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The spinal cord is the thick longitudinal cord of nervous tissue that in extends along the back dorsal to the body and is enclosed in the vertebral canal formed by neural arches. It is continuous rostrally with the medulla oblongata, gives off at intervals pairs of spinal nerves to the various parts of the trunk and limbs, serves as a pathway for nervous impulses to and from the brain, and serves as a center for carrying out and coordinating many reflex actions independently of the brain. The spinal cord is composed largely of white matter arranged in columns and tracts of longitudinal fibers about a large central core of grey matter.

ZFIN ID: ZDB-ANAT-010921-494

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