The Vascular Supply of the Spinal Cord

The Anterior spinal artery supplies the ventral 2/3 of the spinal cord whereas the posterior spinal artery supplies the dorsal 1/3 of the spinal cord.

  • Therefore in an anterior cord syndrome, there is motor involvement (both the anterior horn cells (which are the cell bodies of the lower motor neuron) and corticospinal tract (which are the axons of the upper motor neuron) and pain and temperature loss
  • In a posterior cord syndrome, only position sense and vibration are affected



iDevice icon Reflection
Based on this diagram, at what level was the spinal cord involved?