a role in cell-cell and cell-matrix adhesion through both its homophilic and heterophilic binding activity. The neural cell adhesion molecule appears on early embryonic cells and is important in the formation of cell collectives and their boundaries at sites of morphogenesis. Later in development it is found on various differentiated tissues and is a major CAM mediating adhesion among neurons and between neurons and muscle. NCAM gene is mapped to 11q23. The neural cell adhesion molecule (NCAM) can influence a number of diverse intercellular events, including junctional communication, the association of axons with pathways and targets, and signals that alter levels of neurotransmitter enzymes.