
Ventral nerve cord. The ventral nerve cord (VNC) makes up a part of the central nervous system of some phyla of the bilaterians, particularly within the nematodes, annelids and the arthropods. It usually consists of the segmental ganglia anteriorly with the nerve cords running down the ventral ("belly", as opposed to back) plane of the organism.
What are three cranial nerves have only sensory function?
This article will provide an introduction to the cranial nerves which are considered primarily sensory nerves, which includes the olfactory nerve, the optic nerve, and the vestibulocochlear nerve. The terminal nerve (CN 0, or CN N), although not conventionally included in the list of cranial nerves, will also be discussed among this group.
What does the ventral root of a spinal nerve do?
What info does a ventral root carry? The Ventral Root of the spinal nerve contains outgoing, efferent (meaning to “bear away from”) fibers that carry information destined to control motor or glandular function. The cell bodies of these motor neurons are located in the ventral horns of the spinal cord’s central grey region.
Which cranial nerves are exclusively sensory?
This article will provide an introduction to the cranial nerves which are considered primarily sensory nerves, which includes the olfactory nerve, the optic nerve, and the vestibulocochlear nerve. The terminal nerve (CN 0, or CN N), although not conventionally included in the list of cranial nerves, will also be discussed among this group.
Is ventral nerve chord non chordate character?
The gut position is ventral to nerve cord in chordates whereas gut position is dorsal to nerve cord in non-chordates. In chordates, the anus is differentiated and opens before the last segment while in non-chordates, anus opens on the last segment or absent.

What is the function of the ventral nerve cord in an earthworm?
Earthworms have a simple nervous system. The cerebral ganglion is connected to a ventral nerve cord that runs the length of the body. Each segment is connected to this cord, allowing earthworms to move and respond to light, touch, chemicals, vibrations and more.
What does ventral nerve cord consist of?
The ventral nerve cord consists of the subesophageal ganglion in the head, connected to the brain by circumesophageal connectives, and a chain of ganglia in the thoracic and abdominal segments interconnected by paired nerves.
What is dorsal and ventral nerve cord?
In vertebrates, the dorsal nerve cord is modified into the central nervous system, which comprises the brain and spinal cord. Dorsal means the "back" side, as opposed to ventral which is the "belly" side of an organism. In bipedal organisms dorsal is the back and ventral is the front.
Where are the ventral nerve cords in an insect?
The Central Nervous System Like most other arthropods, insects have a relatively simple central nervous system with a dorsal brain linked to a ventral nerve cord that consists of paired segmental ganglia running along the ventral midline of the thorax and abdomen.
Do butterflies have a ventral nerve cord?
The brain of the monarch butterfly is composed of the central brain and, located on either side, the large optic lobes (Fig. F1 1). It is connected to the thoracic ganglia and the remaining ventral nerve cord through the neck connective emerging ventrally.
What animal has a brain and one ventral nerve cord?
Insects The grasshopper has a brain located between its eyes, just above the esophagus. The brain is connected to the 1st ventral ganglion by a pair of ventral nerves that surround the gut.
What does the dorsal nerve cord turn into?
the central nervous systemThe dorsal hollow nerve cord develops into the central nervous system: the brain and spine.
What is the ventral root of the spinal cord?
the motor root of a spinal nerve, which carries motor information from the spinal cord to the rest of the body and leaves from the anterior side of the cord.
Do the ventral nerve roots carry sensory or motor fibers?
The ventral rootlets from discrete spinal cord section unite and form the ventral root, which contain motor nerve axons from motor and visceral motor neurons.
Is the ventral root motor or sensory?
nerves. … root is sensory and the ventral root motor; the first cervical nerve may lack the dorsal root. Oval swellings, the spinal ganglia, characterize the dorsal roots.
Does cockroach have ventral nerve cord?
The nervous system of cockroach consists of the nerve ring, the nerve cord, ganglia, and nerves. The nerve cord is double, solid and ventral, and it arises from the suboesophageal ganglion.
What is found in the ventral root of the spinal cord?
motor neuronsThe Ventral Root of the spinal nerve contains outgoing, efferent (meaning to "bear away from") fibers that carry information destined to control motor or glandular function. The cell bodies of these motor neurons are located in the ventral horns of the spinal cord's central grey region.
What is the ventral column of spinal cord?
The ventral horn of the spinal cord is one of the grey longitudinal columns found within the spinal cord. It contains the cell bodies of the lower motor neurons which have axons leaving via the ventral spinal roots on their way to innervate muscle fibers.
What is the ventral root of the spinal cord?
the motor root of a spinal nerve, which carries motor information from the spinal cord to the rest of the body and leaves from the anterior side of the cord.
Which structures are innervated by the ventral branch of the spinal cord?
Branches of the cervical plexus, which include the phrenic nerve, innervate muscles of the neck, the diaphragm, and the skin of the neck and upper chest. The brachial plexus contains ventral rami from spinal nerves C5-T1....Ventral ramus of spinal nerve.Ventral ramusLatinramus anterior nervi spinalisTA98A14.2.00.034 A14.1.09.107TA26147FMA59824 more rows
What is the ventral cord?
The ventral nerve cord consists of the subesophageal ganglion in the head, connected to the brain by circumesophageal connectives, and a chain of ganglia in the thoracic and abdominal segments interconnected by paired nerves.
How are ventral nerves generated?
The ventral nerve cord (VNC) and CB are generated in the embryo from neuroblasts delaminating from the embryonic neuroepithelium. These neuroblasts produce the embryonic nervous system and 10% of the future adult neurons before entering quiescence toward the end of embryonic stages (Fig. 2 A ). At late L1/early L2 stages, about 100 neuroblasts start dividing again and produce the remaining 90% of adult neurons. The neuroblasts can be divided in two categories: Type I neuroblasts generate all VNC neurons and most of the CB, while eight Type II neuroblasts generate clones of up to 500 cells giving rise to CB neurons. The formation of neurons from the VNC/CB neuroblasts has been recently reviewed in Homem and Knoblich (2012), Kang and Reichert (2015), and Reichert (2011).
What are the three types of nerves that project out of the VNC?
They project out of the VNC in three different nerves: the intersegmental nerves (ISN), the segmental nerves (SN), and the small transverse nerve (TN), which contains only two motor axons. The ISN motoneurons innervate internal muscles, while the SN innervates external muscles.
Where do axons turn longitudinally?
Following commissural axon midline crossing in the Drosophila ventral nerve cord, axons turn longitudinally and position themselves in lateral pathways parallel to the midline. The cues that arrange these bundles of axonal tracts which keep stereotyped positions lateral to the midline have begun to be described. It was first thought that the three lateral positions that longitudinal axons can take were dictated by the protein expression of specific Robos, termed the ‘Robo code’ (Rajagopalan et al., 2000b; Simpson et al., 2000a ). Axons that occupy the most medial pathway, adjacent to the midline, express only Robo-1 ( Rajagopalan et al., 2000b ). Intermediate tract axons express Robo-1 and Robo-3, while axons belonging to the lateral pathway express all three Robos ( Simpson et al., 2000a; Rajagopalan et al., 2000b; Figure 6.2 (a) ). These distinct combinations of Robo receptor expression are critical for proper positioning of axons, as genetic gain- and loss-of-function experiments involving Robos have shown misdirection of axons into other lateral positions. Loss of Robo-2 or Robo-3 function leads to a shift in axon position closer to the midline, while gain of Robo-2 or Robo-3 function shifts axons away from the midline. Robo-1, on the other hand, does not seem to play an instructive role in lateral positioning of commissural axons, as lateral pathways form correctly in robo-1 mutant embryos and overexpression of Robo-1 in postcrossing axons does not shift these axons laterally ( Spitzweck et al., 2010 ).
Which organs release axons?
Neurosecretory cells (black) in a ventral ganglion (VG) send axons in the medial nerve (MN) to neurohemal release sites in the medial perisympathetic organ (MPO) and to the transverse perisympathetic organ (TPO) along the transverse nerve (TN).
Where are the release sites for the neurosecretions of the thoracic and abdominal ganglia?
The release sites for the neurosecretions of the thoracic and abdominal ganglia are in the well-known perivisceral organs (also called perisympathetic organs), which have been described for many insect species. The most conspicuous perivisceral organs occur on the transverse branches of the medial nerves (Fig. 9).
What is the temporal sequence of VNC NBs?
Figure 3.6. The temporal sequence in embryonic and larval VNC NBs is required for ending neurogenesis. At late stages of embryogenesis, Cas turns on Grh and turns off D in NBs. Grh, as well as two members of the larval temporal sequence, Cas and Svp, are required for the NBs to end neurogenesis at the correct time. Thoracic NB lineages are longer, and undergo pros-dependent cell-cycle exit. Abdominal NB lineages are shorter, and undergo apoptosis that depends on Reaper, Grim, and Hid.
What is the ventral root?
Each ventral root (also named the anterior root, radix anterior, radix ventralis, or radix motoria) is attached to the spinal cord by a series of rootlets that emerge from the ventrolateral sulcus of the spinal cord in the anterior root exit zone. The ventral roots consist predominantly of efferent somatic motor fibers ...
What are the connections between the sympathetic nervous system and the spinal cord?
Each segment of the spinal cord corresponds to a pair of sympathetic ganglia (paravertebral ganglia), one on each side of the column. These communicate up and down by interganglionic branches, so the set of ganglia resembles beads on a string and is called the sympathetic chain. The preganglionic cells originating in the cord synapse in the ganglia with postganglionic cells. These postganglionic cells send efferents to the skin, sweat glands, and blood vessels of the body, as shown at the left. The efferent output to the viscera, shown to the right, can occur via postganglionic cells in the paravertebral ganglia or via prevertebral ganglia. The prevertebral ganglia include the celiac, superior mesenteric, and inferior mesenteric ganglia. They receive inputs from preganglionic fibers that travel through the chain. All of the visceral organs receive sympathetic efferents as shown. Although the targets of efferent output are shown separately here, in reality both sympathetic chains give rise to both types of efferents. The adrenal medulla receives preganglionic input directly; it acts like a ganglion.
What are the two ganglia that connect to each other?
Each spinal cord segment has two ventral roots that connect by a white ramus to a spinal sympathetic ganglion. These ganglia communicate with each other up and down the spinal cord, forming two sympathetic chains, one on each side of the vertebral column. Only those pairs of spinal sympathetic ganglia from T1 to L2 receive inputs via the white rami. Those above T1 receive inputs from fibers from the thoracic segments that climb the sympathetic chain. Those ganglia below L2 receive inputs from preganglionic fibers that descend the chain from the lower thoracic and lumbar ganglia (see Figure 4.9.3 ). Each pair of spinal sympathetic ganglia send out an efferent branch to effector organs. These fibers travel from the ganglia to the spinal nerve by a gray ramus communicans. It is gray because the axons it contains are unmyelinated postganglionic fibers. Thus, only some of the sympathetic ganglia have white rami, but all have gray rami.
Why do ventral root axons increase?
The number of ventral root axons increases gradually along its subarachnoid course to the point it is apposed to the dorsal root ganglion. This increase is probably due to axonal sprouting (branching) (Fraher and O'Sullivan, 1989 ). Axon numbers also change during maturation and throughout maturity.
Why do ventral roots undergo atrophic change?
Other Atrophic Complications. Because the ventral roots carry trophic factors besides motor impulses, other structures will undergo variable degrees of atrophic change. The bones in the affected limbs will demineralize rapidly, although the exact extent of demineralization is unclear.
Which segment of the lumbar spine has axons?
In thoracic and upper lumbar segments, the alpha and gamma axons are supplemented by thin autonomic preganglionic motor fibers derived from the intermediolateral column. Most of the ventral root fibers are myelinated, but there are also unmyelinated C fibers, the majority of which are autonomic.
Where do C fibers terminate?
Unmyelinated C fibers terminate mainly in laminae 1–2, whereas large Aβ fibers from cutaneous mechanoreceptors terminate in laminae 3–5. Afferents from hair follicles descend through laminae 1–3 to laminae 4–5, then curve back to end in the superficial part of laminae 4 and 3.
What is the function of spinal nerves?
They are the structures through which the central nervous system (CNS) receives sensory information from the periphery, and through which the activity of the trunk and the limbs is regulated. Also they transmit the motor commands from the CNS to the muscles of the periphery.
What nerves join to form the spinal nerve proper?
The anterior and posterior roots join to form the spinal nerve proper, containing a mixture of sensory, motor, and autonomic fibers. One of the great ways to learn anatomy effectively is to repeat as much as you can. Check out our free anatomy quizzes and guides to do this in a fun and interactive way!
How many spinal nerves are there?
Therefore, there are 12 pairs of thoracic spinal nerves, 5 pairs of lumbar spinal nerves, 5 pairs of sacral spinal nerves, and a coccygeal nerve. The cervical spinal nerves differ from this pattern.
Why do spinal nerves impinge?
These are mostly due to issues relating to the bony and cartilaginous structures surrounding the nerves as they emerge, as with the natural aging process.
How many spinal nerves are there in the cervical spine?
C1-C7 spinal nerves emerge from the vertebral canal above the corresponding vertebra, with an eighth pair of cervical spinal nerves emerging below the C7 vertebra, meaning there are a total of 8 pairs of cervical spinal nerves while there are only 7 cervical vertebrae.
How many pairs of nerves are there in the spinal cord?
They are composed of both motor and sensory fibres, as well as autonomic fibres, and exist as 31 pairs of nerves emerging intermittently from the spinal cord to exit the vertebral canal. This article will discuss the anatomy and function of the spinal nerves.
What is the structure called where the spinal cord tapers into the spinal cord?
Caudal to the level of L1/L2, the spinal cord tapers into a structure called the conus medullaris where the remaining spinal nerve rootlets exit the spinal cord at this level.
