What Is the Spinal Cord Made Of?

The central nervous system is a two-part system composed of the brain and the spinal cord. The spinal cord is flexible and easily injured, and therefore is protected by a series of bones called the vertebral column.

Function

The function of the spinal cord is to transmit sensory information from the peripheral nervous system to the brain.

Composition

The spinal cord is made of nervous tissue and filled with cerebrospinal fluid. The outer nervous tissue is referred to as white matter, while the inner tissue is referred to as gray matter. The gray matter is composed of neuron bodies and the white matter is composed of axonal projections.

Significance

The spinal cord is a dorsal nerve tube present in all members of the phylum Chordata. In addition to being a conduit for sensory information, its flexibility allows for lateral undulation. This type of movement is beneficial for Chordates to interact in their environments.

Size

The spinal cord is approximately 43 cm in length in human female adults and approximately 45 cm in length in human male adults.

Fun Fact

There are about 13,500,000 neurons in the human spinal cord. Talk about being sensitive!

References

• University of Guelph

Resources

• Stanford University