Studied by 0 people
How many pairs of spinal nerves are present in the human body?
31 pairs:
8 pairs of cervical nerves
12 pairs of thoracic nerves
5 pairs of lumbar nerves
5 pairs of sacral nerves
1 pair of coccygeal nerves
Where does the spinal cord end?
at the L1/L2 vertebral level, where it forms the conus medullaris
Where does the dura mater in the spinal cord end?
Extends all the way to coccyx region
Where does the arachnoid mater of the spinal cord and subarachnoid space end?
At the sacral region
Where does the pia mater of the spinal cord end?
Ends at the conus medullaris at the L1-L2 level
What do the lumbar and sacral nerve roots form?
Cauda equina
What are the differences between the ventral and dorsal horn?
Dorsal horn: contains the cell bodies of sensory neurones, responsible for sensory processing
Ventral horn: contains the cell bodies of somatic motor neurones that control skeletal muscles
What is the lateral horn?
Contains cell bodies of autonomic motor neurones which innervate cardiac muscle, smooth muscle and glands.
Origin of the autonomic nervous system
Which regions are the lateral horn found in?
Thoracic, upper lumbar and sacral regions
What is the organisation of the grey and white matter in the spinal cord?
Grey matter of the spinal cord has a symmetrical butterfly appearance
White matter surrounds this structure
Where are lumbar punctures performed?
Done specifically at L3-L4 or L4-L5 interspace to avoid damage to the conus medullaris
Why are lumbar punctures performed?
To either extract CSF from the subarachnoid space or to inject medication
What is A, B and C?
A - Dorsal root
B - Ventral root
C - Dorsal root ganglion
Identify the following features of the vertebral column.
