Spinal Ganglion of First Cervical Nerve
Ganglion spinale nervi cervicalis primi
Read moreDescription
The spinal ganglion (dorsal root ganglion or posterior root ganglion) is a sensory ganglion found at the proximal end of the posterior root of each spinal nerve.
The spinal ganglion of the first cervical nerve conveys sensory information from the periphery into the dorsal horn of the first cervical spinal segment of the spinal cord.
It contains cell bodies or nuclei of the afferent nerve fibers, which are derived from neural crest cells and comprise pseudounipolar neurons. The afferent neurons convey somatic sensory signals from the meninges and the atlantooccipital joint to the suboccipital nerve (or the posterior ramus) which conveys sensory information to the first cervical nerve and on to the spinal ganglion (Ouaknine and Nathan, 1973). The dorsal root ganglion of the first cervical nerve is often absent or may be rudimentary (Dorland, 2011).
Related parts of the anatomy
References
Dorland, W. A. (2011) Dorland's Illustrated Medical Dictionary, 32nd edition.
Ouaknine, G. & Nathan, H. (1973) Anastomotic connections between the eleventh nerve and the posterior root of the first cervical nerve in humans. J Neurosurg, 38(2), 189-97.
