BiologyCoachOnlineBlog

The spinal cord is a long, thin, tubular bundle of nervous tissue that extends from the medulla oblongata in the brainstem to the lumbar region of the vertebral column. [The vertebral column (i.e. "backbone") surrounds and protects the spinal cord.] The brain and spinal cord together make up the central nervous system (CNS).

The spinal cord functions primarily in the transmission of neural signals between the brain and the rest of the body. That is, the spinal cord carries sensory impulses from the body to the brain and reversely, motor impulses from the brain to the body. Spinal cord injuries can be caused by trauma to the spinal column (e.g. bruising, severing, laceration) or or shattering of the bones of the vertebral column. In the latter scenario, the spinal cord can be punctured by fragments of bone. Victims of spinal cord injuries may suffer numbness in certain parts of their body. Severe injuries of the spinal cord may result in paraplegia, quadriplegia, or full body paralysis below the site of injury to the spinal cord.