Spinal Cord Anatomy

Question 1

Where is the spinal cord?

Answer 1

Vertebral canal (vertebral foramina of the spine)

Question 2

Where does the spinal cord end?

Answer 2

Around L1/L2 in a full grown adult

Question 3

What are the two enlargements on the spinal cord?

Answer 3

Cervical enlargement, lumbar enlargement; created by larger amounts of cell bodies/synapses

Question 4

What is the end of the spinal cord?

Answer 4

Conus medullaris

Question 5

What encases the spinal cord?

Answer 5

The meninges

Question 6

What connects the end of the spinal cord to the sacrum?

Answer 6

Filum terminale

Question 7

What nerves come off of the spinal cord?

Answer 7

Spinal nerves

Question 8

What nerves come off of the brainstem?

Answer 8

Cranial nerves

Question 9

What is the connection between spinal nerve neruons and the spinal cord?

Answer 9

Nerve root

Question 10

What is the collective name for the nerve roots that extend from the conus medullaris?

Answer 10

Cauda equina

Question 11

True or false: nerve roots insert underneath all three layers of meninges on the spinal cord

Answer 11

False. They insert between the arachnoid mater and pia mater

Question 12

Why would a spinal tap be performed between lumbar vertebrae?

Answer 12

The cauda equina is a safer spot to draw than the spinal cord because the nerve roots will move out of the way of the needle, and if one gets damaged it’s less devastating than the spinal cord as a whole

Question 13

True or false: grey matter is deep to the white matter in the spinal cord

Answer 13

True. Arrangement of grey and white matter in the spinal cord is opposite that of the brain

Question 14

What is the enlargement of the dorsal root?

Answer 14

Dorsal root ganglion

Question 15

What is found in the dorsal root ganglion?

Answer 15

Unipolar sensory neuron cell bodies

Question 16

How can you recognize a cross-section of the cervical spinal cord?

Answer 16

About equal proportions of white/grey matter

Question 17

How can you recognize a cross-section of the lumbar spinal cord?

Answer 17

About equal grey/white matter or more grey than white

Question 18

How can you recognize a cross-section of the thoracic spine?

Answer 18

Less grey than white matter

Question 19

Why is there so little grey matter in the thoracic spine?

Answer 19

Fewer cell bodies because there are no nerves serving the limbs

Question 20

Why is there more white matter in the cervical spinal cord?

Answer 20

More axons carrying information from the lower regions; no need for axons from more superior regions to travel through the thoracic/lumbar spine

Question 21

What functions are the posterior/dorsal grey horns associated with?

Answer 21

Somatic and visceral sensory

Question 22

What functions are the lateral grey horns associated with?

Answer 22

Visceral motor

Question 23

What functions are the anterior/ventral grey horns associated with?

Answer 23

Somatic motor

Question 24

Ascending tracts of the white matter carry what?

Answer 24

Sensory information

Question 25

Descending tracts of the white matter carry what?

Answer 25

Motor information

Question 26

The dorsal root carries what kind of information?

Answer 26

Sensory

Question 27

What can be found at the dorsal nerve roots?

Answer 27

Axon terminals of sensory nerves

Question 28

Where are sensory neurons synapsing with the spinal cord?

Answer 28

Dorsal/posterior grey horn

Question 29

What can be found at the ventral nerve roots?

Answer 29

Many dendrites of motor neurons

Question 30

Where are motor neurons synapsing with the spinal cord?

Answer 30

Anterior/ventral grey horn, lateral grey horn for visceral motor

Question 31

What are the branches off the spinal nerves that can contain both motor and sensory nerve axons?

Answer 31

Rami (singular ramus)