SPINAL CORD – 2
A cross-section of the spinal cord reveals that the gray matter occupies its center (unlike the brain and cerebellum) and and is surrounded by the white matter. The shape of the gray matter in a cross section resembles a butterfly.
The spinal cord is covered by the meninges. However, during the dissection of the organs of the central nervous system, its meninges usually stay attached to the bone surfaces that surround them (bones of the skull, vertebrae).
In the image:
The grey matter – highlighted in dark gray – occupies the central region of the spinal cord and is surrounded by the white matter – highlighted in light gray.
This canal That
Inside the entire length of the spinal chord and placed in the center of its gray matter exists a long and narrow tube the central canal of the spinal cord or ependymal canal – indicated by a blue circle. The canal contains cerebrospinal fluid and is a remnant of the neural tube cavity that is formed during the embryonic period of life.
See a detail of the canal in the lower figure. The canal is lined by a simple ciliated columnar or cuboidal epithelium. The arrows indicate cilia of the surface of the cells.
Spinal cord. Staining: HE. Very small magnification.
Ependymal canal. Staining: HE. Medium magnification.