WSU_1_055: Spinal cord

As we will discuss in Units 10&11, the central nervous system consists of white and gray matter. The gray matter contains the nerve cell bodies, and the white matter is composed of axon tracts. In the spinal cord, the gray matter has a butterfly configuration. Try to visualize the butterfly in this image.

[WebSlide] Nervous_WSU; Spinal cord C7 (WSU_1_055)

In Lab 7, I will not expect you to orient the slide as far as dorsal verses ventral, but I want you to know that the dorsal horn contains interneurons that send axons to the brain or to motor neurons, and the ventral horn contains motor neurons that send their axons into the periphery. In which direction are nerve fibers sending signals in the dorsal white matter and in the ventral white matter (to or from the brain)? [Lab 7G]