dorsal horn

anatomy

Also known as: posterior horn, sensory horn

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Last updated

June 23, 2026

Quick Summary

The dorsal horn is a region within the spinal cord's gray matter that primarily receives sensory input. It is one of three pairs of horns formed by the gray matter, along with the lateral and ventral horns. The dorsal horns are composed of sensory neurons and are involved in processing sensations such as pain and tactile sense. Specifically, impulses related to pain and noxious stimuli largely terminate in laminae I and II of the dorsal horns, while tactile sense signals end in lamina IV or on associated cell processes. The dorsal horn is also referred to as the dorsal column in anatomy.12

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nerve
…the posterior gray column (dorsal horn) of the cord or ascend to nuclei in the lower part of the brain. Immediately lateral to the spinal ganglia the two roots unite into a common nerve trunk, which includes both sensory and motor fibres; the branches of this trunk distribute both…
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…the posterior gray column (dorsal horn) of the cord or ascend to nuclei in the lower part of the brain. Immediately lateral to the spinal ganglia the two roots unite into a common nerve trunk, which includes both sensory and motor fibres; the branches of this trunk distribute both…
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pain
Physiology of pain
…they synapse primarily on the dorsal horn neurons in the marginal zone and substantia gelatinosa of the gray matter of the spinal cord. That area is responsible for regulating and modulating the incoming impulses. Two different pathways, the spinothalamic and spinoreticular tracts, transmit impulses to the brainstem and thalamus. Spinothalamic…
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…they synapse primarily on the dorsal horn neurons in the marginal zone and substantia gelatinosa of the gray matter of the spinal cord. That area is responsible for regulating and modulating the incoming impulses. Two different pathways, the spinothalamic and spinoreticular tracts, transmit impulses to the brainstem and thalamus. Spinothalamic…
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human nervous system
The spinal cord
…the spinal cord: (1) the dorsal horns, composed of sensory neurons, (2) the lateral horns, well defined in thoracic segments and composed of visceral neurons, and (3) the ventral horns, composed of motor neurons. The white matter forming the ascending and descending spinal tracts is grouped in three paired funiculi,…
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…the spinal cord: (1) the dorsal horns, composed of sensory neurons, (2) the lateral horns, well defined in thoracic segments and composed of visceral neurons, and (3) the ventral horns, composed of motor neurons. The white matter forming the ascending and descending spinal tracts is grouped in three paired funiculi,…
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