SPINAL CORD ends at L2 while in newborn it ends at L4.

Growth of cord stops at age 5.

Spinal cord is a slender column of nervous
tissue that is continuous with the brain and Cervical enlargement, supplies nerves to
extends downward through the vertebral canal. the upper limbs.
The spinal cord originates where nervous tissue Lumbar enlargement, gives off nerves to
leaves the cranial cavity at the level of the the lower limbs.
foramen magnum. The cord tapers to a point
and terminates near the intervertebral disc that Conus medullaris- From this tip, nervous
separates the first and second lumbar tissue, including axons of both motor and
vertebrae. sensory neurons, extends downward within the
vertebral canal to become spinal nerves at the
Spinal cord has several functions: it processes remaining lumbar and sacral levels.
reflexes; it is the site for integration of EPSPs
and IPSPs that arise locally or are triggered by cauda equina- The resulting structure
nerve impulses from the periphery and brain resembles a horse’s tail
and it is a conduction pathway for sensory, to Filum terminale- anchors the spinal cord;
the brain, and motor impulses to effectors. Thin cord of connective tissue originating from
PROTECTIVE STRUCTURES the pia mater and dura mater descends to the
upper surface of the coccyx.
hard bony skull and vertebral column- The first
layer of protection for the central nervous INTERNAL ANATOMY OF THE
system. SPINAL CORD
cerebrospinal fluid- a buoyant liquid that Two grooves, a deep anterior median fissure
suspends the central nervous tissue in a and a shallow posterior median sulcus, extend
weightless environment. the length of the spinal cord, dividing it into
right and left halves. A cross section of the cord
Protective meninges reveals that it consists of white matter
1. The single-layered spinal dura mater is surrounding a core of gray matter.
not attached to the bony walls of the These posterior and anterior “wings” of gray
vertebral column. matter are called the posterior horns and the
2. Between the bony vertebrae and the anterior horns, respectively.
spinal dura mater is an epidural space
filled with a soft padding of fat and a Between them on either side in some regions is
network of veins. a protrusion of gray matter called the lateral
horn. The gray matter consists primarily of cell
EXTERNAL ANATOMY OF THE bodies of neurons and neuroglia and
SPINAL CORD unmyelinated axons and dendrites of
association and motor neurons.
The spinal cord is a flattened cylinder, 16-18
Inches long & 3/4-inch diameter. It extends A horizontal bar of gray matter in the middle of
from the foramen magnum of the skull as an the spinal cord, the gray commissure, connects
extension of medulla oblongata. In the adult, it the wings of the gray matter on the right and
left sides.
This bar surrounds the central canal, which is The posterior and anterior roots unite to
continuous with the ventricles of the brain and form a spinal nerve at the intervertebral
contains CSF. foramen. Because the posterior root
The white matter is divided into columns. contains sensory axons and the anterior root
contains motor axons, a spinal nerve is
Sensory (ascending) tracts conduct nerve classified as a mixed nerve. The posterior root
impulses toward the brain. contains a posterior root ganglion in which cell
Motor (descending) tracts conduct impulses bodies of sensory neurons are located.
down the cord. Posterior or dorsal (sensory) root contains
sensory nerve fibers and conducts nerve
impulses from the periphery into the spinal
SPINAL NERVES cord; the posterior root ganglion contains
the cell bodies of the sensory neurons from
Spinal Nerves are parallel bundles of axons
the periphery.
and their associated neuroglial cells
wrapped in several layers of connective Anterior or ventral (motor) root contains
tissue. motor neuron axons and conducts impulses
from the spinal cord to the periphery; the
Spinal nerves are the paths of
cell bodies of motor neurons are located in
communication between the spinal cord
the gray matter of the cord.
and most of the body.
CONNECTIVE TISSUE COVERING OF SPINAL
Spinal nerves connect the CNS to sensory
NERVES
receptors, muscles, and glands and are part
of the peripheral nervous system. Each spinal nerve and cranial nerve consist
of many individual axons and contains
The 31 pairs of spinal nerves are named
layers of protective connective tissue
and numbered according to the region and
coverings.
level of the spinal cord from which they
emerge. Fiber is a single axon within an
endoneurium.
*Not all spinal cord segments are aligned
with their corresponding vertebrae. Fascicle is a bundle of fibers within a
perineurium.
There are 8 pairs of cervical nerves, 12 pairs
of thoracic nerves, 5 pairs of lumbar nerves, Nerve is a bundle of fascicles within an
5 pairs of sacral nerves, and 1 pair of epineurium.
coccygeal nerves.
DISTRIBUTION OF SPINAL NERVES
*A typical spinal nerve has two
connections to the cord: a posterior root Shortly after passing through its
and an anterior root. intervertebral foramen, a spinal
nerve divides into several branches;
these branches are known as rami.
Branches of a spinal nerve include the sensation in the skin over the
dorsal ramus, ventral ramus, anteromedial aspect of the thigh.
meningeal branch, and rami Obturator nerve injury is a common
communicantes. complication of childbirth and results
in paralysis of the adductor muscles
Some of these branches subdivide
of the leg and loss of sensation over
further to form nerve networks called
the medial aspect of the thigh.
plexuses.
Sacral plexus supplies the buttocks,
Cervical plexus supplies the skin and
perineum, and part of the lower
muscles of the head, neck, and upper
extremities. The largest nerve arising
part of the shoulders; connects with
from the sacral plexus (and the
some cranial nerves; and supplies the
largest nerve in the body) is the
diaphragm through the phrenic
sciatic nerve. Injury to the sciatic
nerve. Damage to the spinal cord
nerve (common peroneal portion)
above the origin of the phrenic
and its branches results in sciatica,
nerves (C3-C5) causes respiratory
pain that extends from the buttock
arrest
down the back of the leg. Sciatic
Brachial plexus constitutes the nerve nerve injury can occur due to a
supply for the upper extremities and herniated (slipped) disc, dislocated
a number of neck and shoulder hip, osteoarthritis of the lumbosacral
muscles. A number of nerve disorders spine, pressure from the uterus
may result from injury to the brachial during pregnancy, or an improperly
plexus. Among these injuries are Erb- administered gluteal injection.
Duchene palsy or waiter’s tip palsy,
DERMATOMES
ulnar and radial injuries, wrist drop,
claw hand, and winged scapula. The skin over the entire body is
supplies by spinal nerves that carry
Lumbar plexus supplies the
somatic sensory nerves impulses into
anterolateral abdominal wall,
the spinal cord. All spinal nerves
external genitals, and part of the
except C1 innervate specific, constant
lower extremities. The largest nerve
segments of the skin; the skin
arising from the lumbar plexus is the
segments are called dermatomes.
femoral nerve. Injury to the femoral
Knowledge of dermatomes helps a
nerve is indicated by an inability to
physician to determine which
extend the leg and by loss 34 of
segment of the spinal cord or which name. This allows you to
spinal nerve is malfunctioning. determine the direction of
information flow along any
tract named according to this
PHYSIOLOGY convention.
The spinal cord has two principal REFLEX AND REFLEX ARCS
functions in maintaining homeostasis:
The spinal cord serves as an
nerve impulse propagation and
integrating center for spinal
integration of information.
reflexes. This occurs in the gray
The white matter tracts in the spinal matter.
cord are highways for nerve impulse
Reflex arc is the simplest type of
propagation.
pathway; pathways are specific
Sensory input travels along these neuronal circuits and thus include
tracts toward the brain, and motor at least one synapse.
output travels from the brain along
The five functional components
these tracts toward skeletal muscles
of a reflex arc are the receptor,
and other effector tissues.
sensory neuron, motor neuron,
Gray matter of the spinal cord integrating center neuron, and
receives and integrates incoming and effector. Reflexes help to maintain
outgoing information. homeostasis by permitting the
SENSORY AND MOTOR TRACTS body to make exceedingly rapid
adjustments to homeostatic
1. The name of a tract indicates imbalances.
its position in the white matter
and where it begins and ends.
2. the anterior corticospinal tract
is located in the anterior white
column; it begins in the
cerebral cortex (superficial gray
matter of the cerebrum of the
brain) and ends in the spinal
cord. The location of the axon
terminals comes last in the