The spinal cord is the extension of the central nervous system that is enclosed in and protected by the vertebral column. The vertebral column consists of 5 segments. From top to bottom those are: the cervical verterbrac the thoracic, the lumbar, the sacrum and the coccyx. It consists of nerve cells and their connections (axons and dendrites), with both gray matter and white matter, with the former surrounded by the latter.
The spinal cord carries sensory signals[?] and motor innervation[?] to most of the skeletal muscles[?] in the body. Just about every voluntary muscle[?] in the body below the head depends on the spinal cord for control. Similarly, most cutaneous sensation[?] below the neck is transmitted via the spinal cord. Most of the sympathetic pathways[?] and the lower (i.e. non-vagal) parasympathetic pathways[?] also go through the spinal cord.
wikipedia.org dumped 2003-03-17 with terodump