Spinal Cord

dorsal horn

-two posterior tips of grey matter

-receive sensory info (contain the terminal ends of sensory neurons)

grey matter

-butterfly

-made up of interneurons and motor neuron cell bodies

-unmyelinated so darker

ventral horn

-2 anterior tips of grey matter

-contain cell bodies of motor neurons

central canal

-runs longitudinally through entire spinal cord

-at the top of the spinal cord, opens up into ventricular cavities of the brain

-is filled w CSF

-what remains of embryonic neural tube

ventral roots

-anterior position of spinal cord

-contains a collection of motor neuron groups

-forms a spinal nerve when combined with opposite

-31 pairs

dorsal roots

-posterior position of spinal cord

-contains collection of sensory neuron groups

-forms is spinal nerve when combined with opposite

-31 pairs

white matter

-myelinated axons of motor and sensory neurons

-light in color

-surrounds grey matter

sensory neurons

-carries nerve impulses from sensory receptors towards central nervous system

-connects directly to interneurons

-afferent neurons

interneurons

-Connect sensory neurons to motor neurons in neural circuits called reflex arcs

-ensures stimuli will be rapid

-in brain, they connect to form grey matter

dorsal root ganglion

-bulges within dorsal roots

-accommodate cell bodies of sensory neurons

motor neurons

-neurons that carry outgoing information from the central nervous system to the muscles and glands

-anterior/ventral

cervical vertebrae

-C1-C7

-contains atlas and axis

-bear weight of head

thoracic vertebrae

-T1-T12

-holds the rib cage and protects organs

-Limited spine mobility

lumbar vertebrae

L1-L5

-concave curve lower back

-largest vertebrae

-support weight of upper body and absorb shock

fused sacral vertebrae

-five fused vertebrae

-supports upper body and supports the weight as it spread across pelvis and legs

coccyx

4 fused vertebrae

tailbone

dura mater

tough outer layer of the meninges

arachnoid mater

weblike middle layer of the three meninges

pia mater

thin, delicate inner membrane of the meninges; contains lots of blood vessels

meninges

three layers of connective tissue in which the brain and spinal cord are wrapped

cerebral spinal fluid

-A solution that fills the hollow cavities of the brain

-Provides nourishment and removes wastes

-protects the brain by preventing the it from contacting the skull.

-maintains the blood-brain barrier, which controls homeostasis for the brain and prevents infection.

ventricles

spaces within brain that produce cerebral spinal fluid

subarachnoid space

a space in the meninges beneath the arachnoid membrane and above the pia mater that contains the cerebrospinal fluid

epidural space

Cushion of fat and network of veins in space between vertebrae and spinal dura mater