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Equine Nervous System - Horse Anatomy (view source)
Revision as of 09:37, 22 November 2012
, 09:37, 22 November 2012→Spinal Cord
===Spinal Cord===
===Spinal Cord===
The equine spinal cord demonstrates relatively few species specific features, other than its size. The spinal cord of a 500Kg horse is approximately 2 metres long. As in other species, it is surrounded and protected by the meninges and lies within the vertebral canal. The end of the spinal cord, known as the '''conus medullaris''', extends relatively caudally in the horse; reaching the first sacral vertebra. It then becomes what is known as the '''filum terminale''', which extends the spinal cord to reach the fourth sacral segment. Both the conus medullaris and the filum terminale, as well as the associated spinal nerves, form the '''cauda equina'''. In adult horses, the cauda equine begins at the '''lumbosacral junction'''.
The '''spinal cord''' is constructed of the ''[[Spinal Cord - Anatomy & Physiology#Marginal layer|marginal layer]] ''which has axons and white matter, the ''[[Spinal Cord - Anatomy & Physiology#Mantle|mantle]]'' which contains cell bodies and grey matter and the ''[[Spinal Cord - Anatomy & Physiology#Spinal Canal|spinal canal]]''. This canal conducts sensory information from the peripheral nervous system (both somatic and autonomic) to the brain, conducts motor information from the brain to various effectors and acts as a minor reflex center. The spinal cord can be divided to several regions:
The '''spinal cord''' is constructed of the ''[[Spinal Cord - Anatomy & Physiology#Marginal layer|marginal layer]] ''which has axons and white matter, the ''[[Spinal Cord - Anatomy & Physiology#Mantle|mantle]]'' which contains cell bodies and grey matter and the ''[[Spinal Cord - Anatomy & Physiology#Spinal Canal|spinal canal]]''. This canal conducts sensory information from the peripheral nervous system (both somatic and autonomic) to the brain, conducts motor information from the brain to various effectors and acts as a minor reflex center. The spinal cord can be divided to several regions:
:'''cervical''' ''(C1-C6)''
:'''cervical''' ''(C1-C6)''