Label the Spinal Cord

The cord cut across and seen whole: 18 parts to name, labeled or blank.

Label the Spinal Cord

Name Date

Tap the dorsal root ganglion

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Write the name of each numbered part.Answer key

  1. Posterior horn
  2. Anterior horn
  3. Lateral horn
  4. Central canal
  5. Posterior column
  6. Lateral column
  7. Anterior column
  8. Dorsal root
  9. Dorsal root ganglion
  10. Ventral root
  11. Spinal nerve
  12. Pia mater
  13. Arachnoid mater
  14. Dura mater
  15. Cervical enlargement
  16. Lumbar enlargement
  17. Conus medullaris
  18. Cauda equina

Drawn for this site by script, 2026-09-26. Licence: own work.

Each numbered ring is a button. Use the arrow keys to move between them and Enter to choose. Names are read out in Study, and once a part is answered.

Next step Next: where each spinal nerve reaches the skin

All 18 parts on the diagram

Show the list

Start here: 7 main parts 7

  1. Posterior horn The back horns of grey matter, where sensory information is processed.
  2. Anterior horn The front horns of grey matter. Their motor neurons send signals out to the skeletal muscles.
  3. Central canal The narrow channel down the middle of the cord. It is filled with cerebrospinal fluid.
  4. Dorsal root Carries information from the skin, muscles and organs into the cord. The sensory root.
  5. Dorsal root ganglion A swelling on the dorsal root. It holds the cell bodies of its sensory neurons.
  6. Ventral root Carries signals out of the cord from the anterior horn. The motor root.
  7. Cervical enlargement The wider part of the cord in the neck, serving the arms.

Grey matter: 4 1

  1. Lateral horn Small side horns holding autonomic motor neurons. They are found only in the thoracic, upper lumbar and sacral cord.

White matter: 3 3

  1. Posterior column White matter between the posterior horns. It carries signals up and down the cord.
  2. Lateral column White matter at each side of the cord, between the horns.
  3. Anterior column White matter between the anterior horns and the front groove.

Roots and nerve: 4 1

  1. Spinal nerve The mixed nerve formed where the dorsal and ventral roots join. It carries both sensory and motor fibers.

The meninges: 3 3

  1. Pia mater The delicate innermost layer of the meninges, tight against the cord.
  2. Arachnoid mater The middle layer of the meninges. Under it, the subarachnoid space holds cerebrospinal fluid.
  3. Dura mater The tough outermost layer of the meninges.

The whole cord: 4 3

  1. Lumbar enlargement The wider part low in the cord, serving the legs.
  2. Conus medullaris The tapered end of the cord, near the second lumbar vertebra.
  3. Cauda equina The bundle of nerve roots below the end of the cord. They run on down the canal. The name means horse's tail.

How this list was compiled: Read 2026-09-26. OpenStax Anatomy and Physiology 2e, section 13.2 The Central Nervous System, https://openstax.org/books/anatomy-and-physiology-2e/pages/13-2-the-central-nervous-system : grey matter in a bulbous H divided into horns, the posterior horn for sensory processing, the anterior horn sending motor signals to skeletal muscles, the lateral horn only in the thoracic, upper lumbar and sacral regions with autonomic motor neurons; white matter in posterior, anterior and lateral columns carrying ascending and descending tracts. Wikipedia, Spinal cord, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spinal_cord : the central canal with cerebrospinal fluid; dorsal roots as sensory (afferent) roots ending in dorsal root ganglia of cell bodies, ventral motor roots, the roots merging into spinal nerves; the meninges, dura mater outermost and tough, the arachnoid mater in the middle with the subarachnoid space of cerebrospinal fluid under it, the pia mater innermost; the posterior median sulcus and anterior median fissure; the cervical enlargement (arms and trunk) and lumbar enlargement (legs); the conus medullaris near the second lumbar vertebra, the cauda equina below it and the filum terminale. Licence: own work

The drawing: Drawn for this site by script, 2026-09-26. Own work, nothing traced. Licence: own work

How it works

Label the spinal cord in two views: a cross-section with its grey and white matter, roots and meninges, and the whole cord from the neck to the cauda equina. It covers the common homework, correctly label the following anatomical features of the spinal cord.

Read the full guide

Cut across

The grey matter is a butterfly: thin posterior horns at the back, broad anterior horns at the front, small lateral horns at the sides, the central canal in the middle. White matter columns fill the rest. Three meninges wrap it: pia, arachnoid, dura.

Roots and the whole cord

The dorsal root brings sensory signals in and carries the ganglion; the ventral root carries motor signals out; they join as a spinal nerve. The cord swells for the arms and legs, tapers to the conus medullaris, and roots run on as the cauda equina.

  • Dorsal is sensory, ventral is motor: the ganglion always sits on the dorsal root.

Questions and answers

What is the difference between grey and white matter in the spinal cord?

Grey matter, the butterfly in the middle, holds nerve cell bodies. White matter round it is mostly myelinated axons, carrying signals up and down the cord in columns.

What are the three meninges of the spinal cord?

From the inside out: the pia mater on the cord, the arachnoid mater with cerebrospinal fluid under it, and the tough dura mater.

Where does the spinal cord end?

At the conus medullaris, near the second lumbar vertebra. Below it the nerve roots run on as the cauda equina.

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