SPINAL CORD

-The spinal cord provides innervation for the trunk and limbs via spinal nerves and their peripheral
ramifications
1. TOPOGRAPHY
- the spinal cord and spinal meninges are found in the vertebral canal
-superior: the superior border of the posterior arch of atlas/ the horizontal plane that crosses the foramen
magnum, continues superiorly with the medulla oblongata
-inferior: the horizontal plane that crosses the intervertebral disc L1-L2
The cord is ensheathed by spinal meninges that are continuous with the cranial meninges through the
foramen magnum. The cord is separated from the bony wall of the vertebral canal by the perimedular
space. This space is formed by:
-the epidural space (between the wall of the vertebral canal and dura mater)
-the subdural space (between dura mater and arachnoid)
-the subarachnoid space (between arachnoid and pia mater, contains cerebrospinal fluid)

2. EXTERNAL CONFIGURATION
-the spinal cord is a full cylinder, circular in cross-section, flattened antero-posteriorly
-the lenght may vary (greater in males than in females)
-it bears two enlargements, according to the emergence of brachial and lumbosacral plexus ( cervical and
lumbosacral intumescences)
-the lumbar intumescence continues inferiorly with a structure called conus medullaris/ medullary cone.
-conus medullaris continues inferiorly with filum terminale; filum terminale is an atrophied segment of
the spinal cord, covered by a condensation of pia mater;
-filum terminale has a descending pathway into the sacral canal, together with the sacral and coccigeal
nerves, forming the cauda equina
2. a. The anterior surface
- in the midline there is the anterior median fissure, and in it`s deeper aspect there is the anterior
commissure
-lateral to the anterior median fissure there are the anterior/ ventral funiculi wich lie laterally reaching the
anterior/ ventral lateral groove (the place where the anterior roots of the spinal nerves emerge)
2.b. The posterior surface
-it has on the midline the posterior median groove
-lateral to the posterior median groove there are the posterior/ dorsal funiculi wich lie laterally reaching
the posterior/ dorsal lateral groove (the place where the posterior root of the spinal nerves enters the cord)
-between the ventral lateral groove and dorsal lateral groove there is the lateral funiculus of the spinal
cord
The spinal cord is essentially a segmental structure, each of the 31 segments giving rise to bilaterally
paired spinal nerves: 8 cervical, 12 thoracic, 5 lumbar, 5 sacral and 1 coccygeal
3. STRUCTURE
- the spinal cord is formed by the gray matter ( in it`s interior aspect) and the white matter (in it`s external
aspect)
3.a. Spinal white matter
- it is formed by axons and glial cells
- surrounds the central core of grey matter and consists primarily of longitudinally running nerve fibres
-the spinal white matter is conventionally described as being arranged into three large, bilaterally paired
masses, the dorsal, lateral and ventral funiculi, each of which contains a number of specific tracts
Ventral funiculus
a. Descending tracts
 Direct pyramidal tract (of Turk)/ ventral corticospinal tract- it`s origin= primary motor cortex
 Medial tectospinal tract-it`s origin= in the superior colliculus of the midbrain
 Medial reticulospinal tract- it`s origin= the reticular formation of the midbrain; it is found along
the entire lenght of the spinal cord
 Medial vestibulospinal tract- it`s origin= in the medial and inferior vestibular nuclei
 Medial longitudinal tract
-on both sides of the ventral median fissure
-contains 5 types of fibers:
1.tectospinal fibers
2.vestibulospinal fibers
3.reticulospinal fibers
4.fibers from interstitial nucleus of Cajal
5.fibers from the commissural nucleus of Darkschewitsch
-the fibers end at the level of Rexed laminae VII and VIII

b. Ascending tracts
 Anterior spinothalamic tract (ends in the postero-medial ventral nucleus of the thalamus)
 Anterior reticulospinal tract
 Anterior spinovestibular tract
 Anterior spinoolivary tract

c. Association tracts
 Proper tracts

Lateral funiculus
 a. It is formed mostly by ascending fibers
 Dorsal spinocerebellar tract
 Ventral spinocerebellar tract
 Lateral spinothalamic tract
 Lateral spinoreticular tract
 Lateral spinovestibular tract
 Spinotectal tract

b. Descending tracts
 Crossed pyramidal tract/ lateral corticospinal tract
 Rubrospinal tract-from the red nucleus (in the midbrain)
 Lateral tectospinal tract
 Lateral reticulospinal tract
 Olivospinal tract
 Lateral vestibulospinal tract

c. Association tracts
 Proper tracts
Posterior funiculus
a. Ascending tracts
 Goll (gracil) and Burdach(cuneat) tracts: situated on each side of the median septum; they are
separated one from the other by the intermediar septum

b. Associacion fibers
 Are grouped in topographic regions
 Pierre- Marie- Westphall zone
 Semilunar tract Schultz- in the cervical and superior thoracic regions
 Peripheral bandelet of Hoche- in the inferior thorecic region
 Septomarginal tract of Flechsig- in the lumbar region
 Triangular tract of Gombault-Philippe- in the sacral region of the cord
3.b. Grey matter
-It is situated in the central region of the cord
-In transverse section, the spinal grey matter is often described as being ‘butterfly-shaped’ or resembling
the letter ‘H’
-It consists of two dorsal horns, which project dorsolaterally, and two ventral horns, which project
ventrolaterally towards the surface
-The grey matter that immediately surrounds the central canal and unites the two sides constitutes the
dorsal and ventral grey commissures
- The grey matter of the spinal cord may be divided, on the basis of cytoarchitecture, into nine zones,
known as Rexed’s laminae, which are numbered sequentially from dorsal to ventral, and an additional
area X
-The laminae are defined on the basis of neuronal size, shape, cytological features and density
-Some of these laminae are equated with cell groupings of particular functional types.

Anterior horns( motor)

-are bigger, rounded, with irregular borders due to the fibers of the anterior root of the spinal nerve, wich
start from here
-are forming along the spinal cord the anterior column
-the have a head and a base
Posterior horns( sensitive)
-are sharper
-are forming along the spinal cord the posterior column
-they have a head, a neck and a base
Lateral horns (vegetative)
-they form the lateral column
-they are represented only at the level of the inferior cervical and thoracic regions

The central canal (ependymal) splits the grey comissure into a dorsal and a ventral one.
The ependymal canal:
- Has around 1 mm in diameter, but usualy is obstructed
- Superiorly dilates and continues with the IVth ventricle, at the level of the brainstem
- Inferiorly, in the lumbar region, dilates and forms Vth ventricle/ the terminal ventricle of Krause,
the continues into the filum terminale
- Around the ependymal canal the grey matter forms the central intermediate grey matter
The reticular formation:
-is a structure formed by the grey matter (between the lateral horn and the base of the posterior horn) that
extends into the white matter of the lateral funiculus. It is more represented in the cervical region.
Rexed lamination
-Laminae I-IV: the head of the posterior horn; they recieve exteroceptive informations
-Lamina V: corresponds to the neck of the posterior horn; recieves extero and propioceptive informations
-Lamina VI: the base of the posterior horn; it is non-existent in the T4-L2 region
-Lamina VII: corresponds to the lateral intermediate grey matter; recieves propio and interoceptive
informations
-Lamina VIII: the base of the anterior horn
-Lamina IX: the head of the anterior horn; Laminae VIII and IX form the motor area, wich is formed by
α, β, γ neurons and interneurons grouped in nuclei
-Lamina X: corresponds to the central intermediate grey matter; it is formed by the 2 commissures
(anterior and posterior) and by the substantia gelatinosa