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Exploring Grey Matter part two

What is Grey Matter?

Grey Matter is an area in the spinal chord. It is the inner portion of the spinal cord, primarily composed of neuronal cell bodies, dendrites, and axon terminals. It forms a butterfly-shaped structure in the spinal cord, surrounded by white matter. 

I will provide a brief explanation of the science, then transform it into folklore, which will then become art.

Why am I presenting Grey Matter in two parts?

There are two main areas in the spinal cord called:

Dorsal (Posterior) Horn

And

Ventral (Anterior) Horn

In this chapter I will explore the Ventral (Anterior) Horn

This chapter will provide the building blocks of the two worlds

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Ventral (Anterior) Horn:

largely contains motor neurons that exit the spinal cord 

contains the cell bodies of motor neurons, which send axons via the ventral roots to innervate skeletal muscles

ventral roots are bundles of axons that carry efferent (motor) signals from the spinal cord to the body's skeletal muscles, emerging from the spinal cord laterally towards the anterior surface

It's primarily a motor region, meaning it contains the neurons responsible for sending signals that cause muscles to contract

The ventral horn contains two types of lower motor neurons: 

alpha motor neurons

which supply the extrafusal muscle fibers with nerves 

outside the muscle spindle - a sensory receptor 

gamma motor neurons

which supply the intrafusal muscle fibers with nerves 

located within a muscle spindle - a sensory receptor 

Sensory receptors are specialized cells that detect stimuli from the internal or external environment and convert them into electrical signals for the nervous system to interpret

Part of the body’s Proprioception system 

the ability to sense the position and movement of our body parts, mediated by specialized receptors (proprioceptors) in muscles, tendons, and joints, allowing us to move and maintain balance without relying solely on vision

Specialized sensory receptors, like muscle spindles and Golgi tendon organs, are located in muscles, tendons, and joints

The brain processes this information, creating a "mind's eye" view of our body's position and movement

 The axons of these motor neurons exit the spinal cord via the ventral roots, which are part of the spinal nerves

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