Where does sensory information enter the spinal cord?

Where does sensory information enter the spinal cord?

• A. Ventral horn
• B. Dorsal horn
• C. Dorsal root ganglion
• D. Gray commissure

Answer: (C)

Sensory information first reaches the central nervous system via the dorsal root ganglion because these are the cell bodies of the primary sensory neurons. Peripheral receptors send signals along the sensory neuron’s peripheral process, and the central process travels into the spinal cord through the dorsal root, entering to synapse in the dorsal horn. So the dorsal root ganglion is the gateway where sensory input is organized before it gets processed in the spinal cord. The ventral horn contains motor neuron cells, directing outgoing signals; the gray commissure is a midline bridge within gray matter, not an entry point for sensory input.

Sensory information first reaches the central nervous system via the dorsal root ganglion because these are the cell bodies of the primary sensory neurons. Peripheral receptors send signals along the sensory neuron’s peripheral process, and the central process travels into the spinal cord through the dorsal root, entering to synapse in the dorsal horn. So the dorsal root ganglion is the gateway where sensory input is organized before it gets processed in the spinal cord. The ventral horn contains motor neuron cells, directing outgoing signals; the gray commissure is a midline bridge within gray matter, not an entry point for sensory input.