ventral root
anatomy
Also known as: ventral motor root
Quick Summary
Human spinal cord
Lower cervical segment of the human spinal cord. In this photograph of a cross section, the white matter is shown stained dark.
The ventral root is one of the two roots of a spinal nerve that passes from the spinal cord and is composed of motor fibers. The spinal cord contains 31 pairs of spinal nerves, each with a dorsal and a ventral root. The ventral roots' fibers originate from cells in the ventral horn of the spinal cord. Damage to ventral horn neurons can lead to reduced muscle tone and power, as well as a decrease or loss of reflexes, without affecting sensation.1234
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