The long bundle of nerve fibers and cell bodies running down through the vertebral column from the brainstem.
Structure
The cord is about 45 centimeters long in adults. Gray matter at its center forms an H shape surrounded by white matter tracts. Pairs of spinal nerves emerge between vertebrae.
Function
Descending tracts carry voluntary motor commands, while ascending tracts carry touch, pain, temperature, and proprioceptive signals. Local circuits in the gray matter handle reflexes such as the knee-jerk.
Clinical note
Spinal cord injury usually causes loss of motor and sensory function below the level of damage, the pattern depending on which tracts are affected.
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