The spinal cord is a long, fragile tubelike structure that begins at the end of the brain stem and continues down almost to the bottom of the spine. The spinal cord consists of nerves that carry incoming and outgoing messages between the brain and the rest of the body. Like the brain, the spinal cord is covered by three layers of tissue (meninges), known as the dura mater, arachnoid mater and pia mater.
Dura mater is the outer most layer of meninges present in close relation to the bony structures. Arachnoid mater is a delicate membrane present between the dura mater and pia mater. It covers both the brain and spinal cord. Pia mater is the innermost layer of meninges. It is a very delicate membrane present in close contact with the brain and spinal cord.
Like the brain, the spinal cord consists of gray and white matter. The butterfly-shaped center of the cord consists of gray matter. The front wings (also called horns) contain motor nerve cells (neurons). The back horns contain sensory nerve cells. The surrounding white matter contains columns of nerve fibers that carry sensory information to the brain from the rest of the body.
The spinal cord is a long, fragile tubelike structure that begins at the end of the brain stem and continues down almost to the bottom of the spine. The spinal cord consists of nerves that carry incoming and outgoing messages between the brain and the rest of the body. Like the brain, the spinal cord is covered by three layers of tissue (meninges), known as the dura mater, arachnoid mater and pia mater.
Dura mater is the outer most layer of meninges present in close relation to the bony structures. Arachnoid mater is a delicate membrane present between the dura mater and pia mater. It covers both the brain and spinal cord. Pia mater is the innermost layer of meninges. It is a very delicate membrane present in close contact with the brain and spinal cord.
Like the brain, the spinal cord consists of gray and white matter. The butterfly-shaped center of the cord consists of gray matter. The front wings (also called horns) contain motor nerve cells (neurons). The back horns contain sensory nerve cells. The surrounding white matter contains columns of nerve fibers that carry sensory information to the brain from the rest of the body.