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What is the Spinal Cord?
The spinal cord is located within the vertebral
(spinal) canal of the vertebral column. Together with the
brain, they make up the Central Nervous System. It originates from
the brain (specifically from the medulla) and extends down to the space between the first and second lumbar
vertebrae (L1-L2). In men, it can be 18 inches long and in women, 17.
Functions
The spinal cord has two main functions:
1. Sends sensory and motor neural
signals/information from the brain to the body and vice versa.
2. The second principal function of the spinal cord is as an integrating center
for spinal reflexes. Reflexes are fast, predictable, automatic responses to changes in the environment that
help maintain homeostasis.
Examples of these reflexes are
1. the knee-jerk reflex
2. finger withdrawal
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