Chapter 12: Spinal Cord

spinal cord

extends from foramen magnum to second lumbar vertebra

cervical enlargement

part of spinal cord that supplies upper limbs

lumbar enlargement

part of spinal cord that supplies lower limbs

conus medullaris

tapered inferior end of spinal cord

cauda equina

origins of spinal nerves extending inferiorly from lumbosacral enlargement and conus medullaris

meninges

connective tissue membranes surrounding spinal cord and brain

dura mater

meninges that are continuous with epineurium of the spinal nerves

arachnoid mater

thin and wispy meninges

pia mater

meninges bound tightly to surface of brain and spinal cord; forms the filum terminal

filum terminal

terminal that anchors spinal cord to coccyx and the denticulate ligaments that attach the spinal cord to the dura mater

epidural

space that is the location for epidural anesthesia; contains blood vessels, areolar connective tissue, and fat

subdural

space that contains serous fluid

subarachnoid

space that contains cerebrospinal fluid and blood vessels within web-like strands of arachnoid tissue

anterior median fissure and posterior median sulcus

deep clefts partially separating right and left halves of spinal cord

white matter

myelinated axons forming tracts; ventral, dorsal, and lateral columns

gray matter

matter that contains neuron cell bodies, dendrites, and axons

commissures

connections between left and right halves; gray with central canal in the center; white

roots

spinal nerves arise at rootlets then combine to form roots

dorsal root ganglion

collections of cell bodies of pseudo-unipolar sensory neurons forming dorsal roots