NETTER - Neuroscience Flash Cards

Spinal Column: Bony Anatomy
1. Atlas (C1 vertebra)
2. Axis (C2 vertebra)
3. C7 vertebra
4. T1 vertebra
5. L1 vertebra
6. L5 vertebra
7. Intervertebral disc
8. Vertebral body
9. Pedicle
10. Spinous process
11. Transverse process
12. Lamina
Comment: The vertebral bodies articulate with each other and are
cushioned by intervertebral discs. These discs protect vertebrae
and act as shock absorbers, and provide for flexibility of the spine.
If the centrally located nucleus pulposus of the intervertebral discs
protrudes through the tough protective annulus (herniated disc), it
can impinge on emerging nerve roots (especially a dorsal root at the
foramen, causing shooting, excruciating pain in a dermatomal pattern
and also possible motor damage if it impinges on a ventral root). A
herniated cervical disc also can impinge on the adjacent spinal cord,
causing myelopathy and a radiculopathy. At lumbar levels, where a
majority of disc herniations occur, the protruding nucleus pulposus
does not produce a myelopathy because the spinal cord ends
caudally at the level of the L1 vertebral body.
Overview of the Nervous System See book 5.1