spinal cord
n.
The thick, whitish cord of nerve tissue that extends from the medulla oblongata down through the spinal column and from which the spinal nerves branch off to various parts of the body.
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The thick, whitish cord of nerve tissue that extends from the medulla oblongata down through the spinal column and from which the spinal nerves branch off to various parts of the body.
The portion of the central nervous system within the spinal canal of the vertebral column, that is, the entire central nervous system except the brain. The spinal cord extends from the foramen magnum at the base of the skull to a variable level of the spinal canal; it terminates at the lumbar level in humans and extends well into the caudal region in fishes.
The outer portion of the spinal cord is made up of nerve fibers most of which are oriented longitudinally and carry information between parts of the spinal cord, between spinal cord and brain, and between brain and spinal cord. The outer white matter is divided into dorsal, lateral, and ventral columns. The interior of the spinal cord consists of gray matter and is divided into a dorsal sensory horn (or column) and a ventral motor horn (or column). In the thoracic and lumbar regions of the cord there is also a small lateral horn (or column) which contains preganglionic sympathetic neurons. In the very center of the bilaterally symmetrical spinal cord is a small central canal, containing cerebrospinal fluid. See also Sympathetic nervous system.
Paired spinal nerves enter the spinal canal between each pair of vertebrae and connect with the spinal cord. The number of spinal nerves varies widely in vertebrates; in humans there are 31 pairs (8 cervical, 12 thoracic, 5 lumbar, 5 sacral, and 1 coccygeal). Each spinal nerve divides into a dorsal sensory root and a ventral motor root before entering the spinal cord. The motor neurons of the ventral horn, in addition to receiving synapses from dorsal root axons, also receive synaptic endings from neurons in other parts of the spinal cord and from long axons coming from the brain. The axons of the ventral horn neurons leave the cord through the ventral root of the spinal nerve and run with peripheral nerves to innervate the muscles of the body. With this complex synaptic and fiber organization, the spinal cord can act as the integrating center for spinal reflexes (such as the knee jerk reflex), send sensory information from the brain, and receive information from the brain to initiate or inhibit muscular activity. See also Motor systems; Nervous system (vertebrate); Sensation.
The spinal cord extends down from the brain stem at the base of the skull, enclosed in the vertebral canal; brain and spinal cord in continuity comprise the central nervous system. Like the brain, the cord is ensheathed by membranes (meninges), and bathed by cerebrospinal fluid. In the spinal cord are tracts of white matter, nerve fibres carrying information to and from the brain as well as between different levels of the cord itself; and a core of grey matter, containing nerve cells and synapses that mediate motor, sensory, and reflex functions. The substance of the cord is continuous, but functional segments are marked by the series of nerve roots at intervals down its length. At each level, two nerve roots (dorsal or posterior carrying ingoing nerve impulses; ventral or anterior carrying outgoing impulses) join to form a spinal nerve on each side. The uppermost emerges between the skull and the uppermost cervical vertebra; the rest emerge between two adjacent vertebrae, and between the segments of the sacrum. There are 8 cervical nerves, and below this the nerves are named according to the vertebra above their point of exit: thus there are 12 thoracic, 5 lumbar, 5 sacral, and 1 coccygeal nerve. The spinal canal is longer, however, than the spinal cord, which ends in the lumbar part of the canal. Therefore the distance that a spinal nerve must travel to reach its point of exit increases from above downwards, from zero for the first cervical nerve to about 20 cm for the lowest sacral and coccygeal. In the canal below the end of the cord, there is therefore a sheaf of descending spinal nerves that becomes progressively smaller as the nerves leave; this is known as the horse's tail — the cauda equina. This arrangement has consequences for the effects of spinal injury at different vertebral levels. Anywhere above the second lumbar vertebra, it is the spinal cord that is damaged; below this, it is spinal nerves. Spinal cord damage leaves uncontrolled motor neurons below the level of the lesion; voluntary movement is lost, but after recovery from an initial period of spinal shock, the muscles can and do contract, spontaneously and reflexly: a spastic paralysis. Damage to the spinal nerves in the cauda equina, by contrast, separates the affected muscles from their spinal motor neurons; voluntary movement is lost and the muscles remain relaxed: a flaccid paralysis followed by wasting. In either case paralysis is accompanied by loss of sensation.

— Sheila Jennett
See nervous system. See also central nervous system; meninges; motor neurons; paralysis; reflexes; spinal shock.
The central nervous system cord contained in the vertebral column. The spinal cord is essential to the regulation and administration of various motor, sensory, and autonomic nerve activities of the body. Through its pathways it conducts impulses from the extremities, trunk, and neck to and from the higher centers and to consciousness. It thus provides for simple reflexes, has control over visceral activities, and participates in the conscious activities of the body.
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Part of the central nervous system that extends down the back as a relatively uniform tube. The spinal cord is enclosed and protected by the vertebrae. Pairs of spinal nerves leave the cord in each segment of the body. The cord is continuous with the brain.
The thick column of nerve tissue that extends from the base of the brain about two thirds of the way down the backbone. As part of the central nervous system, the spinal cord carries impulses back and forth between the brain and other parts of the body through a network of nerves that extend out from it like branches.
That part of the central nervous system lodged in the spinal canal, extending from the foramen magnum to a point in the lumbar or sacral vertebrae, depending on the species.
The spinal chord is a thin, tubular bundle of nerves that is an extension of the central nervous system from the brain and is enclosed in and protected by the bony vertebral column. The main function of the spinal cord is transmission of neural inputs between the periphery and the brain.
The human spinal cord extends from the medulla oblongata in the brain and continues to the conus medullaris near the lumbar level at L1-2, terminating in a fibrous extension known as the filum terminale.
It is about 45 cm long in men and 42 cm long in women, ovoid-shaped, and is enlarged in the cervical and lumbar regions. The peripheral regions of the cord contains neuronal white matter tracts containing sensory and motor neurons. The central region is a four-leaf clover shape that surrounds the central canal (an anatomic extension of the fourth ventricle) and contains nerve cell bodies.
The three meninges that cover the spinal cord -- the outer dura mater, the arachnoid membrane, and the innermost pia mater -- are continuous with that in the brainstem and cerebral hemispheres, with cerebrospinal fluid found in the subarachnoid space. The cord within the pia mater is stabilized within the dura mater by the connecting denticulate ligaments which extends from the pia mater laterally between the dorsal and ventral roots. The dural sac ends at the vertebral level of S2.
Somatosensory organization is divided into a touch/proprioception/vibration sensory pathway and a pain/temperature sensory pathway, which are more formally known as the dorsal column-medial lemniscus tract and the spinothalamic tract, respectively.
Each of these sensory pathways utilizes three different neurons to get from the sensory receptors to the cerebral cortex. These neurons are designated primary, secondary and tertiary sensory neurons. The primary neuron has its cell body in the dorsal root ganglia and its axon projects into the spinal cord.
In the case of the touch/proprioception/vibration sensory pathway, the primary neuron enters the spinal cord and travels in the dorsal column. Below level T6, the neuron travels in the fasciculus gracilis - the most medial part of the column. Above level T6, the neuron enters the fasciculus cuneatus - lateral to the fasiculus gracilis.
As the primary axons reach the caudal medulla, they leave their respective fasiculi and enter and synapse on secondary neurons within the nucleus gracilis and the nucleus cuneatus, respectively. At this point, the seconday neuronal axons decussate and continue to ascend as the medial leminiscus. They run up to the VPL nucleus of the thalamus,and synapse there on the tertiary neurons. From there, the tertiary neurons ascend via the posterior limb of the internal capsule to the post central gyrus, or Brodmann's Area 3,1,2.
The pain/temperature sensory pathway differs from that of the touch/proprioception/vibration pathway. The pain neurons enter as primary neurons and ascend 1-2 levels before synapsing in the substantia gelatinosa. The tract that ascends those 1-2 levels before synapsing is known as Lissauer's tract. After synapsing, the secondary neurons cross decussate and ascend as the spinothalamic tract in the anterior lateral portion of the spinal cord. Hence, the spinothalamic tract is also known as the anterior lateral system (ALS). The tract ascends all the way to the VPL of the thalamus where it synapses on the tertiary neurons. The tertiary neuronal axons then project via the posterior limb of the internal capsule to the post-central gyrus or Broadmann's Area 3,1,2.
It should be noted that the pain fibers in the ALS can also deviate in their pathway towards the VPL. In one pathway, the axons project towards the reticular formation in the midbrain. The reticular formation then project to a number of places including the hippocampus (to create memories about the pain), to the centromedian nucleus (to cause diffuse, non-specific pain) and the various places on the cortex. The third place that the neurons project to is the periaqueductal gray in the pons. The neurons form the periaqueductal gray then project to the nucleus raphe magnus which projects back down to where the pain signal is coming in from and inhibits it. This reduces the pain sensation to some degree.
Upper motor neuronal input comes from two places- first from the cerebral cortex and second from more primitive brainstem
nuclei. Cortical upper motor neurons originate in Brodmann Areas 4, 6, 3, 1 and 2. They then descend through the genu and the
posterior limb of the internal capsule. This pathway is known as the corticospinal tract. After passing through the internal capsule, the tract descends through the
cerebral peduncles, down through the pons and to the medullary pyramids. At
this point, ~85% of these upper motor neuronal axons decussate. These fibers then descend as the lateral corticospinal tract. The
remaining ~15% descend as the anterior corticospinal tract.
The midbrain nuclei include four motor tracts that send upper motor neuronal axons down the spinal cord to lower motor
neurons. These are the rubrospinal tract, the vestibulospinal tract, the tectospinal tract and the
reticulospinal tract. The rubrospinal tract descends with the lateral corticospinal
tract and the remaining three descend with the anterior corticospinal tract.
The function of lower motor neurons can be divided into two different groups--first,the lateral corticospinal tract and
second, the anterior cortical spinal tract. The lateral tract contains upper motor neuronal axons
which synapse on dorsal lateral (DL) lower motor neurons. The DL neurons are involved in distal limb control. Therefore, these DL neurons are found specifically only in the
cervical and lumbosaccral enlargements within the spinal cord. There is no decussation in the lateral corticospinal tract after
the decussation at the medullary pyramids.
The anterior corticospinal tract descends ipsilaterally in the anterior column where the axons emerge and either synapse on lower motor neurons, known as ventromedial (VM) lower motor neurons, in the ventral horn ipsilaterally, or descussate at the anterior white commissure where they synapse on VM lower motor neurons contralaterally . The tectospinal, vestibulospinal and reticulospinal descend ipsilaterally in the anterior column, but do not synapse across the anterior white commissure. Rather, they only synapse on VM lower motor neurons ipsilaterally. The VM lower motor neurons control axial motor function-- the large, postural muscles. These lower motor neurons, unlike those of the DL, are located in the ventral horn all the way throughout the spinal cord.
Proprioceptiveinformation in the body travels up the spinal cord via three tracts.
Below L2 the proprioceptive information travels up the spinal cord in the ventral
spinocerebellar tract. Also known as the anterior spinocerebellar tract, sensory receptors take in the information and
travel into the spinal cord. The cell bodies of these primary neurons are located in the dorsal root ganglia. In the spinal cord, the axons synapse and the secondary neuronal axons
decussate and then travel up to the superior cerebellar peduncle where
they decussate again. From here, the information is brought to deep nuclei of the cerebellum including the fastigial and interposed nuclei.
From the levels of L2 to T1, the proprioceptive information enters the spinal cord and ascends ipsilaterally where it synapses in
the Dorsal Nucleus of Clark. The secondary neuronal axons continue to ascend ispilaterally and
enter the pass into the cerebellum via the inferior cerebellar peduncle.
This tract is known as the dorsal spinocerebellar tract and also as the
posterior spinocerebellar tract.
From above T1, proprioceptive primary axons enter the spinal cord and ascend ipsilaterally until reaching the accessory cuneate nucleus, where they synapse. The secondary axons pass into the cerebellum
via the inferior cerebellar peduncle where again, these axons synapse on cerebellar deep nuclei. This tract is known as the
cuneocerebellar tract.
The human spinal cord is divided into 31 different segments, with motor nerve roots exiting in the ventral aspects and sensory nerve roots entering in the dorsal aspects. The ventral and dorsal roots later join to form paired spinal nerves, one on each side of the spinal cord.
There are 31 spinal cord nerve segments in a human spinal cord:
Because the vertebral column grows longer than the spinal cord, spinal cord segments become higher than the corresponding vertebra, especially in the lower spinal cord segments in adults. In a fetus, the vertebral levels originally correspond with the spinal cord segments. In the adult, the cord ends around the L1/L2 vertebral level at the conus medullaris, with all of the spinal cord segments located superiorly to this. For example, the segments for the lumbar and sacral regions are found between the vertebral levels of T9 and L2. The S4 spinal nerve roots arise from the cord around the upper lumbar/lower thoracic vertebral region, and descend downward in the vertebral canal. After they pass the end of the spinal cord, they are considered to be part of the cauda equina. The roots for S4 finally leave the vertebral canal in the sacrum.
There are two regions where the spinal cord enlarges:
The spinal cord is made from part of the neural tube during development. As the neural tube begins to develop, the notochord begins to secrete a factor known as Sonic hedgehog or SHH. As a result, the floor plate then also begins to secrete SHH and this will induce the basal plate to develop motor neurons. Meanwhile, the overlying ectoderm secretes bone morphogenetic protein (BMP). This will induce the roof plate to begin to also secrete BMP which will induce the alar plate to develop sensory neurons. The alar plate and the basal plate are separated by the sulcus limitans.
Additionally, the floor plate will also secrete netrins. The netrins act as chemoattractants to decussation of pain and temperature sensory neurons in the alar plate across the anterior white commissure where they will then ascend towards the thalamus.
Lastly it is important to note that the past studies of Viktor Hamburger and Rita Levi-Montalcini in the chick embryo have been further proven by more recent studies which demonstrated that the elimination of neuronal cells by programmed cell death (PCD) is necessary for the correct assembly of the nervous system.
Overall, spontaneous embryonic activity has been shown to play a role in neuron and muscle development, but is probably not involved in the initial formation of connections between spinal neurons.
Spinal cord injuries can be caused by falling on the neck or back, or having the spinal cord moved or disrupted in another
way. The vertebral bones or intervertebral disks can shatter, causing the spinal
cord to be punctured by a sharp fragment of bone. Usually victims of spinal
cord injuries will suffer loss of feeling in certain parts of their body. In milder cases a victim might only suffer loss of
hand or foot function. More severe injury may result in
paraplegia, tetraplegia, or full body paralysis below the site of injury to the spinal cord.
Damage to upper motor neurons axons in the spinal cord results in a characteristic pattern of ipsilateral deficits. These include hyperreflexia, hypertonia and muscle weakness. Lower motor neuronal damage results in its own characteristic pattern of deficits. Rather than an entire side of deficits, there is a pattern relating to the myotome affected by the damage. Additionally, lower motor neurons are characterized by muscle weakness, hypotonia, hyporeflexia and muscle atrophy.
The two areas of the spinal cord most commonly injured are the cervical spine (C1-C7) and the lumbar spine (L1-L5). (The notation C1, C7, L1, L5 refer to the location of a specific vertebra in either the cervical, thoracic, or lumbar region of the spine.)
| Anatomy of torso (primarily): the spinal cord | |
|---|---|
| Spinal nerve | Dorsal (Root, Ganglion, Ramus) • Ventral (Root, Ramus) • Sympathetic trunk • rami communicantes (Gray, White) |
| Gray matter/Rexed laminae | Posterior horn (Column of Clarke, Substantia gelatinosa of Rolando, Nucleus proprius) • Lateral horn • Anterior horn • Central canal/Substantia gelatinosa centralis |
| White matter: somatic/ascending (blue) | |
| White matter: motor/descending (red) |
Lateral: Corticospinal (Lateral) • Ep (Rubrospinal, Olivospinal) Anterior: Corticospinal (Anterior) • Ep (Vestibulospinal, Tectospinal, Reticulospinal) |
| Layers | Epidural space • Dura mater • Subdural space • Arachnoid mater • Subarachnoid space • Pia mater |
| Other structures | Denticulate ligaments • Conus medullaris • Cauda equina • Filum terminale • Cervical enlargement • Lumbar enlargement • Anterior median fissure |
| Vertebral column and spinal cord | |
|---|---|
| Vertebrae | cervical:
C1 (Atlas) • C2 (Axis) • C3 • C4 • C5 • C6 •
C7 (Vertebra prominens)
thoracic: T1 • T2 • T3 • T4 • T5 • T6 • T7 • T8 • T9 • T10 • T11 • T12 lumbar: L1 • L2 • L3 • L4 • L5 sacral: S1 • S2 • S3 • S4 • S5 coccygeal: Co1 • Co2 • Co3 • (Co4) • (Co5) |
| Spinal nerves | cervical: C1 • C2 • C3 • C4 • C5 • C6 • C7 • C8
thoracic: T1 • T2 • T3 • T4 • T5 • T6 • T7 • T8 • T9 • T10 • T11 • T12 lumbar: L1 • L2 • L3 • L4 • L5 sacral: S1 • S2 • S3 • S4 • S5 coccygeal: Co |
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