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The spinal cord sends and receives information
from the entire body and brain (22).
The information controls sensations, movement, and autonomic function
. Nerves traveling through the
body relay the information from the spinal cord to target cells
in all areas of the body. Axon
bundles travel through the body in 2 pathways: ascending and descending.
The descending pathway, which controls voluntary movement, carries
information from the corticospinal tract in the brain to the motor
neurons in the spinal cord and then to the final destination in
the body. Information carried by the ascending pathway from the
sensory neurons in the spinal cord to the brain controls sensory
information about body position, temperature, pain, and touch (18).
Each level of the spinal cord corresponds to the sensory perception
at a particular part of the body. The lower the level of the spinal
cord, the lower the area of the body that is controlled by that
level. Thus, the lower the level of the spinal cord injury, the
lower the parts of the body that are affected by the injury.
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Picture
provided by
The
National Institutes of Health
The
major pathways of the Spinal Cord: The ascending pathways
(blue) carry sensory information from the body to the brain
and spinal cord. The axons that comprise the ascending pathway
end in the sensory cortex (blue) of the brain. The descending
pathways (red) control motor function. The nerve cell bodies
that control motor function are located in the motor cortex
(red) of the brain.
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Picture
provided by
The
National Institutes of Health
Cross
Section of the Spinal Cord
A. Descending
(motor) pathways B. Ascending (sensory pathways) C. sensory
neurons D. dorsal root ganglion (sensory) where the cell bodies
of sensory neurons are located E. ventral root F. motor neurons
(where axons descending from the motor cortex in the brain
synapse with the cell bodies of spinal cord motor neurons.
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