Spinal Cord, the Dorsal Horn

Abstract

The mammalian spinal cord is made of white matter and gray matter. The white matter consists predominantly of myelinated axons, whereas the gray matter is a neuropil, a complex tangle of cells, axons, dendrites, synapses, supporting cells, and blood vessels. On cross-section, the gray matter appears as a thickened and distorted letter H, and the upper arms or tines of the H are referred to as the dorsal horns. This term is a misnomer, however, for it is only on cross-section that these structures appear like horns. In reality, since the spinal cord is a long cylinder, the dorsal gray matter forms two shelves that extend the length of the spinal cord.