Library · Histology
Histology of the spinal cord
Make it clearer
If you cut the spinal cord across and look at the slice, you do not need a microscope to see that there are two different zones: gray on the inside and white on the outside. That difference in color is not arbitrary: it corresponds to two different things.
The gray matter sits in the center and has a characteristic shape, much like the letter H or a butterfly with its wings open. In each half you can make out two projections called horns: a larger ventral one, toward the front, and a more elongated dorsal one, toward the back. The white matter is what surrounds it, and it is made up of fibers that run the length of the cord from top to bottom; those fibers are grouped into columns, like cables tidied into bundles. And right in the center of it all there is a tiny tube, the central canal, which carries cerebrospinal fluid and is lined on the inside by a layer of ependymal cells.
In brief
Cutting across the spinal cord reveals two zones visible to the naked eye: inner gray matter and outer white matter.
In cross section the gray matter occupies the center in a rough H or butterfly shape, and in each half it divides into a larger ventral horn and an elongated dorsal horn.
The white matter is made up of fibers that run the length of the cord and is divided into columns; at the center, the central canal holds cerebrospinal fluid and is lined by ependymal cells.
Sources (2)
- NCBI Bookshelf, U.S. National Library of MedicineNeuroanatomy, Spinal Cord (StatPearls)
- OpenStax, Rice UniversityAnatomy and Physiology 2e, 13.2 The Central Nervous SystemPublished
This page explains the topic in general terms; it does not tell anyone what treatment to follow.
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