Identify and describe the anatomical features of a spinal cord transverse section
Identify and describe the anatomical features of a spinal cord transverse section
The spinal cord is one of the components of the central nervous system of human beings. It comprises nerve cells originating from the terminal portion of the skull, which runs down till the end of the vertebral column.
The spinal cord transverse section's anatomical features can be broadly grouped under two regions; the gray matter and the white matter. The gray matter forms the interior region of the spinal cord, and it remains surrounded by white matter. The gray matter is divided into three regions; the dorsal or posterior horn, the lateral horn, and the ventral or anterior horns. The dorsal horns' nerve cells get sensory inputs, and these inputs enter the spinal cord through the dorsal roots. The lateral horns contain the preganglionic visceral motor nerve cells that are projected towards the sympathetic ganglia. The ventral horns consist of the cell bodies of motor nerve cells that send their axons through the ventral roots to innervate the cells of striated muscles. The white matter is also subdivided into three regions; the dorsal column, the lateral column, and the ventral column consisting of axonal tracts related to different functions. The function of the dorsal column is to carry ascending sensory signals from the somatic mechanoreceptors. The lateral column comprises axons that proceed from the cortical region of the cerebrum to connect with the spinal motor neurons. The ventral column's function is to carry both ascending and descending information; ascending signals are those about temperature and pain, and descending signals are about motor activities.
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