Gray rami communicantes connect to what two structures?

Answer 1

White rami communicantes (sing. ramus communicans) are literally white branches of communication between each spinal nerve and the sympathetic trunk. Their color is white because these lines of communication contain mainly myelinated nerve fibers of pre-ganglionic general visceral efferents from the spinal cord. Many of the pre-ganglionic nerve fibers synapse at the corresponding spinal segment level, and thus build a sympathetic ganglion at that level. Other pre-ganglionic white fibers either ascend or descend in the sympathetic trunk before synapsing in sympathetic ganglia above or below the spinal segment of origin. The sympathetic ganglia are literally knots in the sympathetic cord primarily containing cell bodies of the post-ganglionic neurons, whose axons are unmyelinated and gray in color. These unmyelinated post-ganglionic nerve fibers rejoin the spinal nerve at that level via the gray rami communicantes,as well as ascending or descending to adjacent levels. The white rami may also contain lightly myelinated sympathetic afferents whose cell bodies in the dorsal root ganglia synapse in the dorsal horn gray of the spinal cord.

ANSWER: Carry preganglionic axons to the sympathetic chain

Answer 2

Gray rami communicantes connect sympathetic ganglia to spinal nerves. The gray (unmyelinated) nerve fibers are post-ganglionic axons that join the spinal nerve at the level of origin, or ascend or descend to join a spinal nerve above or below. Ramus is singular, rami is plural. Communicans is singular, communicantes is plural.

Answer 3

Gray rami communicantes connect the sympathetic trunk to the spinal nerves.