Question

Describe the three main functions of the spinal cord. Please answer this question in long paragraph in more detail

Answer 1

The spinal cord carries out two main functions:

• It connects a large part of the peripheral nervous system to the brain. Information (nerve impulses) reaching the spinal cord through sensory neurons are transmitted up into the brain. Signals arising in the motor areas of the brain travel back down the cord and leave in the motor neurons.
• The spinal cord also acts as a minor coordinating center responsible for some simple reflexes like the withdrawal reflex.

What are the main functions of the spinal cord?

Spinal cord function can be split into three different areas:

1. It is a highway of communication from the brain, sending messages to other parts of the body including instructing muscles that control movement.
2. It also carries sensory information back to the brain. For example, when you touch something, nerves translate that sensation and transmits it to your central processing plant, the brain.
3. It controls reflexive or involuntary actions such as the beat of your heart or adjusting your eyes to an external stimulus such as a bright light. It’s also involved in things like regulating our body temperature and digestion.

What is the function of the spinal cord in the nervous system?

The entire nervous system is a complex and fragile network of billions of nerve cells and connections running throughout the body. The spinal cord acts as a collection point for all these radiating connections, feeding them directly to the brain. We distinguish between the central nervous system which comprises the brain and the spinal cord, both of which are protected by bony structures, and the peripheral nervous system which stretches out to all corners of the body. The spinal cord is often split into different segments for diagnostic purposes. Each area has an ordered relationship with different parts of the body. For example, the thoracic nerves control performance in places like the chest, abdomen and upper back.

A huge part of spinal cord function is under the influence of the brain, as it functions to relay information to and from the periphery. But there are many reflexes that are generated in the spinal cord independently from the brain. Spinal reflexes are either monosynaptic or polysynaptic.

Monosynaptic reflexes play out with only two neurons participating in the reflex arc, one sensory and one motor. The first-order neuron (sensory) is in the spinal ganglion, while the second-order neuron (motor) is in the anterior horn of the spinal cord). The sensory neuron gathers impulses from the muscle and sends this information to the motor neuron which innervates the same muscle. The motor neuron then causes contraction of the innervated muscle. An example of a monosynaptic reflex is the stretch reflex.

Polysynaptic reflexes on the other hand have multiple neurons participating. Besides one sensory and one motor neuron, there are also one or more interneurons between them making this communication indirect. They are more complex than monosynaptic reflexes as they involve muscle groups instead of a single muscle. An example is the withdrawal reflex.