Spinal cord and segments Flashcards
What are the roles of the spinal cord?
- pass along signals from sensory receptors
- pass along signals from the brain to different parts of the body
- co-ordinate reflexes
Where does the spinal cord originate?
Where the medulla oblongata ends in the brainstem
Where does the spinal cord leave the skull?
Foramen magnum
What keeps the spinal cord suspended within the spinal canal/tube?
Denticulate ligaments
What is the name of the region where the spinal cord is thickened?
Intumescences
What is the conus medullaris?
Narrowing at the end of the spinal cord
What is found in they grey and white matter?
Grey = Cell bodies White = Axons surrounded by myelin
Into which horn of grey matter does sensory information from the spinal cord feed into?
Dorsal horn
How can the spinal cord be divided?
Into spinal segments which each contains a pair of spinal nerves
What is the cauda equina?
Collection of spinal nerves that arise from their spinal cord segment and course down the vertebral canal
What is a funiculus?
A region containing different bundles of nerve fibres/axons
What is a fasciculi? Where are they located?
A bundle of the same anatomical nerve fibres/axons that make up a tract.
Many fascicles are contained within a funiculus.
