What does the ventral root contain?

What does the ventral root contain?

• A. Axons whose cell bodies reside in the dorsal root ganglion
• B. Axons whose cell bodies reside in the ventral spinal cord gray matter
• C. Interneurons in the dorsal horn
• D. Axons that extend from brain to muscles

Answer: (B)

The ventral root is where motor output exits the spinal cord. It contains axons whose cell bodies sit in the ventral (anterior) part of the spinal cord’s gray matter—the ventral horn. These motor neurons send their axons out to innervate skeletal muscles, so the ventral root serves as the main efferent pathway from the spinal cord. This differs from the dorsal root, which carries sensory information coming into the spinal cord; its sensory cell bodies reside in the dorsal root ganglion. Interneurons are mainly in the dorsal horn, and the long motor pathways that originate in the brain and descend to muscles travel through CNS white matter tracts rather than the ventral root itself.

The ventral root is where motor output exits the spinal cord. It contains axons whose cell bodies sit in the ventral (anterior) part of the spinal cord’s gray matter—the ventral horn. These motor neurons send their axons out to innervate skeletal muscles, so the ventral root serves as the main efferent pathway from the spinal cord.

This differs from the dorsal root, which carries sensory information coming into the spinal cord; its sensory cell bodies reside in the dorsal root ganglion. Interneurons are mainly in the dorsal horn, and the long motor pathways that originate in the brain and descend to muscles travel through CNS white matter tracts rather than the ventral root itself.