dorsal root

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Human spinal cord

dorsal root

anatomy

Also known as: dorsal sensory root

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June 25, 2026

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ganglion — ganglion Dorsal root ganglion from a chicken embryo.

The dorsal root is one of the two roots of a spinal nerve that passes dorsally to the spinal cord. It is composed of sensory fibers that carry sensory information from the body towards the central nervous system. These sensory fibers' cell bodies are located in the dorsal root ganglia, which are clusters of nerve cell bodies situated on the dorsal roots of spinal nerves. Each spinal nerve is formed by the joining of a dorsal root and a ventral root, with the ventral root carrying motor fibers away from the spinal cord. The dorsal root, therefore, plays a crucial role in transmitting sensory input from the body to the spinal cord.1234

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ganglion
The dorsal root ganglia contain the cell bodies of afferent nerve fibres (those carrying impulses toward the central nervous system); efferent neurons (carrying motor impulses away from the central nervous system) are present in the ventral root ganglia.
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The dorsal root ganglia contain the cell bodies of afferent nerve fibres (those carrying impulses toward the central nervous system); efferent neurons (carrying motor impulses away from the central nervous system) are present in the ventral root ganglia.
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nerve
The dorsal 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. They are formed of nerve cells that give rise to the sensory nerve fibres. The fibres of the…
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The dorsal 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. They are formed of nerve cells that give rise to the sensory nerve fibres. The fibres of the…
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human nervous system
The spinal cord
…which receives and furnishes one dorsal and one ventral root. On this basis the spinal cord is divided into the following segments: 8 cervical (C), 12 thoracic (T), 5 lumbar (L), 5 sacral (S), and 1 coccygeal (Coc). Spinal nerve roots emerge via intervertebral foramina; lumbar and sacral spinal roots,…
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…which receives and furnishes one dorsal and one ventral root. On this basis the spinal cord is divided into the following segments: 8 cervical (C), 12 thoracic (T), 5 lumbar (L), 5 sacral (S), and 1 coccygeal (Coc). Spinal nerve roots emerge via intervertebral foramina; lumbar and sacral spinal roots,…
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tabes dorsalis
…result from degeneration of the dorsal roots of the spinal cord, giving it its name, which means “dorsal wasting.” The first manifestation is usually “lightning pain,” transient, stabbing pains affecting the legs; this is followed by loss of tendon reflexes and by progressive loss of muscular coordination (ataxia) causing a…
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…result from degeneration of the dorsal roots of the spinal cord, giving it its name, which means “dorsal wasting.” The first manifestation is usually “lightning pain,” transient, stabbing pains affecting the legs; this is followed by loss of tendon reflexes and by progressive loss of muscular coordination (ataxia) causing a…
Read More