An anatomical study of the propriospinal connections in the cat

In the spinal cord the neuronal cell bodies are located in the spinal gray matter, which may be subdivided into a dorsal horn, a ventral horn and an intermediate zone. Neurons in the dorsal horn give rise mainly to long ascending fibers, while the motoneurons of the ventral horn innervate the musculature of body and limbs. The intermediate zone harbours the majority of propriospinal neurons, which differ from other spinal neurons in that not only their cell bodies, but also their terminal axonal projections are located within the spinal gray matter.