Spinal Cord Cross Section Histology

Look at the section with the lowest magnification and identify the gray matter contains large neuronal cell bodies and the white matter.

Spinal cord cross section histology. Also look at the center and identify the central canal. The gray matter of the spinal cord appears roughly in the form of a butterfly and is stained darker on this image. Understand all things spinal cord white and grey matter with this step by step interactive quiz and worksheet guide.

A drawing of a transverse section through the t10 spinal segment is shown on the right. Cresyl violet is a basic dye that binds nucleic acids and preferentially stains rna. The spinal cord is an important information relay and processing hub connecting the brain with the rest of the body.

The white matter is composed of nerve fibers carrying ascending and descending information and makes up the outer regions of the cord. In this particular stain h e the grey matter can be seen in a slightly darker shade than the white matter. The gray matter which contains cell bodies is located in the center of the.

Spinal cord many important features of the spinal cord are visible in this cross section. The relative size of the grey matter is small compared to the white matter and therefore the level of the cross section is unlikely to be around the level of. The spinal cord is a long thin tubular structure made up of nervous tissue which extends from the medulla oblongata in the brainstem to the lumbar region of the vertebral column it encloses the central canal of the spinal cord which contains cerebrospinal fluid the brain and spinal cord together make up the central nervous system cns.

The image shows a cross section of the ventral portion of the spinal cord using an h e stain. A transverse section of the spinal cord reveals a distinct butterfly pattern of dark inner grey matter surrounded by the lighter colour white matter. The outer zone contains many myelinated axons that run up and down the spinal cord.

Ventrally the halves are separated by a ventral median fissure into which pia mater invaginates. The spinal cord is bilaterally symmetrical. The above image shows a complete cross sectional histology of a spinal cord.