Neuropathy Knowledge: What Is The Spinal Cord?

Today's post from sciencedaily.com (see link below) is the fifth part of a series from the same source providing readers with explanations and information about many of the medical terms they hear when researching neuropathy, or sitting in the doctor's surgery and talking about it. Today it explains how the 'spinal cord' works and gives related definitions of other words associated with its importance in the body. Worth following the links if you have the time.

Spinal cord
Science Daily via Wikipedia

The spinal cord is a part of the vertebrate nervous system that is enclosed in and protected by the vertebral column (it passes through the spinal canal).

It consists of nerve cells.

The cord conveys the 31 spinal nerve pairs of the peripheral nervous system, as well as central nervous system pathways that innervate skeletal muscles.

For more information about the topic Spinal cord, read the full article at Wikipedia.org, or see the following related articles:


Peripheral nervous system — The peripheral nervous system or PNS, is part of the nervous system, and consists of the nerves and neurons that reside or extend outside the central ...  read more


Central nervous system — The central nervous system (CNS) represents the largest part of the nervous system, including the brain and the spinal cord. Together with the ...  read more


Motor neuron — In vertebrates, motor neurons (also called motoneurons) are efferent neurons that originate in the spinal cord and synapse with muscle fibers to ... read more


Sensory neuron — Sensory neurons are nerve cells within the nervous system responsible for converting external stimuli from the organism's environment into internal ...  read more


Sympathetic nervous system — The sympathetic nervous system (SNS) is part of the autonomic nervous system (ANS), which also includes the parasympathetic nervous system (PNS). The ...  read more


Phantom limb — Phantom limb is a phantom sensation in amputated or missing limbs. A phantom sensation is a feeling that a missing limb is still attached to the body ... read more


Nociceptor — A nociceptor is a sensory receptor that sends signals that cause the perception of pain in response to potentially damaging stimulus. Nociceptors are ...  read more


Spina bifida — Spina bifida describes birth defects caused by an incomplete closure of one or more vertebral arches of the spine, resulting in malformations of the ...  read more


Nervous system — The nervous system of an animal coordinates the activity of the muscles, monitors the organs, constructs and also stops input from the senses, and ...  read more


Parasympathetic nervous system — The parasympathetic nervous system is one of three divisions of the autonomic nervous system. Sometimes called the rest and digest system, the ... read more


http://www.sciencedaily.com/articles/s/spinal_cord.htm