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The gray matter maze in the spinal cord: Do you know the secrets of these three gray areas?
Within the spinal cord, the gray matter is a maze divided into three main regions: the anterior, posterior, and lateral gray matter. These gray areas are an integral part of the nervous system, each playing different but interconnected important roles. Understanding the functions and characteristics of these three gray areas will not only help us explore the operation of the nervous system, but also provide a deeper understanding of related diseases and treatments.
Anterior gray matter
The anterior gray matter is composed of a variety of neurons, which are mainly responsible for the conduction of motor nerves and have a direct impact on the movement of skeletal muscles.
The anterior gray matter, or the anterior horn of the spinal cord, contains primarily alpha motor neurons, gamma motor neurons, and small neurons suspected to be intermediary neurons. The job of these neurons is to connect to skeletal muscles and control the force with which the muscles contract. In particular, alpha motor neurons can directly affect the outer muscle fibers, thereby affecting the movement of the entire muscle.
Alpha motor neurons
Alpha motor neurons are essential for muscle contraction. Their cell bodies are larger and can receive information from the sensory system.
Gamma motor neurons
Gamma motor neurons have smaller cell bodies than alpha motor neurons and are responsible for controlling the sensitivity of muscle spindles to muscle stretch.
Mini Neurons
The physiology of small neurons is not fully understood, but they are thought to play important regulatory roles in the central nervous system.
These small neurons may function as both excitatory and inhibitory neurons, and further research will help unravel their secrets. Neurons in the anterior gray matter are damaged in many neurological diseases, such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).
Posterior gray matter
The posterior gray matter is a neural information processing center responsible for integrating sensory information from the peripheral nervous system.
The posterior gray matter, or the back horn of the spinal cord, is divided into six layers, called Rexed layers, based on the sensory information they receive. The neurons here mainly process pain, touch and other sensory information and are the first gateway to the brain.
Layers I and II
Layers I and II are dedicated to receiving pain-related sensations, among which layer II is mainly composed of interneurons and is responsible for mediating pain and temperature perception.
Tiers III and IV
These two layers receive signals from mechanical pressure and are involved in regulating pain sensation.
Layers V and VI
Layer V receives information from mechanoreceptors, while layer VI specializes in processing sensory information from muscles and joints.
Lateral gray matter
Lateral gray matter is only found in the chest area and upper waist, and is related to the autonomic nervous system, regulating the functions of internal organs.
The lateral gray matter contains the cell bodies of the anterior neurons of the autonomic nervous system and receives information from the brain stem, organs, and hypothalamus. The function of these neurons is particularly important because they are responsible for regulating automatic responses of the internal organs.
Clinical significanceNeurons in the anterior gray matter show significant damage in a variety of neurological diseases, especially amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), spinal cord and cerebral muscular dystrophy. These conditions result in a dramatic decrease in the number of most motor neurons. On the other hand, the posterior gray matter plays an important role in the pain system, is the primary relay of pain transmission, and often shows dysfunction in chronic pain diseases.
Have you ever thought about which of these three gray areas has the greatest impact on our daily lives?
